Measurement 73 (2015) 231–238

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Measurement
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/measurement

New frontiers in angle metrology at the PTB

Ralf D. Geckeler ⇑, Michael Krause, Andreas Just, Oliver Kranz, Harald Bosse
Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt, Bundesallee 100, D-38116 Braunschweig, Germany

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: An overview of the current status of angle metrology at the Physikalisch-Technische
Available online 14 May 2015 Bundesanstalt (PTB), the national metrology institute of Germany, is provided. We present
our novel self-calibration method for the fast and precise in-situ calibration of angle enco-
Keywords: ders without recourse to external reference standards which relies on a suitable geometric
Angle measurement arrangement of multiple heads which read out the radial grating of the encoder. Additional
Angle standard progress has been achieved by adapting an advanced error-separating shearing technique
Angle encoder
to angle metrology. This technique, by applying defined angle offsets between two angle
Autocollimator
Traceability
measuring devices, offers a unique opportunity to cross-calibrate both devices indepen-
Key comparison dently of external standards. We also present progress in the development of a novel
device for the precise and traceable calibration of spatial angles, the Spatial Angle
Autocollimator Calibrator (SAAC). Finally, we report on the status of the first European
Association of National Metrology Institutes (EURAMET) Key Comparison on autocollima-
tor calibration.
Ó 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction industry and science and by providing necessary calibra-

tion methods and facilities in time.
Precision angle measurement is an important enabling
technology with a wide range of scientific and industrial
2. Angle encoders
applications, e.g., in precision engineering, optics, syn-
chrotron beamline metrology, aerospace, geodesy, naviga-
2.1. Primary angle standard WMT 220
tion, and astronomy. Through research and development in
the field of angle measuring techniques and by the calibra-
PTB uses the high-precision angle comparator WMT
tion of angle measuring systems, PTB creates optimum
220, manufactured by Johannes Heidenhain, Germany, as
conditions for the wide use of these systems in research
its primary standard for angle metrology (see Fig. 1). It is
and industry. Our spectrum of diverse and varied tasks
installed in a clean-room facility and thus operates under
covers the application-oriented experimental characterisa-
favourable environmental conditions, such as a highly
tion and precise calibration of angle measuring systems,
stable ambient temperature (DT < 0.05 K), low vibration,
basic research on new measurement procedures and math-
and a stable laminar air flow.
ematic algorithms, as well as the improvement of the
Its main component is a precision air bearing rotary
design of angle measuring instruments. Through this bal-
table equipped with a reflected-light radial phase grating
ance of activities, the frontiers of angle metrology can be
(400 mm in diameter, 217 graduations) which rotates
advanced effectively by reacting flexibly to demands from
underneath a set of 16 interferential reading heads. The
radial phase grating consists of 217 = 131,072 graduation
⇑ Corresponding author. Tel.: +49 531 592 5220. lines in 360° with angular intervals between adjacent lines
E-mail address: ralf.geckeler@ptb.de (R.D. Geckeler). of 9.89 arcsec. Each head furnishes sinusoidal signals with

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.measurement.2015.05.010
0263-2241/Ó 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
232 R.D. Geckeler et al. / Measurement 73 (2015) 231–238
Fig. 1. The WMT 220 angle comparator of PTB is the primary national
standard of the plane angle in Germany. Its self-calibration standard
uncertainty is u = 0.001 arcsec (5 nrad).
18
twice the graduation frequency, i.e., 2 intervals in 360°,
corresponding to angular intervals of 4.94 arcsec. These
intervals are further subdivided by the reading heads’ elec-
tronics and software by a factor of 212 to obtain 230 inter-
vals in 360° (see [1] for technical details).
The grating is read out by a special geometrical arrange-
ment of 16 heads, see Fig. 2. The eight primary reading
heads are distributed at regular 45° intervals on the cir-
cumference of a circle. The angle measurement by the
WMT 220 is obtained by averaging over the values which
are read out by these primary heads. Another eight calibra-
tion heads are arranged in such a way that the relative
angular positions of all possible pairings of reading heads
effectively cover the angles 360 =2n with n 2 f1; . . . ; 7g,
whereby the smallest interval is 2.81°.
