ON DEMAND: See how real-time data processing, advanced SWIR and UV imaging, and on-chip spectral advancements are shaping the future of hyperspectral imaging!
Search
Menu
Edmund Optics - Manufacturing Services 8/24 LB

Photonics Handbook - March 2009


General Reference
What Is Photonics? Photonics is the study of light and other types of radiant energy whose quantum unit is the photon. The impact of photonics on research, technology, navigation, culture, astronomy, forensics, and health care have helped shape the 20th century, and now, in the 21st century, photonics continues to play a vital role in the scientific community’s understanding of the world at large. Light has...
Prefixes for Binary Multiples The new prefixes for binary multiples are not part of the International System of Units (SI). However, for ease of understanding and recall, they were derived from the SI prefixes for positive powers...
Chemical Symbols for the Elements Chart of the first 103 chemical symbols for the elements.
Physical Constants & Conversion Factors Table of Physical Constants & Conversion Factors.
SI Prefixes Chart of International System of Units (SI)SI Prefixes, Multiples and Submultiples. Factor Name Symbol  1024 yotta Y  1021 zetta ...
Greek Alphabet Table of the Greek alphabet and what the letters are commonly used to designate.
The Photonics Spectrum Reference Chart The photonics spectrum reference chart displays the major commercial laser lines in the ultraviolet to the far-infrared and beyond.
Standard CIE Illuminants For purposes of standardized discussion of colorimetry, the Commission International de L'Eclairage (International Commission on Illumination), CIE established three standard sources of illumination:...
Density to Percent Transmission Conversion Table Conversion Table – Density to Percent Transmission.
Transmission Ranges for Optical Materials Chart showing Transmission Ranges for Optical Materials.
Rules of Thumb Scientists and engineers tend to want to answer simple relational questions with a blackboard covered with equations, even when questioners just want a rough estimate to gauge whether a change would...
Angle Conversions A chart listing angle conversions – Degree, Minute, Second, Radian, Milliradian, Circumference and Quadrant.
Units of the Electromagnetic Spectrum Units of the Electromagnetic Spectrum Chart.
Photometric Units Chart of Photometric Units - SI Units and Non-SI Units. Quantity Unit Luminous flux lumen lm Luminous intensity candela cd  Luminance cd/m2 Illuminance lm/m2 lx ...
Coefficients of Expansion and Densities of Optical Materials Table of Coefficients of Expansion and Densities of Optical Materials.
Test & Measurement
Scatter and BSDF Measurements: Theory and Practice Understanding the fundamental characteristics of scatter and the limitations imposed by scatterometers is essential to performing meaningful stray light calculations.
Measuring Aspheres: Selecting the Best Technique The benefits of aspheric lenses are numerous: They allow for a reduction in spherical aberrations and are ideal for focusing or collimating light, as they can achieve a low ƒ-number. Aspheres also...
Measuring Surface Roughness: The Benefits of Laser Confocal Microscopy When evaluating the surface of a component, surface roughness can be assessed by eye or by rubbing it with a fingertip. Common expressions include “shiny,” “lusterless and rough,” “like oxidized...
Measuring Small-Beam MFD: Overcoming the Challenges Small beams are used in many critical applications yet often they are not directly profiled. While obtaining good beam profiling data on beams under 10 µm has its challenges, they can be overcome...
Laser Measurement Systems: Best Practices Given the pace at which technology advances, there always seems to be a learning curve. With the abundance of consumer electronics available, there typically is no right or wrong way to use these...
Aspheric Lenses: Optimizing the Design This second of two articles discusses the tools optical designers need to tailor their designs to the appropriate manufacturing process, optimizing the cost of component fabrication.
Understanding Surface Quality: A Practical Guide Surface quality has become one of the most poorly understood specifications in the optics industry. A significant portion of the confusion stems from the two major competing (and largely...
Integrating Spheres: Collecting and Uniformly Distributing Light The integrating sphere is a simple, yet often misunderstood, device for measuring optical radiation. An integrating sphere’s function is to spatially integrate radiant flux (light). However, before...
Interferometry: Measuring with Light Long applied to optical shop testing, interferometry is now used to measure many different types of parts in a variety of applications, such as optical system performance, surface roughness, surface...
Optical Delay Lines: Key to Time-Resolved Measurements To obtain an accurate means of creating reliable delays in any time-resolved spectroscopy or dynamic experiment, several factors about the delay line stage must be considered to reduce or eliminate...
Quantifying Light: Intensity, Uniformity Hold the Key When an application requires an illumination source, the designer can provide an optimal solution if the application’s attributes are described in light intensity and uniformity values at the field...
Spectroscopy: The Tools of the Trade Understanding the whys and wherefores of a technology goes a long way toward solving your problem. Putting that knowledge to work requires an understanding of the tools of the trade and how to use...
Photometry: The Answer to How Light Is Perceived Simply put, photometry is the measurement of visible light based on the response of the average human observer. How that definition translates into technically correct quantification methods is the...
Broadband Spectrophotometry: A Fast, Simple, Accurate Tool Broadband spectrophotometers coupled with relatively simple algorithms can provide fast, nondestructive and comprehensive characterization of thin films. Designing devices that incorporate ultrathin...
Radiometry: A Simplified Description of Light Measurement Radiometry involves measuring and predicting levels of optical radiation. This article removes some of the confusion surrounding this often complex technology. Radiometry involves several activities....
