Geometric area measurements of circular apertures for radiometry at NIST

TLDR

The method builds on Fowler et al. (1998) Metrologia, which introduced early aperture‑area measurement techniques. This paper presents a measurement method for circular aperture area based on Fowler et al. (1998).

Abstract

NIST has established a geometric aperture-area measurement facility for circular apertures. The instrument consists of an interferometrically controlled XY translation stage for high-accuracy positioning and a video microscope for detection of the edge of the aperture. Least-squares fitting of the edge points located along the aperture's inner circumference to the equation of a circle is used to determine the geometric area. In this paper we describe the measurement method, based on the work started and described by Fowler et al (1998 Metrologia 35 497–500). Analysis and estimation of various contributions to the overall measurement uncertainty, including the effects of diffraction and partial coherence of light on the edge location, are also discussed.