Fig. 2. Special geometrical arrangement of the eight primary reading
heads (red circles) and of eight calibration heads (triangles) which read
out the radial grating of the WMT 220. Numbers m indicate their angular
positions as multiples of 360 =128 ¼ 2:8125 . (For interpretation of the
references to colour in this figure legend, the reader is referred to the web
version of this article.)
The graduation errors of the radial grating can be deter-
mined by two independent methods: cross-calibration by
use of a built-in or external secondary angle encoder and
self-calibration by use of the geometric arrangement of
the multiple reading heads. At PTB, a self-calibration
method was developed which is capable of the fast and
precise in situ calibration of the WMT 220 independent
of auxiliary devices and external reference standards [2]
which is described in Section 2.2 in detail. With it, a stan-
dard uncertainty of the self-calibration of the WMT 220 of
the order of 0.001 arcsec (5 nrad) has been achieved. It has
been verified by various internal comparisons (of cross-
and self-calibration results) and by comparisons with inde-
pendent, external partners [3] which all demonstrate con-
sistency at a level below one milliarcsec root mean square
(rms).
2.2. In situ self-calibration
Angle encoders are essential components of a wide
range of rotating precision devices, such as industrial
robots in manufacturing. Usually, their angle deviations
need to be calibrated by comparing the encoders with ref-
erence encoders provided by, e.g., a National Metrology
Institute (NMI). For industrial applications, however, a fast
and precise method for the in-situ calibration of encoders
is preferable. Extensive research on the self-calibration of
angle encoders has been carried out at PTB which offers a
solution to this problem.
Our novel self-calibration method relies on a suitable
geometric arrangement of multiple reading heads which
are located on the circumference of a circle and read out
a radial grating which rotates beneath them. They detect
the same graduation errors of the grating, albeit with
phase shifts which depend on their location on the circum-
ference [2,4]. The self-calibration analysis is performed
most naturally in the frequency domain. Using the
Fourier shift-theorem to account for the phase-shifts, the
graduation errors can be reconstructed by analysing mea-
surement differences between pairs of reading heads. Our
most recent approach [2] utilises differences between
measurements by all pairs of reading heads in a fully sym-
metric way and thus puts the heads on an equal footing in
the analysis. It includes variance-optimal and normalised
weights which provide minimal error propagation.
Fig. 3 presents experimental results of the in situ
self-calibration of the WMT 220, the primary angle stan-
dard of PTB described in Section 2.1. It shows the gradua-
tion errors of the encoder’s radial grating as measured by
a single reading head (a) and after averaging over the eight
primary reading heads (b). Due to the regular arrangement
of the eight primary reading heads, which are distributed
at angles of 45° relative to each other, the averaged error
contains only Fourier orders which are integer multiples
of eight. Therefore, its amplitude is reduced markedly
when compared to the grating’s graduation error which
has not been averaged.
We successfully included the evaluation and correction
of error influences due to lateral shifts of the centre of the
encoder’s grating during its rotation (including its eccen-
tricity) with respect to the fixed arrangement of reading
 R.D. Geckeler et al. / Measurement 73 (2015) 231–238
Fig. 3. Results of the in situ self-calibration of the WMT 220. Graduation
errors of the radial grating registered by a single reading head (a, upper
graph) and after averaging over the eight primary reading heads (b, lower
graph) are shown.
heads in the self calibration analysis [2]. To this purpose,
after self-calibration, the measurement data by the reading
heads are corrected for the graduation errors of the enco-
der’s grating. Modelling of the resulting residuals allows
deriving the grating’s lateral shift by fitting the model to
the data, see Fig. 4.
