We discuss two possibilities of using femtosecond pulse lasers as a new interferometric light source for enhanced precision surface-profile metrology. First, a train of ultra-fast laser pulses yields repeated low temporal coherence, which allows unequal-path scanning interferometry, which is not feasible with white light. Second, the high spatial coherence of femtosecond pulse lasers enables large-sized optics to be tested in non symmetric configurations with relatively small-sized reference surfaces. These two advantages are verified experimentally using Fizeau and Twyman-Green type scanning interferometers.
