A simple method for the calibration of optical path difference modulation in low-coherence interferometry is presented. Spectrally filtering a part of the detected interference signal results in a high-coherence signal that encodes the scan imperfections and permits their correction. The method is self-referenced in the sense that no secondary high-coherence light source is necessary. Using a spectrometer setup for spectral filtering allows for flexibility in both the choice of calibration wavelength and the maximum scan range. To demonstrate the method’s usefulness, it is combined with a recently published digital spectral shaping technique to measure the thickness of a pellicle beam splitter with a white-light source.

© 2003 Optical Society of America

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