JP2010107470A - Dispersion interferometer, and method of measuring physical quantity of measuring object - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a dispersion interferometer usable for actual time control, and capable of removing an influence of a high-frequency noise, reducing a measurement error caused by signal intensity change, and heightening accuracy, by extracting a phase from a signal intensity ratio of a fundamental wave and a double harmonic which are Fourier components of a modulated signal. <P>SOLUTION: A nonlinear crystal element 10 of this dispersion interferometer changes a part of laser light (fundamental wave W1) into a double harmonic W2. A photoelastic element 12 generates phase modulation in the fundamental wave W1 as much as a modulated angle frequency ω<SB>m</SB>portion. A nonlinear crystal element 14 changes the fundamental wave W1 transmitted through plasma 30 into the double harmonic W2. A wavelength selection filter 16 allows selectively transmission of the double harmonic W2. The interferometer determines an intensity ratio between a fundamental wave component of the modulated angle frequency ω<SB>m</SB>and a double harmonic component in an interference signal, and calculates a line average electron density which is a physical quantity of the plasma 30 based on the intensity ratio and a phase variation. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a dispersion interferometer, and more particularly, to a dispersion interferometer that contributes to the industrial field for measuring the refractive index of a medium having wavelength dispersion and a method for measuring a physical quantity of an object to be measured.

Conventionally, a plasma density measurement method using a general heterodyne interferometer is as follows.
As shown in FIG. 3, the linearly polarized laser beam having the amplitude sinω ₀ t emitted from the light source 100 is incident on the frequency shifter 110A via the half mirror M10, and is shifted to sin (ω ₀ + ω _p ) t. , And enters the detector 130 via the half mirror M20, the mirror M30, the plasma 120, the mirror M40, and the half mirror M50.

The laser beam that has passed through this optical path has an amplitude of sin {(ω ₀ + ω _p ) t + φ} by the frequency shifter 110A. Note that ω ₀ is a basic angular frequency, ω _p is a shift angular frequency by the frequency shifter 110A, t is time, and φ is a phase shift amount (phase difference) generated in the laser light when the laser light passes through the plasma 120. It is.

A part of the laser light that has passed through the frequency shifter 110A is incident on the detector 140 via the half mirror M20, the mirror M100, and the half mirror M90.
The laser light incident on the frequency shifter 110B via the half mirror M10 and the mirror M60 is shifted to sin (ω ₀ + ω _L ) t by the frequency shifter 110B, and a part thereof is the half mirror M70, the mirror M80, and the half mirror. The light enters the detector 140 via M90. Note that ω _L is a shift angular frequency by the frequency shifter 110B. Further, the remainder of the laser light shifted to sin (ω ₀ + ω _L ) t by the frequency shifter 110B is incident on the detector 130 via the half mirror M70 and the half mirror M50.

In the detector 130, a measurement signal is obtained by a heterodyne method based on the laser light incident through the plasma 120 and the laser light having an amplitude of sin (ω ₀ + ω _L ) t incident through the frequency shifter 110B. In this measurement signal, the AC component is Acos {(ω _L −ω _p ) t + φ}. Here, A is the amplitude.

In the detector 140, the reference signal is output in a heterodyne manner based on the laser light incident after being frequency-shifted by the frequency shifter 110A and the laser light incident through the frequency shifter 110B and having an amplitude of sin (ω ₀ + ω _L ) t. Acos {(ω _L −ω _p ) t} is obtained.

A measuring signal obtained as described above, the phase shift by the phase meter based on the reference signal (phase difference) phi was obtained by the following equation, and to calculate the linear average electron density n _e of the plasma 120 .

（なお、λは波長、Ｌはプラズマ中での光路長である。）
この干渉計では、時間・密度分解能が高い利点があり、実時間計測が容易である利点がある。

(Note that λ is the wavelength, and L is the optical path length in the plasma.)
This interferometer has the advantage of high time / density resolution and the advantage of easy real-time measurement.

  However, if a short wavelength laser in the infrared region is used as the laser light, the refractive displacement of the laser light caused by the refractive index gradient in the plasma can be suppressed, but the phase change caused by the optical path length change Δd caused by the mechanical vibration included in φ. The quantity 2πΔd / λ cannot be ignored, resulting in a large measurement error. In order to suppress mechanical vibrations, it is necessary to install large-scale vibration isolation equipment and interferometers with different wavelengths for vibration correction, which causes problems that make the system complex, and components that cannot be corrected remain. In some cases, the phase resolution is reduced.

  On the other hand, a dispersion interferometer performs interference measurement on a medium having wavelength dispersion, and is characterized by a small measurement error due to mechanical vibration which is a problem in normal interference measurement.

  Patent Document 1 is known as a conventional dispersion interferometer (see FIG. 4A). As shown in the figure, this dispersion interferometer transmits a linearly polarized laser beam (fundamental wave W1 having a frequency ω) to the nonlinear crystal element 200 in order to measure the electron density of the plasma 120. The portion is changed to the second harmonic W2 whose polarization direction is orthogonal to the fundamental wave W1, and the fundamental wave W1 and the second harmonic W2 are passed through the plasma 120 on the common optical path.

  Then, the fundamental wave W1 and the second harmonic wave W2 that have passed through the plasma 120 are incident on the nonlinear crystal element 220 and passed therethrough, and a part of the fundamental wave W1 is a second harmonic wave whose polarization direction is orthogonal to the fundamental wave W1. The wavelength is changed to W2 and emitted to the wavelength selection filter 230. In the non-linear crystal element 220, the fourth harmonic is generated from the second harmonic component transmitted through the plasma 120, but the change is negligible from the viewpoint of conversion efficiency. The wavelength selection filter 230 removes wavelengths other than the second harmonic W2, and emits the second harmonic W2 to the detector 240. The detector 240 detects a second harmonic interference signal.