Taking this information into account, the
self-calibration analysis can then be repeated iteratively
to derive a more accurate estimate of the graduation errors
of the encoder’s grating. This iterative approach is feasible
due to the small magnitude of the influence of the axis’ lat-
eral shift on the reading head’s angle measurements when
compared to the influence of the grating’s dominant grad-
uation errors (in case of the WMT 220, two orders of mag-
nitude). Note that, during operation of the WMT 220, the
measurements by the eight primary reading heads are
averaged which, due to their regular spacing, effectively
eliminates the influence of the grating’s lateral shifts on
the average.
Our method proved to be capable of the fast and precise
in situ calibration of angle encoders, independent of any
external standards. It is one of those techniques which
have been developed for the self-calibration [2,4–10] and
cross-calibration [11–14] of angle encoders. They, in turn,
are part of a wider class of reversal techniques in which
measurements are set up in such a way as to provide
redundant data sets which allow them to separate and
eliminate errors [15].
Self-calibration offers a number of advantages, foremost
that it is independent of auxiliary devices (such as, e.g., a
233
Fig. 4. Lateral shifting of the encoder’s grating at the nm-level during one
full rotation for the angle comparator WMT 220.
secondary angle encoder or a polygon). As part of the fam-
ily of circle division methods, self-calibration is based on
the subdivision of the full circle and makes use of circle
closure, expressing the fact that the sum of the angles of
a divided circle in a plane equals 2p rad. The full circle
therefore represents the fundamental, error-free angular
standard and thus provides independence from external
reference standards. This makes self-calibration ideally
suited for primary angle standards. Furthermore, in com-
parison to cross-calibration, it is fast and therefore ideally
suited for industrial applications.
Please note that the self-calibration algorithms devel-
oped in [2] do not depend on the special arrangement of
reading heads presented in Section 2.1 but can be applied
universally. An infinite number of viable reading head
arrangements, starting with a minimal number of three
heads, can be realised, albeit with differing error propaga-
tion properties. Work on the general properties of viable
reading head arrangements with optimal error propaga-
tion is in progress.
2.3. Interpolation errors
Our self-calibration method successfully evaluates the
graduation errors of the encoder’s grating at regularly sam-
pled points over 2p rad. At much smaller angular scales of
the order of a few arcsec, interpolation errors become rel-
evant. Interpolation errors result from the subdivision of
the angular intervals between the grating’s graduation
lines by the reading heads’ electronics to obtain a larger
effective resolution (in the case of the WMT 220, by a fac-
tor of 212). Progress has been achieved in this field as we
234 R.D. Geckeler et al. / Measurement 73 (2015) 231–238

have adapted an advanced error-separating shearing tech-
nique [16–18] to angle metrology and tested it experimen-
tally [19]. It proved to be ideally suited for the calibration
of interpolation errors of angle-measuring devices at small
angular scales which are difficult to characterise with other
methods.
This technique, by comparing the angle readings of an
autocollimator and an angle encoder in different relative
angular orientations, offers a unique opportunity to sepa-
rate the errors of the two angle-measuring systems and,
therefore, to calibrate both systems without recourse to
any external standard. The non-linear errors of the two
devices can be recovered, up to their linear components,
from a set of three comparisons. In the case that the linear
components of the errors are needed, too, only two angle
differences, which correspond to the changes in the rela-
tive angular orientations of the devices, need to be traced
back to an external standard. In [19], we demonstrate
error-separation with a standard measurement uncer-
tainty at a level of 1 milliarcsec (5 nrad) which beats
uncertainties reachable by conventional calibration meth-
ods for autocollimators by a factor of two to three.
Figs. 5 and 6 present the results of such a shearing anal-
ysis. The angle measuring devices consisted of the
high-precision angle comparator WMT 220 and an
autocollimator type Elcomat HR, Möller–Wedel Optical.
The measurement errors of the encoder presented in
Fig. 6b are of the order of 1 milliarcsec rms and are domi-
nated by its residual interpolation errors which result from
the subdivision of the angular intervals between the grat-
ing’s graduation lines by the reading heads’ electronics.
