An automated optical inspection (AOI) platform for three-dimensional (3D) defects detection on glass micro-optical components (GMOC)

With the widespread deployment of wavelength division multiplexing (WDM), optical transceivers increasingly use many glass micro-optical components (GMOC). Visual inspection of these GMOCs is a critical manufacturing step to ensure quality and reliability. However, manual inspection is often labor-intensive and time-consuming due to the transparent nature of glass components and the small, randomly located defects in three dimensions. Although automated optical inspection (AOI) exists, it has not yet been able to provide the desired level of accuracy and efficiency.