  Here, since the second harmonic W2 generated in the nonlinear crystal element 200 has the same optical path as the fundamental wave W1, it receives the same mechanical vibration Δd as the fundamental wave W1. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4A, the fundamental wave W1 undergoes a phase change of ωΔd / c, and the double harmonic W2 undergoes a phase change of 2ωΔd / c. Note that c is the speed of light.

Further, in the plasma 120, the fundamental wave W1 and the second harmonic W2 are subjected to a phase change according to chromatic dispersion. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4A, the fundamental wave W1 is subjected to a phase change of c _p n _e L / ω by the plasma 120, and the second harmonic W2 is converted to c _p n _e L / by the plasma 120. Receiving 2ω phase change. Incidentally, _{n e} is the linear average electron density of the plasma 120, the _{c p} is a constant.

Then, the phase component of the interference signal of the second harmonic W2 detected by the detector 240 is as follows.
2 (ωt + ωΔd / c + c _p n _e L / ω)-(2ωt + 2ωΔd / c + c _p n _e L / 2ω) = (3/2) c _p n _e L / ω
The parentheses in the first term on the left side of the above formula are the phase components of the fundamental wave W1 that has become the second harmonic W2 in the nonlinear crystal element 220, and the doubled component is generated in the nonlinear crystal element 220. The phase component of the second harmonic W2. The parenthesis includes a phase change ωΔd / c due to mechanical vibration. The second term is a phase component of the second harmonic that has become the second harmonic in the nonlinear crystal element 200, and includes a phase change 2ωΔd / c due to mechanical vibration. In the formula, L is the optical path length in the plasma 120.

The interference signal is expressed as follows.
A + Bcos {(3/2) c _p n _e L / ω}
here,
A = I ₁ + I ₂ , B = 2√ (I ₁ I ₂ )
And I ₁ and I ₂ are double harmonic intensities, respectively. Here, A is a DC component (direct current component), and B is an amplitude intensity.

The interference signals acquired in this way have the same mechanical vibration component at their respective second harmonics. Therefore, when the interference occurs, the mechanical vibration component is canceled and only the phase change due to the plasma remains in the phase of the interference signal. It will be. Therefore, based on the interference signal obtained in this way, it is possible to calculate the linear average electron density n _e.

  In the above-described dispersion interferometer, since the influence of mechanical vibration is small, it is not necessary to install a large-scale vibration isolation facility or an interferometer of another wavelength. Further, the use of a short wavelength laser has the advantage that the amount of refractive displacement is reduced.

  However, in order to extract the phase difference with high accuracy, it is necessary to accurately evaluate the DC component A and the amplitude strength B in the interference signal proportional to the measurement signal strength. For this reason, after the discharge of the plasma 120 is completed, a phase object (not shown) is inserted between the nonlinear crystal elements 200 and 220 to give a phase change of one cycle or more, and A and B are evaluated. Measurement signal fluctuations during plasma discharge due to output fluctuations and the influence of noise cannot be removed, and there is a problem in accuracy.

  Therefore, a dispersion interferometer of Non-Patent Document 1 improved from Patent Document 1 has also been proposed. The phase extraction method of the dispersion interferometer in Non-Patent Document 1 will be described with reference to FIG. For the sake of convenience of explanation, the same or corresponding components as those in FIG.

For example, a carbon dioxide laser having a wavelength of 9.57 μm is passed through a nonlinear crystal element 200 (for example, ZnGeP ₂ ) of type I (a type in which the polarization direction of the generated second harmonic is orthogonal to the polarization direction of the fundamental wave W1).

A part of the laser beam (fundamental wave W1) is converted to a second harmonic W2 and propagates together with the fundamental wave W1.
Next, the fundamental wave W1 and the second harmonic W2 are transmitted through the electro-optic element 250 to which the modulation high-voltage sine wave V _EOM sin (ω _m t) having the angular frequency ω _m is applied as the drive signal. At this time, the electric field applied to the electro-optic element 250 and the polarization direction of the fundamental wave W1 are made parallel.

By transmitting the second harmonic W2 to the electro-optic element 250 as described above, the phase modulation g · sin (ω _m t) is given only to the phase component of the second harmonic W2. Here, the modulation voltage is determined so that g = π.

As described above, the laser beam obtained by applying phase modulation to the second harmonic component and the fundamental laser beam are incident on the plasma 120 to be measured.
In the plasma 120, it undergoes a phase change according to wavelength dispersion.

The laser light (fundamental wave and second harmonic) after plasma transmission is passed through the nonlinear crystal element 220 (for example, ZnGeP ₂ ) again, and a part of the fundamental wave component is converted into a second harmonic component.
Next, the laser light is passed through a wavelength selection filter 230 that transmits only the second harmonic component, and other wavelength components are removed.

Interference signal intensity U _det of the second harmonic transmitted through the wavelength selection filter 230

を、変調角周波数ω_ｍより十分速い周波数サンプリングで検出する。この干渉信号の位相成分には、プラズマ１２０の分散による位相変化

And detected at a sufficiently fast frequency sampling than the modulation angular frequency omega _m. The phase component of this interference signal has a phase change due to dispersion of the plasma 120.

が含まれている。なお、干渉信号を以下では説明の便宜上、変調信号ということがある。

It is included. In the following description, the interference signal may be referred to as a modulation signal for convenience of explanation.

Therefore, the drive signal applied to the electro-optic element 250 is detected (sampled) in synchronization with the detection of the interference signal intensity U _det .
After the plasma discharge is completed, the detected data is analyzed.

