The characterization of imaging methods as three-dimensional (3D) linear filtering operations provides a useful way to compare the 3D performance of optical surface topography measuring instruments, such as coherence scanning interferometry, confocal and structured light microscopy. In this way, the imaging system is defined in terms of the point spread function in the space domain or equivalently by the transfer function in the spatial frequency domain. The derivation of these characteristics usually involves making the Born approximation, which is strictly only applicable to weakly scattering objects; however, for the case of surface scattering, the system is linear if multiple scattering is assumed to be negligible and the Kirchhoff approximation is assumed. A difference between the filter characteristics derived in each case is found. However this paper discusses these differences and explains the equivalence of the two approaches when applied to a weakly scattering object.

When applied to the measurement of smooth surfaces, coherence scanning interferometry can be described by a three-dimensional linear filtering operation that is characterized either by the point-spread function in the space domain or equivalently by the transfer function (TF) in the spatial frequency domain. For an ideal, aberration-free instrument, these characteristics are defined uniquely by the numerical aperture of the objective lens and the bandwidth of the illumination source. In practice, however, physical imperfections such as those in lens aberrations, reference focus, and source alignment mean that the instrument performance is not ideal. Currently, these imperfections often go unnoticed as the instrument performance is typically only verified using rectilinear artifacts such as step heights and lateral grids. If an object of varying slope is measured, however, significant errors are often observed as the surface gradient increases. In this paper, a new method of calibration and adjustment using a silica micro-sphere as a calibration artifact is introduced. The silica microsphere was used to compute the point-spread and TF characteristics of the instrument, and the effect of these characteristics on instrument performance is discussed. Finally, a straightforward method to correct for phase and amplitude imperfections in the TF is described using a modified inverse filter.

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