Observation of Cylindrical Surfaces by Laser Microscopy with a Wide Field of View

Abstract

We have developed a new method for observation of cylindrical surfaces. The cylindrical surfaces were observed using a laser microscope with a wide field of view. When cylindrical specimens are rotated by a motor-driven rotary table, the focused laser light is scanned along a generatrix of the cylinder surface. Thus, the whole cylinder surface can be observed easily even over a very short period. As the obtained image is a developed view of the cylinder surface, it is easy to measure the distance between any two points on the cylindrical surface.