The measurement errors of the autocollimator presented
in Fig. 6a at the smallest angular scales are dominated by
analogous interpolation errors which result from the sub-
division of the angular interval which corresponds to the
size of the pixels of the CCD detector used in this device.
3. Autocollimators
3.1. Autocollimator calibration – plane angle
In Fig. 1, the measurement set-up for the calibration of
an electronic autocollimator against the primary angle
standard of the PTB, the angle comparator WMT 220 is pre-
sented. The calibration can be realised against coated or
uncoated mirrors and by using the full autocollimator
aperture or an aperture stop. The position and the size of
the aperture stop are variable. The calibration can be car-
ried out in a limited range of fixed distances (250–
550 mm) between autocollimator and mirror.

Fig. 5. Data sets used for the shearing analysis (black lines) and residuals (blue lines) after correcting them for the reconstructed measurement errors of the
autocollimator and of the WMT 220. Each panel shows the comparison of the autocollimator to the WMT 220 performed in a different relative angular
orientation of both devices. (For interpretation of the references to colour in this figure legend, the reader is referred to the web version of this article.)
 R.D. Geckeler et al. / Measurement 73 (2015) 231–238
Fig. 6. Reconstructed measurement errors of the autocollimator (a, upper
graph) and of the encoder (b, lower graph) obtained by the shearing
analysis of the data presented in Fig. 4.
Typically, a calibration consists of measurements in for-
ward and backward direction (to eliminate possible linear
drifts) and repeat measurements in three different relative
positions between the autocollimator and the WMT 220
(to eliminate residual angle deviations of the WMT 220),
all realised under automatic computer control. The air path
between the autocollimator and the plane mirror does not
need to be specially shielded as the constant ambient tem-
perature and the laminar air flow at the clean room facility
do not exert any significant disturbing influences. For more
information on autocollimator calibration at the PTB, see
[20].
Using highly stable autocollimators, calibrations with
standard measurement uncertainties of u = 0.003 arcsec
(15 nrad) have been achieved. Note that, in addition to
the uncertainty contribution by the WMT 220, the uncer-
tainty of the autocollimator calibration includes compo-
nents which depend on the type of autocollimator and
the calibration parameters. The later contributions usually
dominate the final uncertainty budget and may result in an
uncertainty for the autocollimator calibration larger than
the value stated above. In contrast, the uncertainty contri-
bution of the primary angle standard WMT 220 is of subor-
dinate importance.
3.2. Influences of measuring conditions
In order to make full use of the autocollimator’s calibra-
tion values for correcting its angle measuring deviations,
the autocollimator must operate in the experimental
set-up under the same measurement conditions under
235
which it was calibrated. Ultimately, the calibration is only
valid if the calibration and measurement conditions are
identical. Any deviation between both leads to additional
errors in the autocollimator’s angle response which need
to be characterised by additional calibrations or raytrace
modelling. As the need for a high lateral resolution in
deflectometric profilometry is driving the autocollimator
apertures towards ever smaller diameters, issues such as
the limits of the validity of the calibration and proper spec-
ifications for the adjustment of the optical components in
deflectometric set-ups become ever more significant.
The current limitations of angle metrology with auto-
collimators originate from four main source clusters [21]:
1. From the autocollimator itself, specifically its design
and manufacturing tolerances. Its operation at small
apertures is especially problematic as commercial auto-
collimators have generally not been designed for use
with small apertures.
2. From changing measuring conditions.
3. From characteristics of the reflecting surface under test
(SUT).
4. From limits posed by currently available calibration
facilities.
The factors influencing the angle response/calibration
of an autocollimator can be sub-divided into two broad
categories: external vs. internal. External factors are given
by the measuring conditions under which the device is
used (and can thus be specified by the user). These include:
 SUT reflectivity
 SUT curvature
 Distance (path length) to the SUT
 Diameter and shape of the aperture stop
 Position of the aperture stop along the autocollimator’s
optical axis
 Position of the aperture stop perpendicular to the opti-
cal axis
Internal factors are specific to each autocollimator’s
internal design (and are therefore generally beyond user
control):
 Aberrations of the optical components (autocollimator’s
objective, reticle illumination, beam splitter cubes . . .)