  Since the modulation voltage is determined so that g = π,

は、一周期変化する。このため、Ｉ_１＋Ｉ_２、２√（Ｉ_１Ｉ_２）を、変調の１周期の間で一定だと仮定すれば、Ｉ_１＋Ｉ_２、２√（Ｉ_１Ｉ_２）が求められる。

Changes for one cycle. _{Therefore, I} 1 ₊ I _2, 2√ the _(I 1 I _2), assuming that it is constant during one period of the _{modulation, I 1 + I 2, 2√} (I 1 I 2) is obtained.

A signal obtained by subtracting a DC (direct current) component I ₁ + I ₂ from the interference signal (modulated signal) in Expression (2) and normalizing the modulated signal with an amplitude intensity of 2√ (I ₁ I ₂ ) (hereinafter referred to as a normalized signal) )

を得る。

Get.

As described above, since the drive signal applied to the electro-optical element 250 is sampled in synchronization with the detection of the interference signal intensity U _det , the time when the phase modulation becomes zero, that is, the signal to the electro-optical element 250 is Time t ₀ when applied voltage becomes zero

を、このサンプリングしたデータから求める。

Is obtained from the sampled data.

At time t ₀ obtained, we obtain the phase change due to dispersion from the normalized signal.

そして、上記式（７）により測定したいプラズマ１２０の線平均電子密度ｎ_ｅ

Then, the line average plasma 120 to be measured by the above equation (7) the electron density _{n e}

を得る。

Get.

FIG. 5A is a graph showing a temporal change in sin (ω _m t) applied to the electro-optic element 250. FIG. 5B is a graph showing a temporal change of the interference signal. In FIG. 5 (b), the convenience of description, in conjunction with the DC component is excluded of the interference signal, using πsin (ω _m t) instead of -πsin (ω _m t). Φ corresponds to the equation (7).

The above phase modulation type dispersion interferometer can evaluate A (= I ₁ + I ₂ ) and amplitude intensity B (= 2√ (I ₁ I ₂ )) in the interference signal during plasma discharge. There is an advantage that the influence of the signal intensity change can be taken into consideration than the interferometer of 1.
US Pat. No. 5,642,195 PA Bagryansky et al., “Dispersion interferometer based on a CO2 laser for TEXTOR and burning plasma experiments”, Review of Scientific Instruments 77, 053501 (2006).

However, if the interferometer in Non-Patent Document 1, during one period 2 [pi / omega _m is because it is based on the assumption that the amplitude intensity B is not changed, the influence of high frequency noise is a problem that can not be removed. In addition, signal processing becomes complicated, and in particular, when it is applied to real-time measurement, it is necessary to develop a processing circuit.

  The object of the present invention is to extract the phase from the signal intensity ratio of the fundamental wave and the second harmonic wave, which is the Fourier component of the modulation signal, thereby eliminating the influence of high frequency noise and reducing the measurement error due to the change in signal intensity, thereby improving the accuracy. It is an object of the present invention to provide a dispersion interferometer that can be used in real-time control.

  Another object of the present invention is to eliminate the influence of high-frequency noise and reduce measurement errors due to changes in signal intensity by extracting the phase from the signal intensity ratio of the fundamental wave and the second harmonic, which are the Fourier components of the modulation signal. An object of the present invention is to provide a method for measuring a physical quantity of an object to be measured that can be reduced and highly accurate and can be used in real-time control.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the invention according to claim 1 is configured to transmit a linearly polarized laser beam serving as a fundamental wave, and to transmit a part of the laser beam with a polarization direction orthogonal to the fundamental wave. By applying a first nonlinear crystal element to be converted to a second harmonic and a drive signal for applying phase modulation, the fundamental wave and the first second harmonic that have entered through the first nonlinear crystal element are applied. Phase modulation means for generating the phase modulation only in one of them and emitting both the fundamental wave and the first second harmonic to the object to be measured; the fundamental wave transmitted through the object to be measured; A second harmonic crystal element that receives a second harmonic wave and changes the fundamental wave into a second second harmonic wave whose polarization direction is orthogonal to the fundamental wave; and a first nonlinear crystal element that has passed through the second nonlinear crystal element. A wavelength selective filter that selectively transmits the second harmonic and the second harmonic. An interference signal acquisition means for acquiring an interference signal of the first second harmonic and the second second harmonic transmitted through the wavelength selection filter, and a phase change amount due to the object to be measured included in the interference signal. In the dispersion interferometer provided with a measurement means for measuring a physical quantity related to the object to be measured based on the intensity, the measurement means obtains an intensity ratio between the fundamental wave and the second harmonic of the modulation angular frequency in the interference signal, and the intensity A dispersion interferometer is characterized in that a physical quantity related to the object to be measured is calculated based on the ratio and the phase change amount.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the measuring means includes amplitudes of fundamental waves and second harmonics in the phase modulation, which are included in the interference signal, based on a reference signal based on the driving signal. And calculating the intensity ratio based on both amplitude intensities.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect, the phase modulation means is a photoelastic element or an electro-optical element.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to third aspects, the object to be measured is a plasma, and the physical quantity is an electron density of the plasma.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to third aspects, the object to be measured is a permeable membrane, and the physical quantity is a thickness of the permeable membrane. .
The invention according to claim 6 allows the first nonlinear crystal element to transmit linearly polarized laser light as a fundamental wave, and transmits a part of the laser light to the fundamental wave and the polarization direction orthogonal to the fundamental wave. A first signal to be converted into a harmonic, a fundamental signal that has passed through the first nonlinear crystal element, and a drive signal that imparts phase modulation to the phase modulation means by applying the first double harmonic; When applied, the phase modulation is generated only in one of the fundamental wave and the first second harmonic, and the transmitted fundamental wave and the first second harmonic are emitted together to the object to be measured. In a second step, a fundamental wave transmitted through the object to be measured and a first second harmonic wave are incident on the second nonlinear crystal element, and the fundamental wave is secondly polarized with a polarization direction orthogonal to the fundamental wave. The second nonlinear crystal element by a third step of changing to a second harmonic of the wavelength and a wavelength selective filter A fourth stage for selectively transmitting the first second harmonic and the second second harmonic that have passed, and the first second harmonic transmitted through the wavelength selection filter and the second harmonic by the interference signal acquisition means; In the fifth step of acquiring the interference signal of the second harmonic of 2 and the measurement means, when measuring the physical quantity related to the object to be measured based on the phase change amount by the object to be measured included in the interference signal, A sixth step of obtaining an intensity ratio between a fundamental wave and a second harmonic of a modulation angular frequency in an interference signal, and calculating a physical quantity related to the object to be measured based on the intensity ratio and the phase change amount; The gist of the method is to measure the physical quantity of an object to be measured.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the phase extraction is performed from the signal intensity ratio of the fundamental wave and the second harmonic wave, which are the Fourier components of the modulation signal, thereby eliminating the influence of the high frequency noise and reducing the measurement error due to the signal intensity change. However, it is possible to provide a dispersion interferometer that can be highly accurate and can be used in real-time control.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the amplitude intensity of the fundamental wave and the second harmonic wave of the modulation angular frequency included in the interference signal is calculated based on the reference signal using the drive signal as a reference signal, and both amplitude intensities are calculated. By obtaining the intensity ratio based on the above, the effect of claim 1 can be easily realized.

