Autocollimators for deflectometry: Current status and future progress

The proliferation of autocollimator-based surface profilometers at synchrotron metrology laboratories worldwide necessitates a detailed understanding of the parameters influencing their angular response. A comprehensive overview of the current status of autocollimator characterization and calibration at the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) and its implications for their optimal application are provided. Present and future challenges to angle metrology posed by autocollimator-based surface profilometers will be delineated, and solutions and expected progress to meet them will be outlined. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.