ABSTRACT
Optical interferometry techniques have been used for a long time for optical components testing [1] and for deformation and vibration measurements in mechanical engineering [2]. Nevertheless, application of these techniques to the static and dynamic characterization of micro(opto)electromechanical systems (M(O)EMS) is challenging as M(O)EMS typically include high-aspect-ratio structures made of materials with various optical properties having small lateral sizes, a low surface rms roughness, and a low response time. A detection limit in the (sub)nanometer range, a lateral resolution in the (sub)micron range, a large dynamic (>10
), and a high-frequency bandwidth (>1 MHz) are thus typically needed. As will be shown in this chapter, these performance standards are now commonly attained by interference microscopy techniques.