According to the third aspect of the invention, since the phase modulation means is constituted by a photoelastic element or an electro-optical element, the function and effect of the first or second aspect can be easily realized.
According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, in measuring the electron density of plasma, which is an object to be measured, the measurement error due to the change in signal intensity can be reduced and the accuracy can be improved, and it can be used in real-time control.

According to the invention of claim 5, in the measurement of the thickness of the permeable membrane, the measurement error due to the change in signal intensity can be reduced and the accuracy can be increased, and it can be used in real-time control.
According to the invention of claim 6, by extracting the phase from the signal intensity ratio of the fundamental wave and the second harmonic wave which are the Fourier components of the modulation signal, the influence of the high frequency noise is eliminated and the measurement error due to the signal intensity change is reduced. However, it is possible to provide a method for measuring a physical quantity of an object to be measured that can be highly accurate and can be used in real-time control.

Hereinafter, an embodiment in which the present invention is embodied in a dispersion interferometer and a measurement method for measuring the line average electron density of plasma will be described with reference to FIG.
The dispersion interferometer includes a nonlinear crystal element 10 as a first nonlinear crystal element, a photoelastic element 12 as a phase modulation means, a nonlinear crystal element 14 as a second nonlinear crystal element, a wavelength selective filter 16, a detector 18, and a driver. 20, lock-in amplifiers 22 and 24, a digital circuit 26, and a digital scope 28. The detector 18 corresponds to interference signal acquisition means.

The lock-in amplifiers 22 and 24 and the digital circuit 26 constitute measuring means. As the lock-in amplifiers 22 and 24, commercially available ones (for example, manufactured by NF Circuit Design Block Co., Ltd.) can be used. The driver 20 can set an arbitrary wavelength and a maximum optical delay amount ρ ₀ described later. When the wavelength and the maximum optical delay amount ρ ₀ are input, a driver signal (that is, a voltage value) corresponding thereto is input. ) Is determined and applied to the photoelastic element 12.

As the light source, a linearly polarized carbon dioxide laser or an Nd: YAG laser (neodymium / yag laser) is used, but it is not limited to these lasers. The nonlinear crystal elements 10 and 14 are preferably of type I in which the polarization direction of the generated second harmonic W2 is orthogonal to the polarization direction of the fundamental wave W1. Examples of type I nonlinear crystal elements include, but are not limited to, ZnGeP ₂ .

The operation of the dispersion interferometer configured as described above will be described with reference to FIG.
For example, carbon dioxide laser light is incident on the nonlinear crystal element 10 from the light source. The nonlinear crystal element 10 converts part of the laser light (fundamental wave W1 having an angular frequency ω) into the second harmonic W2, and the fundamental wave W1 and the second harmonic W2 enter the photoelastic element 12. . The second harmonic here corresponds to the first second harmonic. The stress direction based on the drive signal applied to the photoelastic element 12 is arranged to be parallel to the polarization direction of the fundamental wave.

In the photoelastic element 12, a drive signal is applied by the driver 20, and phase modulation ρ = ρ ₀ · sin (ω _m t) is applied only to the phase component of the fundamental wave W 1 by this drive signal. Here, ρ ₀ is the maximum optical delay amount, and ω _m is the modulation angular frequency by the drive signal, that is, the drive angular frequency of the photoelastic element 12.

As described above, the laser light in which the phase modulation ρ ₀ · sin (ω _m t) is added to the phase component of the fundamental wave W1 and the laser light of the second harmonic W2 are incident on the plasma 30 to be measured. Since the plasma 30 has a propagation velocity corresponding to the wavelength (that is, dispersion), a phase difference corresponding to the wavelength dispersion occurs between the wavelength components of the laser light after passing through the plasma. . Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, the fundamental wave W < _b > 1 is subjected to a phase change of c _{p ne} L / ω by the plasma 30, and the double harmonic W < _b > 2 is phased by c _p ne _e L / 2ω by the plasma 30. Undergo change. _ne is the linear average electron density of the plasma 120, L is the optical path length in the plasma, and _cp is a constant.