Laser Beam Measurement: Slit-Based Profilers for Pulsed Beams Although slit-based profilers were designed to measure continuous-wave (CW) lasers, they can also work for pulsed-mode lasers. Measuring pulsed-beam lasers has generally required the use of a CCD...
Imaging Colorimetry: Accuracy in Display and Light Source Metrology CCD-based instruments provide accurate photometric and colorimetric data for each image pixel, which enables precise characterization of displays, instrument panels, light sources and luminaires for...
Dynamic Interferometry: Getting Rid of the Jitters Mechanical vibration, moving parts and turbulent airflow present significant problems for most interferometric test methods. New techniques help solve the problem. Conditions on the factory floor and...
Particle Image Velocimetry: Basics, Developments and Techniques New tools and techniques such as single-oscillator, double-pulsed lasers expand the applications for particle image velocimetry, particularly in aircraft design. Particle image velocimetry (PIV) is...
Colorimetry: How to Measure Color Differences Colorimetry, the science of color measurement, is widely employed in commerce, industry, and the laboratory to express color in numerical terms and to measure color differences between specimens....
Spectroscopy: Mastering the Techniques Spectrochemical analysis employing optical spectroscopic methods is used to monitor the water we drink, the food we eat, the status of human health, and the quality of the environment. Such methods...
NSOM: Discovering New Worlds Near-field scanning optical microscopy (NSOM) is an optical microscopy technique capable of imaging objects with a resolution below the diffraction limit of conventional (far-field) microscopy; i.e.,...
Spectrum Analysis for DWDM: New Instruments Meet the Challenge The demand for bandwidth drives a growing need for a new breed of test and measurement instruments. As system and cable installers try to optimize their links, the preferred method has become...
Fiber Optics & Communications
Silicon Photonics: Light Is the Ultimate Medium for High-Speed Communications Silicon photonics is widely considered a key enabling technology for further development of optical interconnect solutions needed to address growing traffic on the internet. From the first submarine...
Fiber Optics: Understanding the Basics Nothing has changed the world of communications as much as the development and implementation of optical fiber. This article provides the basic principles needed to work with this technology. Optical...
Adhesives for Fiber Optics Assembly: Making the Right Choice Using the proper adhesive in the assembly of fiber optic components not only saves time and expense, but also can improve reliability and performance. Adhesives for fiber optic components that...
OTDRs: Finding the Weak Spots in Fiber Links The optical time-domain reflectometer (OTDR) is used to characterize a fiber optic span. It performs single-ended tests and can calculate fiber attenuation and uniformity and splice and connector...
Connectors and Splices: Correct Alignment Spells Success Whether the job is splicing fibers together or connecting fibers to system devices, alignment is the key to success. This article explores the many ways to achieve that goal. Just as an electronic...
Photonics Packaging: Optical Communication Components An examination of the packaging technology of photonic components for optical communication and other areas of photonics.Photonic components are key elements for the information te...
Spectrum Analysis for DWDM: New Instruments Meet the Challenge The demand for bandwidth drives a growing need for a new breed of test and measurement instruments. As system and cable installers try to optimize their links, the preferred method has become...
Characterizing High-Speed Transmitters: The Emphasis Is on Waveforms The basic fiber-based communications system consists of a laser transmitter which converts electrical data to intensity-modulated light, a fiber optic cable as short as a few meters or as long as...
Polarization in Fiber Systems: Squeezing out More Bandwidth To appease the demand for bandwidth, telecommunication operators are pushed to increase the per-channel data rate of wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) systems. As bit rates increase to meet...
Polarization Mode Dispersion: Concepts and Measurement The performance of high-speed, digital fiber optic communications systems depends upon how reliably the receiver is able to distinguish closely spaced bits of information. Dispersive effects —...
Lasers
What Is Photonics? Photonics is the study of light and other types of radiant energy whose quantum unit is the photon. The impact of photonics on research, technology, navigation, culture, astronomy, forensics, and...
Fiber Lasers: Continuing to Power Growth Early fiber lasers were inefficient and limited to low powers, until more effective methods emerged to deliver the pump light into the cladding. Valentin Gapontsev, founder and CEO of IPG Photonics,...
Silicon Photonics: Light Is the Ultimate Medium for High-Speed Communications Silicon photonics is widely considered a key enabling technology for further development of optical interconnect solutions needed to address growing traffic on the internet. From the first submarine...
Industrial Lasers: An Introduction to Process Qualification There is a big step from successfully demonstrating a new laser process on a limited number of samples under laboratory conditions, to scaling that process up for high-volume industrial use. In...
QCL Primer: History, Characteristics, Applications The versatility of quantum cascade lasers makes them a good choice for the mid-infrared region. Since its first successful operation in 1960 at Hughes Research Labs, the laser technology has been at...
Laser Measurement Systems: Best Practices Given the pace at which technology advances, there always seems to be a learning curve. With the abundance of consumer electronics available, there typically is no right or wrong way to use these...
Laser Safety: Important Considerations When purchasing an industrial laser system, the astute buyer will look for a Class 1 laser product — a system where the laser beam hazard is completely enclosed and there is no potential laser...
Powering Lasers: Evaluating Bench Power Supplies Supplying power to a laser is delicate work because lasers are extremely sensitive and easily damaged. A single pulse of excessive current, lasting only a few microseconds, can overheat and damage...
