A frequency domain method for the measurement of nonlinearity in heterodyne interferometry

This paper presents a method for the measurement of nonlinearity in heterodyne interferometry which utilizes the frequency spectrum of the output of the photodetector for the direct measurement of the magnitudes of the first and second harmonic nonlinearities. The underlying theory and the experimental technique are discussed. Results showing the application of this technique for the determination of the influence of the azimuthal alignments of the polarization beamsplitter, the analyzer and measurement retroreflector are presented. The applicability of the technique to the in situ optimization of an interferometer system is demonstrated. It is shown that using this technique an interferometer system can be optimized to reduce the first-harmonic nonlinearity to below 0.5 nm p-p and the second harmonic nonlinearity to 2 nm p-p. This method is contrasted with other methods and the advantages conferred by the elimination of an external reference and the phase measuring electronics are highlighted.