 Alignment of the components, including the detector
 Non-orthogonality of the measuring axes
 Internal specular reflections and stray light
 Geometrical imperfections of the reticles
 Inter-pixel variations of the CCD (geometry, quantum
efficiency, dark current . . .)
 Intra-pixel quantum efficiency pattern (across single
CCD pixels, due to their internal structure)
3.2.1. SUT distance/beam path length
In the case of different distances between the autocolli-
mator and the reflecting SUT, the beam returning to the
autocollimator after reflection follows different paths
through its optics. In the case of ideal optical elements
and their perfect alignment, no errors in the
236 R.D. Geckeler et al. / Measurement 73 (2015) 231–238
autocollimator’s angle response are occurring. However, if
aberrations of the optical components and errors in their
alignment (and that of the CCD detector) are present, angle
measuring deviations are introduced which are a function
of the SUT’s distance/path length [22]. These deviations
become more prominent as the product of the deflection
angle and the distance from the SUT increases. (Note that
when the SUT is located at a distance equal to the objec-
tive’s focal length, angle measuring errors due to aberra-
tions and alignment errors are minimised.)
Influences of the path length on the autocollimator’s
angle response are of special importance to deflectometric
profilometers, where the length of the beam to the SUT
changes by the entire scanning length (up to 1.2 m) as dif-
ferent points on the optical surface are accessed by a mov-
able pentaprism. The same holds true for applications in
precision engineering (e.g., the measurement of machine
geometries) where path length changes also occur. In the
case of deflectometric profilometers, this effect causes
the dominant uncertainty component in the form mea-
surement of extended, highly curved optical surfaces.
Several solutions to this problem have been proposed
[23,24].
We also would like to mention the influence of environ-
mental conditions, e.g., beam refraction by gradients in the
air’s refractive index, which may lead to angle errors if the
distance to the SUT is changing. Temperature and pressure
are the most important parameters influencing the refrac-
tive index of air.
3.2.2. SUT curvature
Most synchrotron and Free Electron Laser (FEL) beam-
line optics feature strong and locally varying curvatures
of the SUT which affect both the location and the quality
of the image of the autocollimator’s reticle on the CCD
detector. Beamline optics even exhibit different radii of
curvature in longitudinal and sagittal directions. Even
polygon calibrations, where differences in the topogra-
phies of the optical faces are far smaller, are affected by
the faces’ flatness deviations. Therefore, a systematic effort
to characterise the influence of the SUT’s curvature is
essential for advancing deflectometric form measurement.
It was therefore chosen to be part of the European
Metrology Research Programme (EMRP) Joint Research
Project (JRP) SIB 58 Angle Metrology [25].
3.2.3. SUT reflectivity
Optical surfaces of different reflectivity (e.g., coated and
uncoated quartz, Zerodur, silicone, etc.) are commonly in
use. The reflectivity of the SUT and the aperture size influ-
ence the autocollimator’s angle response by causing, e.g.,
changes in the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the detected
image, internal reflections, and stray light [21,26]. Some
autocollimators adapt their light output to compensate
for differing reflectivity which may mitigate some prob-
lems (e.g., SNR changes) while aggravating others (e.g.,
internal reflections). Generally, due to differing sensitivi-
ties to changes in SUT reflectivity and aperture size, differ-
ent types of errors cannot be minimised simultaneously by
a well chosen set of parameters. Ray tracing simulations
are difficult as stray light influences cannot be modelled
adequately. Therefore, the experimental characterisation
of its influence on the autocollimator’s angle measurement
is part of EMRP SIB 58 Angle Metrology.