Laser Operation: Temperature Control and Mount Selection The best choices will help you manage the heat generated by laser operation and ensure a robust laser system. As you operate your laser, only a portion of the electrical power sourced from your laser...
Diode-Pumped Lasers: Performance, Reliability Enhance Applications The latest technology advances take diode-pumped solid-state lasers into new realms of power and wavelength, enabling many new applications. Neodymium-doped crystals and glasses such as Nd:YAG...
Lasers: Understanding the Basics Although lasers range from quantum-dot to football-field size and utilize materials from free electrons to solids, the underlying operating principles are always the same. This article provides the...
The Photonics Spectrum Reference Chart The photonics spectrum reference chart displays the major commercial laser lines in the ultraviolet to the far-infrared and beyond.
Nd:YAG Lasers: Standing the Test of Time The Nd:YAG laser crystal was developed not long after the discovery of the ruby laser in the 1960s. Of all the solid-state laser crystals, it has stood the test of time best. Its high gain, narrow...
Tunable Lasers: Generating Wavelengths from the UV Through the IR Many lasers allow the operator to tune or change the output wavelength from the UV to the IR on demand. Applications facilitated by tunable lasers can be divided into two basic categories. The first...
Laser Diodes: Specification Guidelines While some design engineers know exactly what they need from their laser diode, others may choose a partner to navigate what can be a complex development process. Laser diode manufacturers...
Excimer Lasers: Photonic Stamps with Micron Resolution Representing today’s most cost-effective and dependable UV lasers, excimer lasers enable disruptive innovation in various growth industries. Excimers are pulsed gas lasers that deliver high...
Laser Beam Measurement: Slit-Based Profilers for Pulsed Beams Although slit-based profilers were designed to measure continuous-wave (CW) lasers, they can also work for pulsed-mode lasers. Measuring pulsed-beam lasers has generally required the use of a CCD...
Laser Perforation: The Diffractive Beamsplitter Advantage Perforated thin sheets of material are required in many applications, including plastic and metal sheets in the packing industry, cartons and metal foil that enable easy tear-off, filters for...
Driving Diode Lasers: A Straightforward Procedure Observing the basic principles and understanding the physical behavior of diode lasers helps users operate them correctly and safely. By observing a few simple rules that govern diode lasers’...
CO2 Lasers: The Industrial Workhorse Four decades ago, the first industrial use of lasers was for drilling through diamonds or wire draw dies. From that beginning the laser has become an integral part of the conventional technology in...
Laser Scanning Systems: Optimizing Performance Laser scanning technology is employed in a variety of applications, each of which has specific requirements for speed, accuracy, cost and reliability. To obtain optimal performance from a laser...
Beam Diagnostics: Meeting the Need for High Quality Whether the application is scientific, commercial, industrial or medical, beam diagnostics has become an integral tool for users and manufacturers of lasers and laser-based systems. There is an...
Laser Applications Tables
Solid-State Lasers: Lower Noise Means Higher Performance Optimizing the power and repetition rate of pulsed solid-state lasers allows materials processing at high resolution and high speed, a condition made possible by advances in intracavity harmonic...
Semiconductor Lasers: An Overview of Commercial Devices Within only a few decades, the semiconductor laser diode has evolved into a family of robust, reliable devices, with individual conversion efficiencies of better than 60 percent, continuous output...
The VCSEL Advantage: Increased Power, Efficiency Bring New Applications Vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) differ from edge-emitting lasers in that their output beam is perpendicular to the top surface of the device instead of parallel to it.
Microscopy
Superresolution Microscopy: An Imaging Revolution Superresolution optical microscopy has been one of the most momentous developments in the life sciences over the last decade — and its evolution is ongoing. Progress has been so rapid and significant that it has been dubbed by some observers as “the resolution revolution.” The demands from biomedical applications are very wide — ranging from the need for high spatial and temporal resolution, long...
Measuring Surface Roughness: The Benefits of Laser Confocal Microscopy When evaluating the surface of a component, surface roughness can be assessed by eye or by rubbing it with a fingertip. Common expressions include “shiny,” “lusterless and rough,” “like oxidized...
Nanopositioning: A Step Ahead It is almost a cliché among students of creativity that innovation occurs at the intersection of fields. Since nanopositioning is a discipline that has enabled swiftly evolving application arenas as...
Microscopy Illumination: Considering Nonlaser Light Sources As recently as five years ago, shopping for a microscope light source was fairly straightforward. For routine applications, it was tungsten halogen, typically 100 W, while for fluorescence, it was an...
Lasers for Microscopy: Major Trends Laser development for the microscopy market continues to be driven by key trends in applications, which currently include superresolution techniques, multiphoton applications in optogenetics, and...
Interferometry: Measuring with Light Long applied to optical shop testing, interferometry is now used to measure many different types of parts in a variety of applications, such as optical system performance, surface roughness, surface...
NSOM: Discovering New Worlds Near-field scanning optical microscopy (NSOM) is an optical microscopy technique capable of imaging objects with a resolution below the diffraction limit of conventional (far-field) microscopy; i.e.,...
Optics
Diffraction Gratings: Selection Guidelines Diffraction gratings are optical components with a periodic structure that separate light into beams traveling in predictable directions based on their wavelength. The grating acts as the dispersive element at the heart of many modern spectroscopic instruments. They provide the critical function of selecting the wavelengths of light required to perform the analysis at hand. Selecting the best...
