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Perkins Precision Developments - Custom Laser Optics Static LB 4/24
8,738 terms

Photonics Dictionary

Search 8,700+ definitions in the Photonics Dictionary—your authoritative source for terms in optics, lasers, imaging, fiber optics, and related technologies.

thermal noise-limited operation
Operation in which the minimum detectable signal has its limits set by the thermal noise of the detector, the load resistance and the amplifier noise.
thermal photography -> thermal recording
A term referring to various processes for forming visible images outside of a camera to be photographed on ordinary film. Unlike regular infrared photography, thermal photography is an indirect...
thermal radiation
The emission of radiant energy in which the energy emitted originates in the thermal motion of the atoms or molecules of the source material.
thermal radiator
A source that emits radiant energy when its molecules or atoms are thermally excited.
thermal recording
A term referring to various processes for forming visible images outside of a camera to be photographed on ordinary film. Unlike regular infrared photography, thermal photography is an indirect...
thermal resistance
In a laser, a measure of the device's ability to dissipate internally generated heat.
thermionic diode
A diode electron tube that contains a heated cathode.
thermionic emission
The emission of free electrons by a rise in temperature of the cathode alone.
thermistor
A solid-state semiconducting structure (basically one of the bolometers) that changes electrical resistance with temperature. Materially, some kind of ceramic composition is used. A thermistor has...
thermochromic material
A material that changes color as it is heated or cooled.
thermocouple
A device composed of dissimilar metals that, when welded together, develop a small voltage dependent upon the relative temperature between the hotter and colder junctions. Banks of thermocouples...
thermodynamics
Examination of the processes whereby heat energy is converted into other forms of energy.
thermoelectric converter
An instrument that transforms heat energy into electrical energy.
thermoelectric cooling
A refrigeration method based on the Peltier effect. When an electric current passes through a thermocouple of two dissimilar metals joined in two places, heat is absorbed at the cold junction and...
thermoelectric solar cell
A solar cell that uses a thermoelectric converter, consisting of two sheets of metal with a semiconductor sandwiched between them, to generate electricity.
thermogram
Also known as analog thermogram. The resultant photograph, illustrating, in tones ranging from black to white, the spatial relationship of the infrared radiation temperatures of the different details...
thermograph
The instrument used to collect thermal radiation information on an object by scanning. It consists basically of a detector, a photoconductive element that converts incident radiation to an electrical...
thermography
Thermography is a technique that involves the use of an infrared imaging device, called a thermal camera or infrared camera, to detect and visualize the infrared radiation emitted by objects. This...
thermoluminescence
An alternative term for incandescence.
thermomagnetic imaging
The production of an image on a magnetic film that is exposed to infrared radiation and heated to a point above Curie temperature in regions of the image. The image is contacted with paramagnetic...
thermophotovoltaic
Thermophotovoltaic (TPV) refers to a technology that converts heat energy into electricity using the principles of thermophotovoltaics. In a thermophotovoltaic system, thermal radiation from a heat...
thermopile -> thermocouple
A device composed of dissimilar metals that, when welded together, develop a small voltage dependent upon the relative temperature between the hotter and colder junctions. Banks of thermocouples...
thermoplastic cement
An adhesive whose viscosity decreases as the temperature is increased to a limit. Canada balsam, resin and pitch are examples of thermoplastic cements.
thermoplastic elastomer
A material used in the jacket of fiber optic cables.
thermoplastic film
A type of holographic film widely used for industrial applications because it is inexpensive and erasable.
thermoplastic material -> linear plastic
A term for thermoplastic optical materials; that is, those in which the polymer chains remain linear after heating and molding and which thus can be remolded again and again, unlike thermoset...
thermoplastic recording device
A display device having a thermoplastic film as the control layer medium. The film, moving from a playoff reel, is scanned by an electron gun and melted by an RF heating unit. Deformation of the film...
thermoset plastic -> cross-linked plastic
Plastic in which the polymer chains become irreversibly joined during molding. The cross-linking can be achieved by heating, chemical agents or irradiation.
thermosetting cement
An adhesive that permanently sets or hardens at a specified high temperature. Methacrylate is an example of a thermosetting cement.
thick lens
A lens with an axial thickness adequate to make it producible.
thick-film circuit
A microcircuit whose passive components consist of a ceramic-metal combination deposited on a given substrate by screening and firing processes.
thick-film deposition
Successive layering of resistive, dielectric and conductive inks on a substrate by a type of screening process.
thick-phase material
A type of recording material, usually a photodielectric polymer, offering in situ development mechanisms because of its density storage capabilities, high diffraction efficiencies and excellent noise...
thickness gauge
A device used to measure the thickness of a given substance.
thin film
A thin layer of a substance deposited on an insulating base in a vacuum by a microelectronic process. Thin films are most commonly used for antireflection, achromatic beamsplitters, color filters,...
thin hologram
A two-dimensional hologram.
thin lens
A concept used for purposes of preliminary calculations and analysis. In theory it is a lens whose axial thickness is zero.
thin lens relationships
Formulas designating the relationships between image distance, object distance, focal length, refractive index, etc., of a thin lens.
thin-film circuit
A circuit whose passive components are deposited on a given substrate by sputtering or vacuum processes.
thin-film coating
Thin-film coatings are layers of material applied to the surface of an object or substrate, typically to modify its optical, electrical, or mechanical properties. These coatings are composed of thin...
thin-film deposition equipment
Thin-film deposition equipment refers to machinery and tools used in the process of depositing thin layers of material onto a substrate surface. This technique is commonly employed in various...
thin-film deposition
Thin-film deposition is a process used to deposit a thin layer of material onto a substrate surface, typically ranging from nanometers to micrometers in thickness. These thin films are utilized in...
thin-film memory
A memory device consisting of thin disks of a magnetic substance deposited on a nonmagnetic substrate for use in a computer.
thin-film semiconductor
A semiconductor formed by applying a particular single-crystal layer to the specific insulator.
thin-film solar cell
A solar cell that is lightweight and flexible because of its construction by vacuum deposition of a semiconductor material (e.g., gallium arsenide or cadmium sulfide) onto a thin metal or plastic...
thin-film waveguide
A transparent dielectric film, bounded by material of a lower index of refraction, capable of guiding light.
THIR
temperature-humidity infrared radiometer
third-order theory
Calculations of lens aberrations whereby the first two terms of the series expansion are the only ones employed. This theory provides the six aberrations of Seidel.
thollon prism system
Two 30° prisms that are used to produce constant deviation when rotated by equal and opposite angles.
Thomson scattering
Thomson scattering is a phenomenon in physics where electromagnetic radiation, such as light, is scattered by charged particles. It is named after the British physicist J.J. Thomson, who first...

Photonics Dictionary

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