Compact Self-Contained Holographic and Interferometric Apparatus

An inspection apparatus comprising:

• a light source configured to produce a light beam;
• an objective lens configured to direct an object beam from an object illuminated by the light beam;
• a reference beam lens group configured to form a reference beam from a portion of the object beam passing through a pupil plane of the objective lens, the reference beam being propagated along a shared optical path with the object beam;
• a tube lens configured to direct the object beam and the reference beam onto an image plane;
• and
• a processor configured to determine an interference pattern on the image plane from the object beam and the reference beam.

In an optical system, a method comprising:

• illuminating an object with a light beam;
• forming an object beam using a microscope lens arrangement that is configured to direct the object beam through a tube lens onto an image plane along a main axis of the optical system;
• forming a reference beam using a reference beam lens group that is positioned at a central portion of a pupil plane of the microscope lens arrangement along the main axis of the optical system, wherein the reference beam is formed from a portion of the object beam passing through the pupil plane of the microscope lens arrangement;
• propagating the reference beam along a shared optical path with the object beam;
• shifting a phase of the reference beam using a phase plate;
• and
• combining the reference beam and the object beam to create an interference pattern at the image plane.

A method for microscopy, the method comprising:

• propagating an object beam, formed from light scattered by an illuminated object, along an optical path and a longitudinal axis of an optical arrangement;
• propagating a reference beam, formed from a portion of the scattered light, along the optical path substantially simultaneously with the object beam;
• and
• interfering the reference beam with the object beam at an image plane to create a hologram image.