What Is Photonics? Photonics is the study of light and other types of radiant energy whose quantum unit is the photon. The impact of photonics on research, technology, navigation, culture, astronomy, forensics, and...
Optical System Optimization: Analyzing the Effects of Stray Light Electrical engineers are very familiar with the effects of shot noise, thermal noise, flicker noise and crosstalk, and recognize how these effects can reduce the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in their...
Measuring Aspheres: Selecting the Best Technique The benefits of aspheric lenses are numerous: They allow for a reduction in spherical aberrations and are ideal for focusing or collimating light, as they can achieve a low ƒ-number. Aspheres also...
Aspheric Lenses: Optimizing the Design This second of two articles discusses the tools optical designers need to tailor their designs to the appropriate manufacturing process, optimizing the cost of component fabrication.
Flat Optics: Considerations When Buying To simplify the process when purchasing flat optics, we will discuss the top six factors from a manufacturer’s perspective, all of which affect the three major areas of the purchasing decision:...
Aspheric Lenses: Design Considerations This first of two articles will cover design and manufacturing options for aspheres; the second will include more detail on manufacturing and testing processes. These articles will provide the tools...
Optical Design Software: Fundamentals and Potential Enhanced interface usability in modern design software enables even inexperienced lens designers to build well-performing optical systems. Optical design software allows the user to develop a...
Understanding Surface Quality: A Practical Guide Surface quality has become one of the most poorly understood specifications in the optics industry. A significant portion of the confusion stems from the two major competing (and largely...
Ultraviolet Filters: Past and Present Bandpass filters are passive optical devices that control the flow of light. They are used to isolate certain wavelengths or colors. Applications range from detecting the gaseous composition of a...
Excimer Optics: High Power Demands High Reliability The first high-reflectance mirror coatings for the UV and vacuum UV (VUV) were of the Al + MgF2 type produced in the late 1950s. Coatings of this design are still used today for multigas cavity...
Passive Athermalization: Maintaining Optical Performance Over Temperature An optical system is athermalized if its critical performance parameters (such as modulation transfer function, back focal length and effective focal length, etc.) do not change appreciably over the...
Plastic Optics: Specifying Injection-Molded Polymer Optics The use of precision polymer optics is becoming an increasing necessity today as products demand sophisticated light handling components to achieve desired results. Polymer optics can be thought of...
Optical Materials: Double-Sided Lapping and Polishing Double-sided lapping and polishing utilizes planetary action with the combination of a top and bottom plate to precisely grind and polish precision, parallel optics. Double-sided processing is a...
Thin-Film Coatings: A Buyers' Guide What are thin-film coatings? Optical thin-film coatings modify the transmittance and reflectance properties of the substrate material to which they are applied. This article provides an objective...
Optical Delay Lines: Key to Time-Resolved Measurements To obtain an accurate means of creating reliable delays in any time-resolved spectroscopy or dynamic experiment, several factors about the delay line stage must be considered to reduce or eliminate...
Rules of Thumb Scientists and engineers tend to want to answer simple relational questions with a blackboard covered with equations, even when questioners just want a rough estimate to gauge whether a change would...
Acousto-Optic Devices Charts showing the characteristics of acousto-optic scanning devices, acousto-optic figures of merit, and solutions for common problems with acousto-optic processor devices.
Beryllium Mirrors: Refinements Enable New Applications Beryllium mirrors are finding commercial applications, while maintaining their military and space applications. Refinements in design and improvements in manufacturing technology have cut costs and...
Digital Still Cameras: The Changing Face of Imaging The digital camera reflects a sea change in the compact camera market. While the 20th was the century of film cameras, the 21st belongs to the digital camera. The digital camera re...
Filters: Glossary, Equations, Parameters The following is a list of terms commonly used to describe the spectral characteristics of filters. Attentuation Region (or Blocking) The spectral region over which very low transmission is required....
Lens Aberrations: Avoiding Defects in Imagery A perfect lens can produce a perfect image. But seven primary lens aberrations can blur or distort the image instead, and they should be considered when creating an optical system. A lens collects...
Component Choices: Avoiding Tolerancing Mistakes Designing an optical system involves more than simply understanding the theory behind optics. To design a system efficiently and economically, it is important to understand the capabilities of an...
Illumination Design and Analysis Software: A Vital Tool in the Designer’s Kit Optical systems design and analysis software is a key element in an optical engineer’s toolkit. Simulation allows virtual tinkering with a system problem before ever creating — and in some cases...
Gaussian and Newtonian Thin Lens Formulas Four important equations from which the image distance and the lateral magnification can be computed for an object at any arbitrary distance from a thin lens.Equation (1) is known as the Gaussian...
Common Lens Formulas Formulas for lens focal length, magnification, relative aperture (f/#), object-to-image distance, object-to-lens distance, lens-to-image distance and numerical aperture.
Optical System Design: Keeping the Coatings in Mind The design of optical systems should balance the coating constraints with the optical and mechanical requirements. Understanding the key properties and limitations of optical coatings enables the...
Diamond Machining: Ultraprecision Machine Technology Ultraprecision machining can be defined in general terms as the removal of material from a substrate utilizing a machine tool that operates at a resolution of 10 nm (0.4 μin.) or less. The...
