Optical lateral probing of vertical slopes with angles more than 87°

Optical measurement instruments based on Focus-Variation enable users to measure complex geometries of micro samples. Until now, these measurements have been quite restricted when it comes to micro holes or vertical slopes with angles more than 87°.  Formerly, in order to measure two opposite vertical walls of an object, the object had to be articulate with respect to the sensor. 

In this paper, the measurement principle of Vertical Focus Probing will be introduced for the first time, including its impact on application examples in dimensional metrology. Vertical Focus Probing is a purely optical measurement technology. It allows the measurement of vertical walls and micro holes directly without articulating the sample during the measurement. This technology enables 3D measurements of micro holes with a diameter to depth ratio of 1:10 and diameters from 0.1mm to 2mm as well as vertical walls with a slope angle of more than 90°. Thus, lateral probing, as it has been known from the tactile world, is no longer restricted to tactile measurement instruments. 

Authors: 
Zangl, Kerstin; Danzl, Reinhard; Helmli, Franz. (2019). Vertical Focus Probing and the use in Dimensional Metrology. 10.13140/RG.2.2.11917.59364.

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Optical lateral probing of vertical slopes with angles more than 87°