  The laser light (fundamental wave and second harmonic) after passing through the plasma passes through the nonlinear crystal element 14, and at this time, a part of the fundamental wave component is converted into a second harmonic component. Here, the harmonic that becomes the second harmonic W2 from the fundamental wave W1 corresponds to the second harmonic. In addition, although a 4th harmonic is generated from the 2nd harmonic component which permeate | transmitted the plasma 30, the change can be disregarded from a viewpoint of conversion efficiency. Next, the laser light passes through the wavelength selection filter 16 that transmits only the second harmonic component, other wavelength components are removed, and the second harmonic component transmitted through the wavelength selection filter 16 interferes, The interference signal intensity I is detected by the detector 18.

  The interference signal acquired by the detector 18 is expressed by Equation (9).

ここで、式（９）中、
Ａ＝Ｉ_１＋Ｉ_２、Ｂ＝２√（Ｉ_１Ｉ_２）
であり、Ｉ_１，Ｉ_２はそれぞれ２倍高調波強度である。ＡはＤＣ成分（直流成分）であり、Ｂは振幅強度である。又、ｎ_ｅはプラズマ１２０の線平均電子密度、ｃ_ｐは定数である。Ｌはプラズマ１２０中でレーザ光の光路長であり、既知のものである。

Here, in formula (9),
A = I ₁ + I ₂ , B = 2√ (I ₁ I ₂ )
And I ₁ and I ₂ are double harmonic intensities, respectively. A is a DC component (direct current component), and B is an amplitude intensity. Further, _{n e} is the linear average electron density of the plasma 120, the _{c p} is a constant. L is the optical path length of the laser beam in the plasma 120 and is known.

The phase component of the interference signal is calculated as follows.
2 (ωt + ρ ₀ sin (ω _m t) + ωΔd / c + c _p n _e L / ω) − (2ωt + 2ωΔd / c + c _p n _e L / 2ω)
= 2ρ ₀ sin (ω _m t) + (3/2) c _p n _e L / ω
In the above formula, the parenthesis in the first term on the left side is the phase component of the fundamental wave W1 that has become the second harmonic W2 in the nonlinear crystal element 14, and includes the phase change ωΔd / c due to mechanical vibration. Is included. The second term is the phase component of the second harmonic that has become the second harmonic in the nonlinear crystal element 10, and includes a phase change 2ωΔd / c due to mechanical vibration. In the formula, c is the speed of light.

  As described above, the second harmonic W2 generated in the nonlinear crystal element 10 has the same optical path as the fundamental wave W1, and therefore receives the same mechanical vibration Δd as that of the fundamental wave W1. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, the fundamental wave W1 undergoes a phase change of ωΔd / c, and the double harmonic W2 undergoes a phase change of 2ωΔd / c. However, in the interference signal, the phase change of ωΔd / c due to the mechanical vibration Δd in the fundamental wave W1 is doubled when converted to the second harmonic by the nonlinear crystal element 14, so the mechanical vibration in the second harmonic W2 The phase change of 2ωΔd / c due to Δd is eliminated.

The phase component of the interference signal, phase variation due to the dispersion of the plasma _{30 (3/2) (c p n} e L / ω) are included, the interference signal is an addition theorem, the following equation (10) It becomes street.

ここで、cos{2ρ_０sin(ω_mt)}、sin{2ρ_０sin(ω_mt)}は、第n次の第一種ベッセル関数Jnを用いて、

Here, cos {2ρ ₀ sin (ω _m t)} and sin {2ρ ₀ sin (ω _m t)} are expressed using the nth-order first-order Bessel function Jn,

と展開することができる。すなわち、干渉信号Iはω_mの高調波成分の和（級数）と見なせる。そこで、ω_m、2ω_mの角周波数成分に注目し、それらの振幅強度I（ω_m）、I（2ω_m）とすると、

And can be expanded. That is, the interference signal I can be regarded as the sum (series) of harmonic components of ω _m . Therefore, omega _m, paying attention to the angular frequency components of 2 [omega _m, their amplitude intensity I (ω _m), When I (2ω _m),

となる。なお、Ｊ_１は一次のベッセル関数であり、Ｊ_２は二次のベッセル関数である。

It becomes. J ₁ is a primary Bessel function, and J ₂ is a secondary Bessel function.

Therefore, the lock-in amplifier 22 calculates the amplitude intensity I (ω _m ) of the fundamental wave at the modulation angular frequency ω _m based on the interference signal detected as described above and the drive signal of the driver 20. Specifically, the lock-in amplifier 22 uses the above equation (13) based on the monitor signal of sin (ω _mt ) based on the drive signal modulated with the modulation angular frequency ω _m input from the driver 20 and the interference signal. The amplitude intensity I (ω _m ) represented by

The lock-in amplifier 24 inputs a sin (ω _mt ) signal based on the drive signal modulated at the modulation angular frequency ω _m input from the driver 20. In this case, the lock-in amplifier 24 uses harmonics of the lock-in amplifier 24. Using the measurement mode, the harmonic twice as high as the input reference signal is used as a reference signal, and the amplitude intensity I (2ω _m ) expressed by the above equation (14) is calculated based on this reference signal and the interference signal.

Based on the amplitude intensities I (ω _m ) and I (2ω _m ) calculated (that is, measured) by the lock-in amplifiers 22 and 24, the arc tangent of the ratio between the two is input to the digital circuit 26.