Pressurization
Camera Resolution: Combining Detector and Optics Performance Most image-quality discussions center on resolution, which is thought to uniquely determine system performance. Resolution, however, is a more complex concept. Camera resolution depends upon the...
Cleaning Optics: Choosing the Best Method Cleaning optical elements improves performance, providing proper materials, techniques and handling procedures are used to minimize the risk of damage.
Nano-Optics Technology: Optical Alchemy Transforming ordinary materials into extraordinary optics holds the key to progress. Optics today needs alchemy, and the forces that motivate microchip technology are a key reason why. Today, light...
Polygonal Laser Scanners: Fitting the Elements to the Task Polygonal laser scanning is the technology of choice in a variety of applications. It can be used to write information as in laser marking and printing, direct-to-plate imaging, film recording and...
Nano-Optics: New Rules for Optical Components Operating in the nano-realm offers designers a host of new opportunities. Understanding what to expect in this miniature world is key to successful nano-optic component design. When physical...
Beamsplitters: A Guide for Designers With the large variety of beamsplitters available, the designer needs to take many factors into consideration. This article and its illustrations will go a long way toward making the correct choice...
Global Optimization: A Tool for Successful Design Optical Research Associates’ Global Synthesis (GS) algorithm has been in use for more than ten years. During that time, the algorithm has been applied to numerous types of problems, and has...
Optical Objective Systems: A Schematic Guide Simple Meniscus Lens The simple meniscus lens is almost universally used in inexpensive cameras. To get an image of good quality it must be used with a separate aperture stop, reducing the aperture...
Optical Components: Finding Your Way Through the Maze Optical components fall into two basic groups: transmissives and reflectives. Transmissives include lenses, filters, windows, optical flats, prisms, polarizers, beamsplitters, wave plates, and fiber...
Adaptive Optics: Taming Atmospheric Turbulence To Isaac Newton the problem was clear, and in 1704 he realized the effects of atmospheric turbulence on image formation. Just as heat waves shimmering above a hot patch of ground can distort our...
Imaging
Superresolution Microscopy: An Imaging Revolution Superresolution optical microscopy has been one of the most momentous developments in the life sciences over the last decade — and its evolution is ongoing. Progress has been so rapid and significant...
Polarization-Based Imaging: Basics and Benefits There are three fundamental properties of light: intensity, wavelength, and polarization. Almost all cameras today are designed for monochrome or color imaging. A monochrome camera is used to measure...
Machine Vision Cameras: Making the Right Selection Technological advances have resulted in new, higher-quality sensors that enable machine vision cameras to deliver greater features and functionality at a lower cost than ever before. These factors...
Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging: Choosing the Best Approach The term fluorescence is often applied as a synonym for photoluminescence, although luminescence actually covers fluorescence and phosphorescence. Both of these terms describe the process of...
Aspheric Lenses: Design Considerations This first of two articles will cover design and manufacturing options for aspheres; the second will include more detail on manufacturing and testing processes. These articles will provide the tools...
Digital Still Cameras: The Changing Face of Imaging The digital camera reflects a sea change in the compact camera market. While the 20th was the century of film cameras, the 21st belongs to the digital camera. The digital camera re...
Infrared Spectral Selection: It Begins with the Detector An IR imaging system employing a narrow spectral band brings hidden images to light, broadening IR imaging’s applications. Spectral selection is a powerful tool that enhances conventional imaging...
Image Processing: Turning Digital Data into Useful Information Digital imaging provides the means to enhance features of interest while attenuating details that are irrelevant to a given application, and then extracts useful information about the scene from the...
High-Speed Video: Selecting a Slow-Motion Imaging System The demand for high-speed imaging has increased for a broad range of applications, from automotive crash testing to animal behavior to product component performance. There is a growing market for...
Hyperspectral Imaging Spectroscopy: A Look at Real-Life Applications Spectral imaging has grown from an expensive research-oriented technique to one that is applicable for a wide range of scientific and industrial applications. This article looks at real-life systems,...
Image Intensification: The Technology of Night Vision Through succeeding generations, image intensifying devices have brought vision to the dark of night. Image intensification, the basis of night vision, is a complex conversion of ene...
Camera Resolution: Combining Detector and Optics Performance Most image-quality discussions center on resolution, which is thought to uniquely determine system performance. Resolution, however, is a more complex concept. Camera resolution depends upon the...
Ultraviolet Reflectance Imaging: Applications Ultraviolet imaging has long been thought to be difficult and awkward by many photographers because of the difficulties encountered when using photographic film in the near-UV...
Radiation Tolerances: Effects on CID Imaging Devices The charge-injection device (CID) is a broadband (200 to 1100 nm) charge-transfer device (CTD) image sensor with capabilities well beyond the limitations of typical commercially...
Digital Cameras: Smaller Pixels for Higher Resolution Reducing pixel size can increase a digital camera's performance. However, there are tradeoffs that need to be considered when going that route. In the search for ever-higher pixel counts for the...
SWIR Imaging: An Industrial Processing Tool Imaging has long been used in industrial processes to measure, monitor, control, or otherwise manage the production of goods. The challenge to the process designer is to develop a tool that captures...
Sensors & Detectors
Detectors: Options for Low-Light Applications Developed in the early 1990s, the silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) is a solid-state photodetector whose sensitivity to light rivals that of a photomultiplier tube (PMT) in a regime where a few hundred...
