Application of a liquid crystal spatial light modulator on optical roughness measurements by a speckle correlation method using two refractive indices

A system of roughness measurements using a CCD camera and a liquid crystal spatial light modulator (LCSLM) has been developed. The scattered light patterns from the surface, which is covered by liquids with several different refractive indices, are acquired by the CCD camera and stored in a frame grabber in a computer. The superposition of two arbitrary patterns is calculated by the computer and displayed on the LCSLM. It is then illuminated by coherent light to produce interference fringes of equal inclination at infinity. The surface roughness can be determined through the relationship between the fringe visibility and the difference of refractive indices. The performance of this system is estimated by experiments. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.