さらに、Ｊ_１（２ρ_０）＝Ｊ_２（２ρ_０）とするために、光弾性素子１２の最大光学遅延量ρ_０を１．３rad．に設定する。なお、この設定は、前記ベッセル関数の説明のために、ここで説明しているが、実計測の場合は、この計測を開始する際に、ドライバ２０により光弾性素子１２の最大光学遅延量ρ_０を１．３rad．に設定するものとする。

Further, in order to set J ₁ (2ρ ₀ ) = J ₂ (2ρ ₀ ), the maximum optical delay amount ρ ₀ of the photoelastic element 12 is set to 1.3 rad. Set to. This setting is described here for the purpose of describing the Bessel function. However, in the case of actual measurement, the maximum optical delay amount ρ of the photoelastic element 12 by the driver 20 when starting this measurement. ₀ to 1.3 rad. Shall be set to

In this embodiment, phase modulation ρ = ρ ₀ · sin (ω _m t) is added to the fundamental wave W1 of the laser beam. However, the phase modulation ρ is applied to the second harmonic W2 by the photoelastic element 12. You may make it add. In this case, the stress direction based on the drive signal applied to the photoelastic element 12 is arranged to be parallel to the polarization direction of the second harmonic W2. The interference signal is

となる。この場合、前記式（９）〜式（１５）において、２ρ_０を−ρ_０と入れ替えればよい。又、Ｊ_１（ρ_０）＝Ｊ_２（ρ_０）とするために、光弾性素子１２の最大光学遅延量ρ_０を２．６rad．とする。

It becomes. In this case, in the formula (9) to (15), it may be interchanged to 2.rho ₀ and -ρ _0. Further, in order to set J ₁ (ρ ₀ ) = J ₂ (ρ ₀ ), the maximum optical delay amount ρ ₀ of the photoelastic element 12 is set to 2.6 rad. And

  Returning to the original, with the above setting, the output signal as the calculation result of the digital circuit 26 is expressed by the following equation (17):

となる。

It becomes.

The digital circuit 26 is further based on the equation (17), for calculating the line average electron density _{n e} of the plasma 30 using the following equation (18).

ここで、式（１８）から分かるように、測定された線平均電子密度ｎ_ｅは、ＤＣ成分Ａ及び振幅強度Ｂに関するものがなく、ＤＣ成分Ａ及び振幅強度Ｂの変動の影響を受けることがない。

Here, as can be seen from the equation (18), the measured line average electron density _ne is not related to the DC component A and the amplitude intensity B, and may be affected by fluctuations in the DC component A and the amplitude intensity B. Absent.

  In the above description, the initial phases φ and φ ′, which are initial values, are actually given to the phases of the first and second second harmonic components, but are omitted for convenience of description. In addition, the initial value component φ−φ ′ is actually added to the phase component of the interference signal expressed by Equation (9). Since this initial value component can be measured by, for example, measurement in the same optical path in the state where the plasma 30 is not generated, the line average electron density is accurately calculated based on this value. The calculation of the initial phase is not limited to the above method.

The dispersion interferometer and measurement method configured as described above have the following characteristics.
(1) The dispersion interferometer of the present embodiment transmits a linearly polarized laser beam and changes a part of the fundamental wave W1 to a second harmonic wave W2 orthogonal to the polarization direction of the fundamental wave W1. (First nonlinear crystal element). Further, the interferometer generates phase modulation corresponding to the modulation angular frequency ω _m on the fundamental wave W1, and emits the transmitted second harmonic W2 and the phase-modulated fundamental wave W1 to the plasma 30 (measurement object). A photoelastic element 12 (phase modulation means) is provided. The interferometer receives the fundamental wave W1 transmitted through the plasma 30 and the second harmonic W2, and changes the incident fundamental wave W1 to the second harmonic W2 whose polarization direction is orthogonal to the fundamental wave W1. The second harmonic W2 and the nonlinear crystal element 14 (second nonlinear crystal element) that emits the second harmonic by changing a part of the fundamental wave W1 to the second harmonic here. The interferometer further includes a wavelength selection filter 16 that selectively transmits the second harmonic W2 emitted from the nonlinear crystal element 14.

The interferometer includes measuring means including a detector 18, lock-in amplifiers 22 and 24, and a digital circuit 26, and obtains the intensity ratio of the fundamental wave and the second harmonic of the modulation angular frequency in the interference signal, and said intensity ratio, on the basis of the phase variation amount _{(3/2) (c p n e} L / ω), and calculate the linear average electron density n _e is the physical quantity of the plasma 30. The measured line average electron density _ne is not related to the DC component A and the amplitude intensity B, and is not affected by variations in the DC component A and the amplitude intensity B.

  As a result, focusing on the fundamental and double harmonics that are the Fourier components of the interference signal (modulated signal), and extracting the phase from the signal intensity ratio, the influence of high-frequency noise is eliminated and measurement error due to signal intensity changes. The accuracy can be reduced and the system can be used in real-time control, and the component caused by mechanical vibration can be self-corrected.

(2) In the dispersion interferometer of the present embodiment, based on the reference signal based on the drive signal of the driver 20 applied to the photoelastic element 12, the fundamental wave at the modulation angular frequency ω _m included in the interference signal is doubled. By calculating the amplitude amplitudes I (ω _m ) and I (2ω _m ) of the harmonics and obtaining the intensity ratio based on both amplitude intensities, the effect (1) can be easily realized.

(3) In the dispersion interferometer of the present embodiment, since the phase modulation means is constituted by the photoelastic element 12, the above-described effects (1) and (2) can be easily realized.
(4) In the dispersion interferometer of the present embodiment, in the measurement of the electron density of the plasma 30 that is the object to be measured, the measurement error due to the change in signal intensity can be reduced and the accuracy can be increased, and it can be used for real time control Is possible.

  (5) In this embodiment, commercially available lock-in amplifiers 22 and 24 are used as the measuring means. As a result, the signal processing system can also be a simple system that combines commercially available devices.

