Wave-front analysis with high accuracy by use of a double-grating lateral shearing interferometer

A phase-stepped double-grating lateral shearing interferometer to be used for wave-front analysis is presented. The resulting interference patterns are analyzed with a differential Zernike polynomial matrix-inversion method. Possible error sources are analyzed in the design stage, and it is shown that the inaccuracy can be kept within 2-5 mλ rms. The apparatus was tested and evaluated in practice. Comparison with a phase-stepped Twyman-Green interferometer demonstrates that the accuracy of the two methods is comparable. Lateral shearing interferometry scores better on reproducibility, owing to the stability and robustness of the method.