Photonics Dictionary

A lens derived from the Cooke triplet anastigmat, but with one of the crown elements split in two, resulting in improved speed and correction of aberrations.

A mask-alignment microscope used to produce and inspect microcircuits in the electronics industry. It provides flat-field, distortion-free images at all magnifications with a high-intensity vertical...

A passive fiber optic coupler that divides light from a single fiber into two or more fiber channels.

A ratio expressing the difference in power between the output fibers of a coupler or splitter.

When splitting the output of a single optical fiber into two or more fibers, the difference in the maximum loss between any two channels.

Radiation emitted when a quantum mechanical system drops spontaneously from an excited level to a lower level. This radiation is emitted according to the laws of probability without regard to the...

The probability that an atom in one state will move spontaneously to a lower state within a given unit of time.

A method of evaluating image quality whereby a large number of rays are traced through a lens from a single object point, and their intersections with the focal plane are plotted and analyzed.

A neutral density filter that, when placed in front of the iris of a lens, increases the f-stop range.

A telescopic light-sensing meter used to measure illumination levels of small regions at a distance of many feet; it is used in professional motion picture and television production to ensure proper...

A metal tool used to hold a number of lens blanks during grinding and polishing.

The distribution of energy about the image of a point source in the focal plane of an optical system.

A phenomenon that causes the details in an image to appear at a spatial frequency higher than that at which the contrast first drops to zero. A phase reversal will accompany this phenomenon, often...

A vacuum deposition method in which the coating material (target) is removed from the surface of the coating source (cathode) by ion bombardment and deposited upon the substrates.

Sputtering equipment is machinery used in the process of physical vapor deposition (PVD), specifically sputtering. Sputtering is a method of depositing thin films of material onto a substrate surface...

A sputtering target is a solid material used in the process of physical vapor deposition (PVD), specifically sputtering. Sputtering targets are typically made of metals, metal alloys, or compounds...

A wave that changes from one amplitude to the other in a short time compared with the wavelength.

A light source that does not fluctuate despite temperature changes.

A platform mount used to hold sensitive optical instruments immobile.

A plane-parallel interferometer that yields extremely high contrast over a wide range of finesse values without significantly reducing transmission.

The superimposing of holographic pages in a thick, erasable storage material by changing the reference and object beams. This extends the capacity of holographic memories.

A memory system composed of a stack of holographic plates, a mode-locked laser and a rapid detector array. Ultrashort laser pulses are used to extract information from the stack. In this way, storage...

A type of laser used when a great amount of power is required. Avoiding the bulk of large numbers of optical lenses, this instrument offers high-output intensity and a small emitting region at...

A reticle pattern in a surveying instrument consisting of parallel lines that can be superimposed on a calibrated rod, making possible determination of the distance from the instrument to the rod.

The determination of distance based upon the known size of an object and the size of its image at the image plane of an optical system.

In microscopy, a calibrated scale on a slide that may be viewed to determine the exact magnification factor of the microscope.

A lens whose focal length is roughly equal to the diagonal of the negative format of the camera on which it is mounted.

The refraction that would take place in an idealized atmosphere where the refractive index is reduced uniformly with height at the rate of 39 x 10-6 per kilometer.

In infrared imaging systems used for mass screening of printed circuit boards or other quality control applications, an image of an ideal component that is stored in the system's memory and then...

The combination of two waves having the same frequency and amplitude and traveling in opposite directions. Standing waves are indicated by a stationary set of nodes spaced one-half wavelength apart...

A passive coupler that distributes signals from one or several inputs among a larger number of output waveguides arranged schematically as a star configuration.

The visual examination by a trained observer of the image of a point source. Any coloring or departure from the Airy disc rings indicates the presence of aberrations in the lens forming that image.

In local area networking, arrangement of the satellite nodes around a central node through which all routing of network data takes place.

Spectrum broadening that results from the influence of an electric field.

The splitting or shifting of spectral lines or energy levels caused by the application of a strong transverse electrical field. It often is studied with a canal-ray tube that has a third electrode...

A technique for creating optimal performance in a system by producing a specific beam irradiance distribution, usually through the use of geometric optics. A common design involves the use of ray...