Scattering by a one-dimensional rough surface, and surface profile reconstruction by confocal imaging

It is demonstrated that scattering by a rough surface can be described in terms of the coherent transfer function, which was first developed to describe the process of imaging. The two-dimensional (one transverse and one longitudinal) coherent transfer function for confocal imaging is presented for a high-angle theory. From this an effective transfer function for imaging of rough surfaces is developed, based on the Kirchhoff approximation. It is described how confocal imaging can be used to investigate various scattering mechanisms, and can be used for reconstruction of surface profiles in the Kirchhoff approximation.