(6) In the measurement method of the present embodiment, in the first stage, a linearly polarized laser beam as a fundamental wave is transmitted to the nonlinear crystal element 10 (first nonlinear crystal element), and a part of the laser beam is transmitted. The fundamental wave and the polarization direction are changed to a first second harmonic W2 that is orthogonal. As a second step, the fundamental wave W1 that has passed through the nonlinear crystal element 10 and the second harmonic W2 are incident on the photoelastic element 12 (phase modulation means) to give a modulation angular frequency ω _m . drive signal fundamental wave W1 to generate a phase modulation of the modulation angular frequency omega _m min to by applying, to emit the fundamental wave W1 which 2-fold higher harmonic W2 phase modulated transmitted to the plasma 30. As a third stage, the fundamental wave W1 transmitted through the plasma 30 and the second harmonic W2 are incident on the nonlinear crystal element 14 (second nonlinear crystal element), and the fundamental wave W1 is converted into the fundamental wave. The polarization direction is changed to the second second harmonic. As a fourth step, the wavelength selective filter 16 selectively transmits the first second harmonic W2 and the second second harmonic W2 that have passed through the nonlinear crystal element 14. As a fifth stage, the interference signal of the first second harmonic W2 and the second second harmonic W2 transmitted through the wavelength selection filter 16 is acquired by the detector 18 (interference signal acquisition means). Then, as the sixth step, the lock-in amplifier 22, 24 and digital circuitry 26 (measuring means), based on a phase change amount due to the plasma 30 contained in the interference signal _{(3/2) (c p n e} L / ω) Te measures the linear average electron density n _e of the plasma 30. In this case, determine the fundamental wave and the second harmonic intensity ratio of the modulation angular frequency omega _m of the interference signal, calculates the said intensity ratio, the line average electron density n _e of the plasma 30 on the basis of the phase variation.

As a result, the measured line average electron density _ne is not related to the DC component A and the amplitude intensity B, and is not affected by variations in the DC component A and the amplitude intensity B. As a result, focusing on the fundamental and double harmonics that are the Fourier components of the interference signal (modulated signal), and extracting the phase from the signal intensity ratio, the influence of high-frequency noise is eliminated and measurement error due to signal intensity changes. Can be reduced and the accuracy can be improved, and real-time control can be used.

(Other embodiments)
Next, an embodiment embodied in a dispersion interferometer capable of measuring the thickness of the permeable membrane will be described with reference to FIG. In addition, about the structure which is the same as that of the said embodiment, or equivalent, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected, the detailed description is abbreviate | omitted, and it demonstrates centering on a different structure.

  In this embodiment, the thickness d and the refractive index N of the transmission film 52 generated on the substrate 50 are targeted, and the thickness d is measured. Here, the refraction of the transmission film 52 has wavelength dispersion. It is assumed that the refractive indexes N (ω) and N (2ω) for the fundamental wave and the second harmonic are known. Further, the substrate 50 has a high reflectivity with respect to the laser beam, and the incident angle of the laser beam to the transmission film is not limited, but in this embodiment, it is incident at 45 degrees. The optical system of this embodiment is the same as that in the case of the plasma density measurement of the above-described embodiment, and is replaced with a substrate 50 having a transmissive film 52 housed in a vacuum deposition apparatus 40 instead of the plasma 30 to be measured. However, this is different from the above embodiment. In FIG. 2, the case of the vacuum deposition apparatus 40 is provided with a window 40 a made of a transparent member on the optical path of the fundamental wave W <b> 1 and the second harmonic W <b> 2 described later.

Here, the fundamental wave W1 from the light source is incident on the nonlinear crystal element 10, the embodiment as well as the phase of the non-linear crystal device fundamental wave W1 entering from 10 modulates at a modulation angular frequency omega _m by photoelastic element 12. Further, since the second harmonic W2 generated in the nonlinear crystal element 10 has the same optical path as the fundamental wave W1, it receives the same mechanical vibration Δd as the fundamental wave W1. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the fundamental wave W1 undergoes a phase change of ωΔd / c, and the double harmonic W2 undergoes a phase change of 2ωΔd / c.

  When the fundamental wave W1 and the second harmonic W2 are incident on the transmission film 52, the optical path length in the fundamental wave W2 is 2√ (2) d. The harmonics W2 become 2√ (2) dωN (ω) / c, 4√ (2) dωN (2ω) / c, respectively. After the fundamental wave W1 and the second harmonic wave W2 are transmitted through the transmission film 52, the second harmonic wave W2 is generated from the fundamental wave component again through the nonlinear crystal element 14 as in the above embodiment. Then, only the second harmonic W2 is selected by the wavelength selection filter 16, and two interference signals of the second harmonic W2 are acquired by the detector 18.

  Here, the phase of the interference signal of the two second harmonic W2 components is

となる。

It becomes.

Similarly to the plasma measurement of the above embodiment, the lock-in amplifier 22 calculates the amplitude intensity I (ω _m ) of the fundamental wave at the modulation angular frequency ω _m based on the interference signal and the drive signal of the driver 20. The lock-in amplifier 24 inputs a sin (ω _m t) signal based on the drive signal modulated with the modulation angular frequency ω _m input from the driver 20. In this case, the lock-in amplifier 24 uses the harmonics of the lock-in amplifier 24. Using the measurement mode, the harmonics twice as high as the input reference signal are used as a reference signal, and the amplitude intensity I (2ω _m ) is calculated based on this reference signal and the interference signal.

Then, based on the amplitude intensities I (ω _m ) and I (2ω _m ) calculated (that is, measured) by the lock-in amplifiers 22 and 24, the arc tangent of the ratio between the two is calculated by the digital circuit 26. In this case, the arc tangent is obtained by equation (20). Here, the right side of Expression (20) corresponds to the amount of phase change.

ディジタル回路２６は、さらに、下記式（２１）に基づいて、透過膜５２の厚さｄを算出する。

The digital circuit 26 further calculates the thickness d of the permeable membrane 52 based on the following equation (21).

