Testing aspherical lenses by compensated wavefront measurement using a polarization-based two-phase-shift interferometer

Abstract Smartphone cameras are becoming ever more powerful and therefore place ever greater demands on production measurement technology. In this paper, we present a robust method for testing miniaturised aspherical lenses based on a polarisation-based two-phase interferometer in a Mach-Zehnder configuration The system employs a compensating element to produce a collimated beam after the test lens minimizing wavefront slope and enabling accurate single-pass measurement. By using polarization optics to introduce a relative phase shift of π2 , two interferograms are captured simultaneously via synchronized cameras, eliminating the need for sequential acquisition and reducing sensitivity to environmental vibrations. This makes the system well-suited for use in industrial environments without vibration isolation equipment. The system requires proper calibration to enhance accuracy and reduce computational effort. The proposed approach offers improved stability, low hardware complexity and fast data acquisition. That makes it ideal for high-throughput inspection of mass-produced aspherical lenses.