Metrology

Lasers are ideally suited for the precise measurement of physical, chemical or biological quantities in various fields of science and industry. Various technologies allow to measure different parameters.

For instance, a distance can be simply measured by laser triangulation via the angle under which light from the object hits the detector. Another method called Time-of-Flight (ToF) measures the distance based on the time difference between the emission of a laser pulse and its return to the detector. Distance measurements based on interferometry allow extreme precise measurements with an accuracy of the wavelength and far below.

Other physical dimensions such as velocity, thickness of objects and surface profiles can be measured by these or similar techniques. In this section you can find various examples of the use of lasers in metrological applications.