3.3. Autocollimator calibration – spatial angles
In most autocollimator applications (e.g., deflectometric
profilometry or the measurement of machine geometries –
straightness, flatness, and parallelism – in precision engi-
neering), both of the autocollimator’s measuring axes are
engaged simultaneously, i.e., the autocollimator beam is
deflected in two orthogonal angular directions by the
SUT. The simultaneous engagement of both axes results
in crosstalk between them, i.e., their angle measurements
are not independent of each other. Reasons for this include
optical aberrations and alignment errors of the autocolli-
mator’s internal components, as well as imperfections of
the reticles which are imaged onto the autocollimator’s
CCD. This influence has not yet been investigated in detail
and a systematic effort to characterise it is essential for
advancing angle metrology with autocollimators.
The multiple challenges of traceable autocollimator cal-
ibration for spatial angles resulted in the development of a
novel concept and the realisation of a device for the precise
and traceable calibration of spatial angles at PTB, the
Spatial Angle Autocollimator Calibrator (SAAC) [27]. It
makes use of an innovative Cartesian arrangement of three
autocollimators (two reference autocollimators and the
autocollimator to be calibrated) facing a reflector cube on
a precision tilting stage. Each of the two reference autocol-
limators, which are used for the measurement of the cube’s
angular orientation, is primarily sensitive to rotations of
the cube around one of the two relevant axes. They can
thus be calibrated and traced back to PTB’s national pri-
mary standard for the plane angle in a conventional
manner.
Fig. 7 shows the complete SAAC set-up which is
installed in PTB’s clean-room facility and thus operates
under favourable environmental conditions, such as a
highly stable ambient temperature (DT < 0.05 K) and a
constant laminar air flow (v = 20 cm/s). For vibration isola-
tion, it is mounted on the concrete basement which is sep-
arated from the walkable floor and, additionally, passive
vibration dampening has been added to the six support
feet. The SAAC is supported by three pairs of
vibration-isolated legs (gimbal piston isolators by TMC,
Peabody, MA, USA) which effectively form a three-point
bearing. To avoid resonances of the whole structure, the
base length between the opposite legs has been extended
by steel beams on which the granite base is mounted.
The base of the SAAC is a massive granite plate (dimen-
sion: L  B  H 2950  850  400 mm3, weight: 3 tons).
The autocollimators form a Cartesian arrangement: both
reference autocollimators are adjustable mounted to a
massive granite bridge, the autocollimator to be calibrated
is placed on an air-bearing based, movable table top
(500  500 mm2). This allows for flexibly varying the dis-
tance between the reflector cube and the autocollimator
to be calibrated from 200 to 1500 mm. A positioning accu-
racy of <1 mm was requested which is easily met by the
utilised incremental length measuring system LIP 300 by
 R.D. Geckeler et al. / Measurement 73 (2015) 231–238 237

Fig. 8. The precision two-axis tilting unit of the SAAC. Reflector cube (1),
counterweights (2, 3), two stacked air-bearing rotational axes (4, 5), voice
coil actuator (two per axis, four in total) (6).

175 N/lm, and tilting stiffness of 0.225 Nm/lrad. The

non-reproducible nutation is <0.01 lrad and the concen-
tricity deviation is <25 nm for a full rotation.
For its rotation, each axis uses two voice-coil actuators
combined with two measuring systems. To compensate for
Fig. 7. SAAC set-up for spatial angle autocollimator calibration. A the axes’ eccentricities and to minimise non-radial
precision two-axis tilting unit (1) rotates the reflector cube (2). Two moments, both the sensing heads and the actuators of each
reference autocollimators, a horizontal (3) and a vertical (4) one, are axis are arranged in diametrically opposed pairs. The
mounted to a granite bridge. The autocollimator to be calibrated (5) is set
voice-coil actuators by Moticont, USA, are controlled at a
on a linear stage (6) for the automatic distance adjustment.
