A high-speed high-resolution heterodyne interferometer using a laser with low beat frequency is developed. The interferometer has two spatially separated parallel beams with different frequencies. Two interference signals with opposite Doppler shift are optically generated by the interferometric optics. The measurement electronics uses two identical phasemeters for the two opposite interference signals. The two interference signals are selectively used according to the speed of the target, which makes sure that the Doppler shift of the selected signal is always positive, so that the measurable speed is no longer limited by the beat frequency of the laser source. Experimental results show that the measurement resolution is 0.62 nm. The measurable speed can exceed the restriction determined by the beat frequency. Compared with a commercial interferometer, the displacement difference is less than 40 nm in a travel range of 900 mm.

Recently, a scientific comparison of flatness measuring instruments at European National Metrology Institutes (NMIs) was performed in the framework of EURAMET. The specimen was a well-polished optical surface with a maximum measurement aperture of 150 mm in diameter. Here, we present an evaluation concept, which allows the determination of a mean flatness map taking into account different lateral resolutions of the instruments and different orientations of the specimen during measurement. We found that all measurements are in agreement with the mean flatness map within the uncertainty intervals stated by the participants. The aim of this scientific comparison is to specify an appropriate operation and evaluation procedure for future comparisons.

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