EXP 10 Determination of parallelism error and flatness between micrometer

measuring faces
Aim: To determination of parallelism error and flatness between micrometer measuring
faces.
Apparatus: optical flats and micrometer.
Theory:
Optical flats are cylindrical in form with the working surfaces flat. There are type A and
type B flats. The type A has only one surface flat and type B has both the surfaces flat and
parallel to each other. An optical flat is an optical-grade piece of glass lapped and polished to
be extremely flat on one or both sides, usually within a few tens of nanometres (billionths of
a meter). They are used with a monochromatic light to determine the flatness (surface
accuracy) of other surfaces, whether optical, metallic, ceramic, or otherwise, by interference.

When an optical flat is placed on another surface and illuminated, the light waves reflect off
both the bottom surface of the flat and the surface it is resting on. This causes a phenomenon
similar to thin-film interference. The reflected waves interfere, creating a pattern of
interference fringes visible as light and dark bands. The spacing between the fringes is smaller
where the gap is changing more rapidly, indicating a departure from flatness in one of the
two surfaces. This is comparable to the contour lines one would find on a map. A flat surface
is indicated by a pattern of straight, parallel fringes with equal spacing, while other patterns
indicate uneven surfaces. Two adjacent fringes indicate a difference in elevation of one-half
wavelength of the light used, so by counting the fringes, differences in elevation of the surface
can be measured to better than one micrometre.
Testing procedure: