Coherence effects of thick objects imaging in interference microscopy

Abstract

In this paper we present a model of interference microscope image formation, which allows for analysis on unified basis of imaging different types of samples with different interference microscope modalities. The applicability of the proposed model to analysis of the coherence effects, arising in confocal and full-field interference microscopes, when imaging in depth of a layered sample, is shown. The effect of sample transversal structure on the coherence signal is also analyzed, showing that in this case the interference microscope can not be characterized by a single effective aperture and both illuminating and imaging apertures are important.