Abstract
Since laser interferometer systems are high accuracy and non-contact measurement, the systems have been incorporated into such manufacturing equipment as precision cutting machines, measuring machines and lithographic systems. The measurement error in interferometers is due primarily to the change in laser wavelength that is affected by the refractive index of the air, which depends on its temperature, humidity and pressure. Without proper environmental compensation, degradation in system accuracy and repeatability will occur and limit the quality of final products. We have developed a new environmental chamber and a new wavelength tracking compensator for precision machine tools with laser interferometer system. The measurement of tool-workpiece relative displacement and the raster flycutting test are performed to verify that the two products are effective in minimizing the laser measurement error and making progress in the form accuracy. The experimental results, which imply the highly corrected accuracy of less than 100nm, show a remarkable improvement compared with the case without compensation.
