Geometric measurement system and method of measuring a geometric characteristic of an object

1. A method of determining at least one geometric characteristic of an object having a first surface and a second surface, where at least one of the first and second surfaces passes a substantial amount of light therethrough, the method comprising:

(a) adjusting a positional relationship between a first surface of the object and a light source to illuminate a subregion of the first surface of the object, whereby a portion of light illuminating the subregion of the first surface of the object passes through the object to the second surface of the object;

(b) delivering light from the subregion of the first surface of the object to a wavefront sensor while blocking a majority of light from the second surface of the object from reaching the wavefront sensor;

(c) determining a wavefront of light received from the subregion of the first surface with a wavefront sensor;

(d) repeating steps (a) through (c) for a plurality of different subregions spanning a measurement region for the first surface of the object, where adjacent subregions have an overlapping portion;

(e) stitching together the wavefronts determined in each execution of step (c) including derivatives of the wavefronts in the overlapping portions, to construct a wavefront of light received from the measurement region of the first surface of the object; and

(f) determining at least one shape parameter of the first surface of the object from the constructed wavefront.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein adjusting a positional relationship between a first surface of the object and a light source to illuminate a subregion of the first surface of the object includes at least one of rotating the object with respect to the light source, and rotating the light source with respect to the object.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein adjusting a positional relationship between a first surface of the object and a light source to illuminate a subregion of the first surface of the object includes at least one of tilting the object with respect to the light source and tilting the light source with respect to the object.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the wavefront of light received from the subregion of the first surface with a wavefront sensor comprises:

delivering the light received from the subregion of the first surface to a light spot generator; and

detecting positions of focal points of light spots from the light spot generator.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein delivering light from the subregion of the first surface of the object to a wavefront sensor while blocking a majority of light from the second surface of the object from reaching the wavefront sensor comprises passing the light from the subregion of the first surface of the object and from the second surface of the object through an aperture to spatially filter the light, and passing the spatially filtered light to the wavefront sensor.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein said stitching includes determining a wavefront in the overlap portions by one of: (a) using an error minimizing algorithm, and (b) averaging the wavefronts in the overlap portions of the adjacent subregions.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining at least one shape parameter of the first surface of the object includes determining a three dimensional shape of the first surface of the object.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein adjusting a positional relationship between a first surface of the object and a light source to illuminate a subregion of the first surface of the object includes searching for a brightness peak at the wavefront detector.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein delivering light from the subregion of the first surface of the object to a wavefront sensor while blocking a majority of light from the second surface of the object from reaching the wavefront sensor comprises blocking a substantial majority of light from the second surface of the object from reaching the wavefront sensor.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

(g) adjusting a positional relationship between the second surface of the object and the light source to illuminate a subregion of the first surface of the object;

(h) delivering light from the subregion of the second surface of the object to a wavefront sensor while blocking a majority of light from the first surface of the object from reaching the wavefront sensor

(i) determining a wavefront of light received from the subregion of the second surface with a wavefront sensor;

(j) repeating steps (g) through (i) for a plurality of different subregions spanning a measurement region for the second surface of the object, where adjacent subregions having an overlapping portion;

(k) stitching together the wavefronts determined in each execution of step (i) including derivatives of the wavefronts in the overlapping portions, to construct a wavefront of light received from the measurement region of the second surface of the object; and

(l) determining at least one shape parameter of the second surface of the object from the constructed wavefront.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein illuminating a sub-region of the second surface of the object include passing an illumination beam through the first surface of the object.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein determining at least one shape parameter of the first surface of the object and determining at least one shape parameter of the second surface of the object includes determining three dimensional shapes of the first and second surfaces of the object.

13. The method of claim 1 , further comprising adjusting an optical property of an optical system disposed in an optical path between the light source and the first surface of the object to focus light from the light source to illuminate a subregion of the first surface of the object.

14. A system for determining at least one geometric characteristic of an object having at least one surface that passes a substantial amount of light therethrough, the system comprising:

a light source;

a wavefront sensor;

an optical system adapted to deliver light from the light source to a surface to be measured of the object, and to deliver light from the surface to be measured of the object to the wavefront sensor, whereby a portion of the light delivered to the surface to be measured passes through the object to a surface of the object that is not being measured;

a translator adapted to adjust relative positions of the light source and the surface to be measured such that, at each relative position, the light from the light source is delivered onto a sub-region of the surface to be measured, and light from the sub-region of the surface to be measured is delivered to the wavefront sensor, the translator adjusting the relative positions such that adjacent sub-regions have an overlap portion; and

a processor adapted to stitch together wavefronts measured by the wavefront sensor for different sub-regions of the surface to be measured at the relative positions provided by the translator, including using derivatives of wavefronts in overlap regions, to construct a wavefront of light received from a measurement region of the surface to be measured,

wherein the optical system includes a spatial filter adapted to block a majority of light from the surface of the object not being measured from reaching the wavefront sensor, and

wherein the translator is also adapted to adjust a distance between the spatial filter and the surface to be measured of the object.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the wavefront sensor is a Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor.