Silicon Photonics: Light Is the Ultimate Medium for High-Speed Communications Silicon photonics is widely considered a key enabling technology for further development of optical interconnect solutions needed to address growing traffic on the internet. From the first submarine...
Laser Measurement Systems: Best Practices Given the pace at which technology advances, there always seems to be a learning curve. With the abundance of consumer electronics available, there typically is no right or wrong way to use these...
Selecting a Photodetector: Using WITS$ as a Rough Guide Light is a versatile tool for investigating physical and chemical processes in nature. Any specific system being analyzed may, through the light it emits or reflects, communicate information about...
Aspheric Lenses: Design Considerations This first of two articles will cover design and manufacturing options for aspheres; the second will include more detail on manufacturing and testing processes. These articles will provide the tools...
Detectors: Guideposts on the Road to Selection Choosing a detector requires evaluating many operating parameters and desired outcomes. This introduction provides a series of guideposts that will help lead the way to the right one. Any number of...
Rules of Thumb Scientists and engineers tend to want to answer simple relational questions with a blackboard covered with equations, even when questioners just want a rough estimate to gauge whether a change would...
Spectroscopy: The Tools of the Trade Understanding the whys and wherefores of a technology goes a long way toward solving your problem. Putting that knowledge to work requires an understanding of the tools of the trade and how to use...
Photometry: The Answer to How Light Is Perceived Simply put, photometry is the measurement of visible light based on the response of the average human observer. How that definition translates into technically correct quantification methods is the...
Radiometry: A Simplified Description of Light Measurement Radiometry involves measuring and predicting levels of optical radiation. This article removes some of the confusion surrounding this often complex technology. Radiometry involves several activities....
Detectors: The Charge Injection Alternative Charge-injection device (CID) technology provides a means to convert optical signals from 185 nm to 1100 nm to electronic charges that can be read out as a video signal or processed via computer. The...
Infrared Spectral Selection: It Begins with the Detector An IR imaging system employing a narrow spectral band brings hidden images to light, broadening IR imaging’s applications. Spectral selection is a powerful tool that enhances conventional imaging...
Infrared System Design: Understanding the Process While equations and data pertaining to infrared system design abound,1 comparatively little has been written about the process.2 This article attempts to fill that void. Infrared system design is...
Detectors: CCDs for Life-Science Applications The CCD camera is becoming the imaging method of choice in biological laboratories for its resolution, versatility and ease of use. Choosing the best CCD for a given application, however, requires...
Detector Arrays: Taming the Irregular Shape Problem Devices that perform well under laboratory conditions often face hurdles in uncontrolled real-world situations. This is true for charge-coupled devices (CCDs) and thermal cameras used in machine...
Photonic Component Manufacturing: Moving Toward Automation A shift in assembly methods would help reduce costs and increase production in the optoelectronics manufacturing and packaging industries.Manufacturing the laser diode is complicated by the existence...
Camera Resolution: Combining Detector and Optics Performance Most image-quality discussions center on resolution, which is thought to uniquely determine system performance. Resolution, however, is a more complex concept. Camera resolution depends upon the...
Radiation Tolerances: Effects on CID Imaging Devices The charge-injection device (CID) is a broadband (200 to 1100 nm) charge-transfer device (CTD) image sensor with capabilities well beyond the limitations of typical commercially...
Adaptive Optics: Taming Atmospheric Turbulence To Isaac Newton the problem was clear, and in 1704 he realized the effects of atmospheric turbulence on image formation. Just as heat waves shimmering above a hot patch of ground can distort our...
Photomultipliers: Low-Light, High-Speed Specialists Rapid detection of light calls for a sensitive detector and electronics that do not introduce additional signal noise. In fact, for very rapid detection, detector shot noise does not determine the...
Light Sources
Scatter and BSDF Measurements: Theory and Practice Understanding the fundamental characteristics of scatter and the limitations imposed by scatterometers is essential to performing meaningful stray light calculations.
Tunable Light Sources: A Popular Choice for Measurement Applications Many common spectroscopic measurements require the coordinated operation of a detection instrument and light source, as well as data acquisition and processing. Integration of individual components...
Microscopy Illumination: Considering Nonlaser Light Sources As recently as five years ago, shopping for a microscope light source was fairly straightforward. For routine applications, it was tungsten halogen, typically 100 W, while for fluorescence, it was an...
Aspheric Lenses: Design Considerations This first of two articles will cover design and manufacturing options for aspheres; the second will include more detail on manufacturing and testing processes. These articles will provide the tools...
Integrating Spheres: Collecting and Uniformly Distributing Light The integrating sphere is a simple, yet often misunderstood, device for measuring optical radiation. An integrating sphere’s function is to spatially integrate radiant flux (light). However, before...
Interferometry: Measuring with Light Long applied to optical shop testing, interferometry is now used to measure many different types of parts in a variety of applications, such as optical system performance, surface roughness, surface...
Light-Emitting Diodes: A Primer The wavelength range of commercially available LEDs with single-element output power of at least 5 mW is 275 to 950 nm. Each wavelength range is made from a specific semiconductor material family,...
Optical Delay Lines: Key to Time-Resolved Measurements To obtain an accurate means of creating reliable delays in any time-resolved spectroscopy or dynamic experiment, several factors about the delay line stage must be considered to reduce or eliminate...
