Comparison of three electronic speckle pattern shearing interferometers using photopolymer holographic optical elements

Three electronic speckle pattern shearing interferometers (ESPSI) using photopolymer holographic gratings to produce the sheared image are presented. In the first ESPSI system two holographic gratings are used. The gratings are placed between the object and an imaging lens in front of the CCD camera. In the second ESPSI system one grating is used in combination with a sheet of ground glass. The sheared images on the ground glass are further imaged onto a CCD camera. In the third ESPSI system only one grating is used - it is placed in front of the object. The image and the sheared image are imaged onto the CCD camera, whose optical axis coincides with the normal to the object surface. The introduction of photopolymer holographic gratings in ESPSI systems gives the advantage of using high aperture optical elements at relatively low price. The systems are compared in terms of flexibility in their adjustment, sensitivity, suitability and limitations for different applications.