Miniaturized 3-D surface profilometer using a fiber optic coupler

A 3-D surface profilometer is described which uses a simple fiber optic coupler to form a Youngʹs double pinhole interferometer. The Youngʹs fringes are projected onto a surface, captured by a camera and analyzed using the Fourier transform method. The phase of the fringe pattern on the object is used to reconstruct the surface profile. System analysis, results from a simulation, and preliminary experimental results are provided which indicate a system resolution on the order of a tenth of a millimeter.