Standard CIE Illuminants For purposes of standardized discussion of colorimetry, the Commission International de L'Eclairage (International Commission on Illumination), CIE established three standard sources of illumination:...
Machine Vision Lighting: A First-Order Consideration Lighting, sometimes a step-child in machine vision considerations, has become a first-order consideration in automated applications. In the beginning, automated inspection focused on the camera and...
Colorimetry: How to Measure Color Differences Colorimetry, the science of color measurement, is widely employed in commerce, industry, and the laboratory to express color in numerical terms and to measure color differences between specimens....
spectroscopy
QCL Primer: History, Characteristics, Applications The versatility of quantum cascade lasers makes them a good choice for the mid-infrared region. Since its first successful operation in 1960 at Hughes Research Labs, the laser technology has been at the center of innovation and research. Semiconductor lasers first made their appearance in 1962 when Robert N. Hall introduced the first gallium arsenide laser diode.1 Early semiconductor lasers would...
Integrating Spheres: Collecting and Uniformly Distributing Light The integrating sphere is a simple, yet often misunderstood, device for measuring optical radiation. An integrating sphere’s function is to spatially integrate radiant flux (light). However, before...
Optical Delay Lines: Key to Time-Resolved Measurements To obtain an accurate means of creating reliable delays in any time-resolved spectroscopy or dynamic experiment, several factors about the delay line stage must be considered to reduce or eliminate...
Spectroscopy: The Tools of the Trade Understanding the whys and wherefores of a technology goes a long way toward solving your problem. Putting that knowledge to work requires an understanding of the tools of the trade and how to use...
Hyperspectral Imaging Spectroscopy: A Look at Real-Life Applications Spectral imaging has grown from an expensive research-oriented technique to one that is applicable for a wide range of scientific and industrial applications. This article looks at real-life systems,...
Particle Image Velocimetry: Basics, Developments and Techniques New tools and techniques such as single-oscillator, double-pulsed lasers expand the applications for particle image velocimetry, particularly in aircraft design. Particle image velocimetry (PIV) is...
Spectroscopy: Mastering the Techniques Spectrochemical analysis employing optical spectroscopic methods is used to monitor the water we drink, the food we eat, the status of human health, and the quality of the environment. Such methods...
Adaptive Optics: Taming Atmospheric Turbulence To Isaac Newton the problem was clear, and in 1704 he realized the effects of atmospheric turbulence on image formation. Just as heat waves shimmering above a hot patch of ground can distort our...
SWIR Imaging: An Industrial Processing Tool Imaging has long been used in industrial processes to measure, monitor, control, or otherwise manage the production of goods. The challenge to the process designer is to develop a tool that captures...
positioning
Nanopositioning: A Step Ahead It is almost a cliché among students of creativity that innovation occurs at the intersection of fields. Since nanopositioning is a discipline that has enabled swiftly evolving application arenas as diverse as materials science, genomics, photonics, defense, biophysics and semiconductors, it’s unsurprising that its pace of innovation is nothing short of blistering in recent years. By its original...
Vibration Control: Limiting Mechanical Noise Vibration control plays a critical role in research and industry. Mechanical noise, for example, can obscure high-resolution images and affect the quality of nanotechnology processes. Fortunately,...
Optical Delay Lines: Key to Time-Resolved Measurements To obtain an accurate means of creating reliable delays in any time-resolved spectroscopy or dynamic experiment, several factors about the delay line stage must be considered to reduce or eliminate...
Microassembly: Minimizing Error and Maximizing Precision Optimizing positioning systems for microassembly processes requires an understanding of the potential errors that can cause precision part placement to go awry.Progressive assembly operations such as...
Positioning System Performance: Understanding the Rules To make the right decisions and to ensure satisfactory performance in a positioning system, it is necessary to first have a grasp of performance parameters and an understanding of ...
Materials
Laser Measurement Systems: Best Practices Given the pace at which technology advances, there always seems to be a learning curve. With the abundance of consumer electronics available, there typically is no right or wrong way to use these...
Aspheric Lenses: Design Considerations This first of two articles will cover design and manufacturing options for aspheres; the second will include more detail on manufacturing and testing processes. These articles will provide the tools...
Laser Safety: Important Considerations When purchasing an industrial laser system, the astute buyer will look for a Class 1 laser product — a system where the laser beam hazard is completely enclosed and there is no potential laser...
Transparent Ceramics: Enabling Large, Durable, Multifunctional Optics Aluminum oxynitride and magnesium aluminate spinel are mechanically strong, hard and scratch resistant; they are also chemically durable. Both exhibit broadband transmittance from near-UV to mid-IR....
Common Infrared Optical Materials and Coatings: A Guide to Properties, Performance, and Applications The purpose of this guide is to identify the most common infrared transmitting materials, point out their key properties, applications, products manufactured, surface specification options, and...
Optical Materials: Double-Sided Lapping and Polishing Double-sided lapping and polishing utilizes planetary action with the combination of a top and bottom plate to precisely grind and polish precision, parallel optics. Double-sided processing is a...
Thin-Film Coatings: A Buyers' Guide What are thin-film coatings? Optical thin-film coatings modify the transmittance and reflectance properties of the substrate material to which they are applied. This article provides an objective...
Optical Delay Lines: Key to Time-Resolved Measurements To obtain an accurate means of creating reliable delays in any time-resolved spectroscopy or dynamic experiment, several factors about the delay line stage must be considered to reduce or eliminate...
