Electro-optic frequency combs for multi-wavelength digital holography with high dynamic range

TL;DR

This paper introduces an electro-optic frequency comb source capable of rapidly generating a wide range of synthetic wavelengths for multi-wavelength digital holography, enabling high-precision surface measurements with high dynamic range.

Contribution

It presents a novel, electronically tunable synthetic-wavelength generator using off-the-shelf components, enabling fast, calibration-free switching over a broad frequency range for digital holography.

Findings

Achieved synthetic frequencies from 0.1-220GHz, covering wavelengths from meters to millimeters.

Demonstrated rapid tuning of synthetic wavelengths over 3 orders of magnitude.

Achieved surface measurements with 10-micron precision within 2 seconds.

Abstract

Multi-wavelength digital holography enables surface-shape measurements with an exceptional dynamic range by combining interferometric resolution with synthetic wavelengths spanning multiple length scales. Although the concept promises measurement ranges of many orders of magnitude, its practical implementation is limited by the lack of light sources that allow fast, reliable, and calibration-free switching between synthetic wavelengths over a wide frequency range. Here, we present a synthetic-wavelength generator based on an electro-optic frequency comb with electronically tunable modulation frequency and a set of switchable band-pass filters. By combining discrete selection of comb-lines with continuous radio-frequency tuning, the proposed scheme merges the advantages of single-sideband modulation and filter-based comb extraction. Using only off-the-shelf components, the system provides synthetic frequencies from 0.1-220GHz, corresponding to synthetic wavelengths from meters down to millimeters in the visible. The generator achieves MHz-level frequency accuracy, side-mode suppression exceeding 40dB, and switching times below 25ms, even without active stabilization. We characterize the spectral purity and frequency agility of the source and demonstrate rapid tuning of synthetic wavelengths over 3 orders of magnitude. We apply the light source to multi-wavelength digital holography and reconstruct the surface of an industrially machined metal part featuring height variations from 0.1-100mm. The measurements achieve ten-mum-level precision using 7 single wavelengths covering synthetic wavelengths from 1.36mm to 1.874m within an acquisition time < 2s. The presented architecture combines high dynamic measurement range of 50dB, fast electronic reconfigurability, and intrinsic frequency calibration, making it a promising light source for high-speed interferometric surface metrology.