Two-color heterodyne laser interferometry for long-distance stage measurement with correction of uncertainties in measured optical distances

We designed a new system that eliminates deviations by correcting uncertainty in optical distance measurements in the laser two-color heterodyne interferometer. In simulations, eliminating the uncertainty from the atmosphere, the deviation in the uncertainty of the optical distance was 50 times greater with the two-color method than with the one-color method. Adding a correction arm reduces the deviation caused by the uncertainties in measured optical distances. The uncertainty in the measured path length is reduced to 20 nm over a path length of 1500 mm, giving a relative uncertainty of 1.34 × 10(−8).