Validation of a single fibre-fed heterodyne laser interferometer with nanometre uncertainty

In this paper the validation of a fiber-fed heterodyne laser interferometer with nanometre uncertainty is presented. The achievable displacement measurement uncertainty is investigated for different polarisation maintaining fibres used in these interferometers. Measurement results are shown for both a range of 1 μ m as well as a range of 300 mm. It is shown that a (selected) PM-fibre with an extinction ratio of 1:1650 and the use of an external reference allows realising a fibre-fed laser interferometer able to measure displacements with the same uncertainty as a laser interferometer system without fibre. Tests were performed with fibres ranging in length up to 50 m.