Transmission Ranges for Optical Materials Chart showing Transmission Ranges for Optical Materials.
Optical Coating: Materials and Deposition Technology Surface coatings used to control optical, mechanical and electrical properties are deposited as nano- and micrometer thicknesses of special materials.Optical coatings are deposited as thin-film...
Data Tables: Optical Thin-Film Materials Tables showing parameters of the most frequently used physical vapor deposition materials for a wide variety of applications.
Optical Materials: Transmission and Refractive Index
Antireflection Coatings for the Ultraviolet, Visible and Near-IR Graphs showing reflection curves of common antireflection coatings...
Mirrors: Coating Choice Makes a Difference A mirror is an important element in many optical systems. Its basic function is to redirect light, often with the purpose of making an optical system more compact. This article discusses the kinds of...
Coefficients of Expansion and Densities of Optical Materials Table of Coefficients of Expansion and Densities of Optical Materials.
High-Brightness LEDs: A Boost from High-Performance Silicones Ongoing advancements pave the way for high-power LEDs in broader application areas. High-brightness LEDs have found their way into applications such as signs and displays, cell phone flash modules,...
Coatings
Transparent Ceramics: Enabling Large, Durable, Multifunctional Optics Aluminum oxynitride and magnesium aluminate spinel are mechanically strong, hard and scratch resistant; they are also chemically durable. Both exhibit broadband transmittance from near-UV to mid-IR. Single-crystal sapphire has been the material of choice for defense and other applications that require extremely durable optics, but aluminum oxynitride (ALON) and magnesium aluminate (spinel) have...
Excimer Optics: High Power Demands High Reliability The first high-reflectance mirror coatings for the UV and vacuum UV (VUV) were of the Al + MgF2 type produced in the late 1950s. Coatings of this design are still used today for multigas cavity...
Plastic Optics: Specifying Injection-Molded Polymer Optics The use of precision polymer optics is becoming an increasing necessity today as products demand sophisticated light handling components to achieve desired results. Polymer optics can be thought of...
Common Infrared Optical Materials and Coatings: A Guide to Properties, Performance, and Applications The purpose of this guide is to identify the most common infrared transmitting materials, point out their key properties, applications, products manufactured, surface specification options, and...
Thin-Film Coatings: A Buyers' Guide What are thin-film coatings? Optical thin-film coatings modify the transmittance and reflectance properties of the substrate material to which they are applied. This article provides an objective...
Rules of Thumb Scientists and engineers tend to want to answer simple relational questions with a blackboard covered with equations, even when questioners just want a rough estimate to gauge whether a change would...
Beryllium Mirrors: Refinements Enable New Applications Beryllium mirrors are finding commercial applications, while maintaining their military and space applications. Refinements in design and improvements in manufacturing technology have cut costs and...
Optical System Design: Keeping the Coatings in Mind The design of optical systems should balance the coating constraints with the optical and mechanical requirements. Understanding the key properties and limitations of optical coatings enables the...
Optical Coating: Materials and Deposition Technology Surface coatings used to control optical, mechanical and electrical properties are deposited as nano- and micrometer thicknesses of special materials.Optical coatings are deposited as thin-film...
Data Tables: Optical Thin-Film Materials Tables showing parameters of the most frequently used physical vapor deposition materials for a wide variety of applications.
Antireflection Coatings for the Ultraviolet, Visible and Near-IR Graphs showing reflection curves of common antireflection coatings...
Mirrors: Coating Choice Makes a Difference A mirror is an important element in many optical systems. Its basic function is to redirect light, often with the purpose of making an optical system more compact. This article discusses the kinds of...
Optical Coatings: Improving Traditional Technology The challenges of producing dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) filters for telecommunications has revolutionized the optical coating industry. This has resulted in coatings that display...
Cleaning Optics: Choosing the Best Method Cleaning optical elements improves performance, providing proper materials, techniques and handling procedures are used to minimize the risk of damage.
Heat Control and Lighting Systems Design: Optical Coatings Separate Light from Heat Modern coating technology offers the lighting system designer a number of ways to deal with heat radiation.Controlling and minimizing heat output is desirable in most lighting applications. For...
Beamsplitters: A Guide for Designers With the large variety of beamsplitters available, the designer needs to take many factors into consideration. This article and its illustrations will go a long way toward making the correct choice...
Optical Components: Finding Your Way Through the Maze Optical components fall into two basic groups: transmissives and reflectives. Transmissives include lenses, filters, windows, optical flats, prisms, polarizers, beamsplitters, wave plates, and fiber...

Explore Our Content
News
Features
Latest Products
Webinars
White Papers
All Things Photonics Podcast
Photonics Spectra Now
Videos
Our Summits & Conferences
Industry Events
Bookstore
Join Our Community
Subscribe
Advertise
Become a member
Sign in
Contribute a Feature
Suggest a Webinar
Submit a Press Release
Mobile Apps

About Us
Our Company
Our Publications
Contact Us
Career Opportunities
Teddi C. Laurin Scholarship

Terms & Conditions
Privacy Policy
California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA)



©2025 Photonics Media
100 West St.
Pittsfield, MA, 01201 USA
[email protected]
We use cookies to improve user experience and analyze our website traffic as stated in our Privacy Policy. By using this website, you agree to the use of cookies unless you have disabled them.