We present a compact displacement measurement system possessing the capability of nanometer-scale precision. On basis of integrating single grating with 3×3 coupler for phase shift in interference signal, the present scheme features advantages of simple structure, convenient alignment, and insensitivity to air turbulence. Linear comparisons between our system and HP5530 show a residual error less than 81 nm during step motions along a 10 mm round-trip, and a discrepancy less than 15 nm in the case of 200 μm movement. We also demonstrate a measurement stability test in a duration of 300 s, which shows the proposed scheme potentially performs better than HP5530 in terms of long-term stability.

A symmetrical heterodyne grating interferometer with both a short period and high signal-to-noise ratio is proposed. It possesses good immunity to environmental disturbances and can simultaneously achieve high resolution and stability. The experimental results show that the standard deviation of 24.67 nm can be realized for the long range of 10 mm. The measurement resolution of better than 2 nm is achieved with the theoretical resolution of 12 pm. Additionally, system stability at less than ±1.5 nm is obtained in just over 10 min. The measurement errors, including cosine error, nonlinear error and non-common path error, are discussed as well.