16. The system of claim 14 , wherein the wavefront sensor is one of a Hartmann wavefront sensor, a moiré deflectometer, a Tscherning aberrometer.

17. The system of claim 14 , wherein the optical system comprises two lenses, wherein the spatial filter is disposed in an optical path between the two lenses.

18. The system of claim 14 , wherein the translator adjusts the relative positions in three dimensions.

19. The system of claim 14 , wherein the translator includes one of means for rotating the light source and means for rotating the object.

20. The system of claim 14 , wherein the translator includes one of means for tilting the light source and means for tilting the object.

21. The system of claim 14 , wherein the spatial filter is adapted to block a majority of light from the surface of the object not being measured from reaching the wavefront sensor.

22. A method of determining at least one geometric characteristic of an object having a first surface and a second surface, the method comprising:

(a) adjusting a positional relationship between a first surface of the object and a light source to illuminate a subregion of the first surface of the object, including at least one of: rotating the object with respect to the light source, rotating the light source with respect to the object, tilting the object with respect to the light source, and tilting the light source with respect to the object;

(b) delivering light from the subregion of the first surface of the object to a wavefront sensor;

(c) determining a wavefront of light received from the subregion of the first surface with a wavefront sensor;

(d) repeating steps (a) through (c) for a plurality of different subregions spanning a measurement region for the first surface of the object, where adjacent subregions have an overlapping portion;

(e) stitching together the wavefronts determined in each execution of step (c) including derivatives of the wavefronts in the overlapping portions, to construct a wavefront of light received from the measurement region of the first surface of the object; and

(f) determining at least one shape parameter of the first surface of the object from the constructed wavefront.

23. The method of claim 22 , wherein determining the wavefront of light received from the subregion of the first surface with a wavefront sensor comprises:

delivering the light received from the subregion of the first surface to a light spot generator; and

detecting positions of focal points from the light spot generator.

24. The method of claim 22 , wherein delivering light from the subregion of the first surface of the object to a wavefront sensor further includes blocking a majority of light from the second surface of the object from reaching the wavefront sensor by passing the light from the subregion of the first surface of the object and from the second surface of the object through an aperture to spatially filter the light, and passing the spatially filtered light to the wavefront sensor.

25. The method of claim 22 , wherein said stitching includes determining a wavefront in the overlap portions by one of: (a) using an error minimizing algorithm, and (b) averaging the wavefronts in the overlap portions of the adjacent subregions.

26. The method of claim 22 , wherein determining at least one shape parameter of the first surface of the object includes determining a three dimensional shape of the first surface of the object.

27. The method of claim 22 , wherein adjusting a positional relationship between a first surface of the object and a light source to illuminate a subregion of the first surface of the object includes searching for a brightness peak at the wavefront detector.

28. A system for determining at least one geometric characteristic of an object, the system comprising:

a light source;

a wavefront sensor;

an optical system adapted to deliver light from the light source to a surface to be measured of the object, and for delivering light from the surface to be measured of the object to the wavefront sensor;

a translator adapted to adjust relative positions of the light source and the surface to be measured such that, at each relative position, the light from the light source is delivered onto a sub-region of the surface to be measured, and light from the sub-region of the surface to be measured is delivered to the wavefront sensor, the translator adjusting the relative positions such that adjacent sub-regions have an overlap portion, wherein the translator includes one of: means for rotating the light source, means for rotating the object, means for tilting the light source, and means for tilting the object; and

a processor adapted to stitch together wavefronts measured by the wavefront sensor for different sub-regions of the surface to be measured at the relative positions provided by the translator, including using derivatives of wavefronts in overlap regions, to construct a wavefront of light received from a measurement region of the surface to be measured.

29. The system of claim 28 , wherein the wavefront sensor is a Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor.

30. The system of claim 28 , wherein the wavefront sensor is one of a Hartmann wavefront sensor, a moiré deflectometer, a Tscherning aberrometer, and a phase diversity sensor.