Deep Learning-Based Wrapped Phase Denoising Method for Application in Digital Holographic Speckle Pattern Interferometry

This paper presents a new processing method for denoising interferograms obtained by digital holographic speckle pattern interferometry (DHSPI) to serve in the structural diagnosis of artworks. DHSPI is a non-destructive and non-contact imaging method that has been successfully applied to the structural diagnosis of artworks by detecting hidden subsurface defects and quantifying the deformation directly from the surface illuminated by coherent light. The spatial information of structural defects is mostly delivered as local distortions interrupting the smooth distribution of intensity during the phase-shifted formation of fringe patterns. Distortions in fringe patterns are recorded and observed from the estimated wrapped phase map, but the inevitable electronic speckle noise directly affects the quality of the image and consequently the assessment of defects. An effective method for denoising DHSPI wrapped phase based on deep learning is presented in this paper. Although a related method applied to interferometry for reducing Gaussian noise has been introduced, it is not suitable for application in DHSPI to reduce speckle noise. Thus, the paper proposes a new method to remove speckle noise in the wrapped phase. Simulated data and experimental captured data from samples prove that the proposed method can effectively reduce the speckle noise of the DHSPI wrapped phase to extract the desired information. The proposed method is helpful for accurately detecting defects in complex defect topography maps and may help to accelerate defect detection and characterization procedures.