frequency of 100 Hz, with a power dissipation <135 mW
per actuator. Integrated angle encoders are used for
Heidenhain, Traunreut, Germany. The air bearings of the
closed-loop control of the positioning. Sony BH20 sensing
linear stage provide vibration amplitudes of <10 nm and,
heads read out a radial grating 82 mm in diameter with a
during movements of the stage, yaw, tilt, and pitch errors
graduation period of 250 nm, achieving a resolution of 6
of <1 arcsec. The granite base plate with the bridge and
the linear stage were manufactured by Q-Sys BV,
lrad per head. Further interpolation by a factor of 1000
is performed by a Magnescale BD96, including an in situ
Helmond, NL. The two-axis tilting unit is located on the
correction of the interpolation errors which are reduced
base plate in front of the linear stage. The reflector cube
to approx. 5 nrad. Sensors and actuators are connected to
is located at the intersection point of the beams of the
a UMAC system of Delta Tau, UK, which also provides the
three autocollimators.
link to a laboratory PC for automation and data acquisition.
Fig. 8 shows the SAAC’s centrepiece, the precision
First results of two-axis autocollimator calibrations
two-axis tilting unit, custom-built by Q-Sys BV, Helmond,
with the SAAC will be presented in a forthcoming paper.
NL. It rotates a reflector cube around two orthogonal axes
It will include details on the modelling of the SAAC which
within a range of ±2000 arcsec. For the cube’s positioning,
allows us to determine the angular alignment of the sys-
a repeatability of ±0.02 arcsec was specified as well as a
tem’s components by means of suitable in situ calibration
time frame of 1 s, including settling time. These parameters
measurements and the subsequent application of the
were reached. The tilting unit consists of two identical rota-
alignment parameters to the correction of the spatial angle
tional axes which are connected at their contact point by a
calibrations performed by the system.
flexure hinge. Owing to a number of counterweights, the
design is well-balanced. Due to the axes’ stacking, the effec-
tive centre of rotation is congruent with the centre of the 3.4. EURAMET.L-K3.2009 Key Comparison
reflector cube. The axes’ movement range is restricted to
6000 arcsec peak-to-valley (pv) by stop collars which are An international Key Comparison on autocollimator cal-
also used for system initialisation. Both axes use air bearing ibration, EURAMET.L-K3.2009, was initiated by the
spindles, manufactured by Professional Instruments, USA, European Association of National Metrology Institutes
with a radial stiffness of 60 N/lm, axial stiffness of (EURAMET) to provide information on the capabilities
238 R.D. Geckeler et al. / Measurement 73 (2015) 231–238
and limits of independent calibration methods and devices
in this field [28]. It is headed by the PTB and a total of 27
international participants are involved. NMIs both from
EURAMET and from the Asia Pacific Metrology
Programme (APMP) are represented in this comparison.
The circulation of the standard has already started in
December 2009. The standard is an electronic autocollima-
tor type Elcomat 3000 by Möller-Wedel Optical which has
been made available for this comparison by the manufac-
turer. The circulation of the standard is still in progress
and scheduled to be finished in 2015. As the pilot labora-
tory, PTB will analyse the results of the Key Comparison
afterwards and will present and publish the results.
4. Conclusion
At the PTB, the classical angle metrology tasks (e.g., the
flexible calibration of angle artefacts and angle measuring
instruments for industry, the execution of international
comparisons, etc.) of an NMI are performed. Additionally,
during the last decade, the application of autocollimators
in deflectometric profilometers for the form measurement
of optical surfaces became an important focus of our
research. The improvement of angle metrology with auto-
collimators in deflectometric set-ups, especially for syn-
chrotron applications, is of strong strategic importance to
the community as the form measurement of
beam-shaping optical surfaces currently limits their manu-
facturing. These applications are major drivers of the
demand for lower uncertainty in angle measurement and
the PTB has been able, due to its competencies and capabil-
ities, to advance this field. PTB has been reacting to these
challenges flexibly through research and the development
of several novel calibration methods and devices. This
includes our activities in EMRP SIB 58 Angle Metrology.
Acknowledgements
Part of this research was undertaken within the
European Metrology Research Programme (EMRP) Joint
Research Project (JRP) SIB 58 Angle Metrology. The EMRP
is jointly funded by the EMRP participating countries
within the European Association of National Metrology
Institutes (EURAMET) and the European Union.
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