title: Transmission laser microscope using the phase-shifting technique and its application to measurement of optical waveguides.
abstract: A type of a transmission phase-shifting laser microscope, believed to be new, has been developed. In this microscope a biprism located between a magnifying lens and an observation plane was used as a beam splitter. The biprism is laterally translated to introduce phase shifts required for quantitative phase measurement with a phase-shifting technique. The disturbance caused by a Fresnel-diffracted wave from the splitting edge of the biprism is reduced by placement of a linear beam stopper at the center of an intermediate image plane. As the first application, the developed microscope is used to measure a refractive-index distribution in optical waveguides. A difference of refractive indices of less than 6 x 10(-5) is clearly measured in the submicrometer region.
authors.affiliation: Advanced Research Laboratory, Hitachi Ltd., Hatoyama, Saitama, Japan. endo-j@harl.hitachi.co.jp
authors.forename: Junji
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Endo
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Dai
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.forename: Yasuo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wada
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fujita