上記のようにして、本実施形態では、透過膜５２の厚さｄの計測を行うことができる。

As described above, in this embodiment, the thickness d of the permeable membrane 52 can be measured.

  Now, the dispersion interferometer and the measuring method configured as described above can achieve the same effects as (1) to (3), (5), and (6) of the above embodiment. In addition, it has the following characteristics.

  (1) In the dispersion interferometer of the present embodiment, in measuring the thickness d, which is a physical quantity of the permeable membrane 52 that is the object to be measured, the measurement error due to a change in signal intensity can be reduced and the accuracy can be increased. Use in time control becomes possible.

In addition, you may change embodiment of this invention as follows.
In each of the above embodiments, the measuring unit is configured by the lock-in amplifiers 22 and 24 and the digital circuit 26, but the measuring unit may be configured by a computer.

  In each of the above embodiments, the photoelastic element 12 is used. However, instead of the photoelastic element 12, a phase modulation unit may be used as an electro-optical element. At this time, the electric field applied to the electro-optical element is made parallel to the polarization direction of the fundamental wave W1. In this case, phase modulation is applied to the second harmonic. Also in this case, the driver 20 can obtain the same effects as those of the above embodiments by applying phase modulation to the second harmonic W2 by the electro-optic element.

  Alternatively, the electric field applied to the electro-optic element and the polarization direction of the second harmonic may be parallel. In this case, phase modulation is applied to the fundamental wave. Also in this case, the driver 20 can obtain the same effects as those of the above embodiments by applying phase modulation to the fundamental wave W1 by the electro-optic element.

1 is a schematic diagram of a dispersion interferometer according to an embodiment of the present invention. Schematic of the dispersion interferometer of other embodiment. Schematic of a conventional interferometer. (A), (b) is the schematic of the conventional dispersion interferometer. (A) is a graph which shows the time change of sin ((omega) _mt ) applied to an electro-optical element, (b) is a graph which shows the time change of an interference signal.

Explanation of symbols

10: Nonlinear crystal element (first nonlinear crystal element),
12: Photoelastic element (phase modulation means),
14 ... Nonlinear crystal element (second nonlinear crystal element),
16: Wavelength selection filter,
18 ... Detector (interference signal acquisition means),
20 ... Driver,
22 ... Lock-in amplifier,
24. Lock-in amplifier,
26... Digital circuit (combining measurement means with lock-in amplifiers 22 and 24)
28: Digital scope.

Claims (6)

A first nonlinear crystal element that transmits linearly polarized laser light serving as a fundamental wave and converts a part of the laser light into a first second harmonic whose polarization direction is orthogonal to the fundamental wave;
By applying a drive signal for applying phase modulation, the phase modulation is generated only in one of the fundamental wave and the first second harmonic wave incident through the first nonlinear crystal element. Phase modulating means for emitting both the fundamental wave and the first second harmonic to the object to be measured;
A second nonlinear crystal element that receives the fundamental wave transmitted through the object to be measured and the first second harmonic, and changes the fundamental wave into a second second harmonic whose polarization direction is orthogonal to the fundamental wave; ,
A wavelength selective filter that selectively transmits the first and second harmonics that have passed through the second nonlinear crystal element;
Interference signal acquisition means for acquiring interference signals of the first second harmonic and the second second harmonic transmitted through the wavelength selection filter;
In a dispersion interferometer provided with a measuring means for measuring a physical quantity related to the device under test based on a phase change amount by the device under test included in the interference signal,
The measuring means includes
Dispersion interference characterized by obtaining an intensity ratio between a fundamental wave and a second harmonic of a modulation angular frequency in the interference signal, and calculating a physical quantity related to the object to be measured based on the intensity ratio and the phase change amount Total. The measuring means includes
Based on a reference signal based on the drive signal, calculating each amplitude intensity of the fundamental wave and the second harmonic in the phase modulation included in the interference signal, and obtaining the intensity ratio based on both amplitude intensity The dispersion interferometer according to claim 1.   The dispersion interferometer according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the phase modulation means is a photoelastic element or an electro-optic element.   The dispersion interferometer according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the object to be measured is plasma, and the physical quantity is an electron density of the plasma.   The dispersion interferometer according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the object to be measured is a permeable membrane, and the physical quantity is a thickness of the permeable membrane. A first stage in which linearly polarized laser light as a fundamental wave is transmitted to the first nonlinear crystal element, and a part of the laser light is changed to a first second harmonic whose polarization direction is orthogonal to the fundamental wave. When,
Applying a fundamental wave that has passed through the first nonlinear crystal element and a first second harmonic and applying a drive signal for applying phase modulation to the phase modulation means, the fundamental wave and the fundamental wave A second stage in which the phase modulation is generated only in one of the first second harmonics, and both the transmitted fundamental wave and the first second harmonic are emitted to the object to be measured;
The fundamental wave that has passed through the object to be measured and the first second harmonic wave are incident on the second nonlinear crystal element, and the fundamental wave and the second harmonic wave whose polarization directions are orthogonal to each other. The third stage to turn into waves,
A fourth stage of selectively transmitting the first second harmonic and the second second harmonic that have passed through the second nonlinear crystal element by a wavelength selection filter;
A fifth stage of acquiring an interference signal of the first second harmonic and the second second harmonic transmitted through the wavelength selection filter by an interference signal acquisition means;
When measuring the physical quantity related to the object to be measured based on the phase change amount by the object to be measured included in the interference signal by the measuring means, the intensity ratio between the fundamental wave of the modulation angular frequency and the second harmonic in the interference signal And measuring the physical quantity of the measured object based on the intensity ratio and the phase change amount.

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