Two-Dimensional Measurements of Lubricant Spreading on Diamond-Like-Carbon Surface Using Image Processing on Fringe Patterns Formed by Michelson Interferometry

A Michelson interferometer based on the Linnik microscope configuration has been constituted and applied to the measurement of lubricant spreading on diamond-like-carbon (DLC) surface. Performing image processing on the fringe patterns formed by the interferometer, the lubricant thickness, as well as the spreading behavior can be investigated. This method provides complete line profiles in two dimensions and permits direct observation of the spreading phenomena, in contrast to the conventional point-by-point scanning method. To improve the measurement accuracy, a fringe following technique and a noise suppression technique were introduced. The fringe following technique successfully prevented a fringe shift over the visual field and thus suppressed the pseudo phase shift caused by a fringe shift. The spatially fixed noise due to non-uniform laser beams and flaws in optical components was also efficiently suppressed by the noise compensation method. From the calculation of multiple beam interference in a stratified medium, it is found that reduction in sensitivity due to additional reflections from underlayers is effectively prevented if the lubricant is observed through a glass disk using reflections on the back surfaces of the glass and lubricant, instead of being observed on a disk using the front surface reflections. Utilizing this advantage, a novel scheme was employed to give maximum sensitivity in which lubricant was coated on the back side of a glass disk whose front surface was coated with non-reflecting film and whose back surface was sputtered with the proper thickness of DLC. The enhanced resolution attained by the new scheme was experimentally confirmed by observing lubricant on the back surface of the glass disk and the front surface of a magnetic disk.