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A chromatic confocal microscope (CCM) is a high-dynamic-range noncontact distance measurement sensor; it is based on a hyperchromatic lens. The vast majority of commercial CCMs use refractive-based chromatic dispersion to chromatically code the optical axis. This approach significantly limits the range of applications and performance of the CCM. In order to be a suitable alternative to a laser triangulation gauge and laser encoder, the performance of the CCM must be improved. In this paper, it is shown how hybrid aspheric diffractive (HAD) lenses can bring the CCM to its full potential by increasing the dynamic range by a factor of 2 and the resolution by a factor of 5 while passively athermizing and increasing the light throughput efficiency of the optical head [M. Rayer, U.S. patent 1122052.2 (2011)]. The only commercially suitable manufacturing process is single-point diamond turning. However, the optical power carried by the diffractive side of a hybrid aspheric diffractive lens is limited by the manufacturing process. A theoretical study of manufacturing losses has revealed that the HAD configuration with the highest diffraction efficiency is for a staircase diffractive surface (SDS). SDS lenses have the potential to reduce light losses associated with manufacturing limits by a factor of 5 without increasing surface roughness, allowing scalar diffraction-limited optical design with a diffractive element.

When applied to the measurement of smooth surfaces, coherence scanning interferometry can be described by a three-dimensional linear filtering operation that is characterized either by the point-spread function in the space domain or equivalently by the transfer function (TF) in the spatial frequency domain. For an ideal, aberration-free instrument, these characteristics are defined uniquely by the numerical aperture of the objective lens and the bandwidth of the illumination source. In practice, however, physical imperfections such as those in lens aberrations, reference focus, and source alignment mean that the instrument performance is not ideal. Currently, these imperfections often go unnoticed as the instrument performance is typically only verified using rectilinear artifacts such as step heights and lateral grids. If an object of varying slope is measured, however, significant errors are often observed as the surface gradient increases. In this paper, a new method of calibration and adjustment using a silica micro-sphere as a calibration artifact is introduced. The silica microsphere was used to compute the point-spread and TF characteristics of the instrument, and the effect of these characteristics on instrument performance is discussed. Finally, a straightforward method to correct for phase and amplitude imperfections in the TF is described using a modified inverse filter.