Measuring the spatial frequency transfer function of phase-measuring interferometers for laser optics

The power spectral density function (PSD) is being employed to specify the surface finish and transmitted wavefront in the mid-spatial frequency regime for laser beam optics of the National Ignition Facility (NIF). The instrument used to measure the PSD is a phase measuring Fizeau interferometer. The phase map produced by the interferometer is digitally processed to create the PSD. Before one can use the PSD information, it is necessary to evaluate the fidelity of the interferometer spatial frequency response. Specifically, one must measure the overall transfer function of the instrument. To accomplish this, we perform a two-step ''calibration'' process. We first measure a known precision phase object with the interferometer and then compare the measured PSD to an ideal numerical simulation which represents the theoretical PSD. The square root of the ratio of the measured function to the simulation is defined as the transfer function of the instrument. We present experimental results for both reflective and transmissive test objects, including effects such as the test object orientation and longitudinal location in the interferometer cavity. We also evaluate the accuracy levels obtained using different test objects.