Photonics Marketplace

Suppliers Products

Handbook Institutions Dictionary

Show Filters

Hide Filters

Type

DefinitionsAbbreviations/Acronyms

Browse by Letter

8,726 terms

Photonics Dictionary

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...

three-axis stage

A three-axis stage, also known as a three-axis positioning stage, is a precision mechanical device designed to control the position of an object in three perpendicular directions: typically X, Y, and...

three-filter densities

Integral densities that are measured relative to arbitrarily selected red, green and blue filters.

three-five

Referring to compound semiconductor materials combining one element that has three valence electrons with one or more that have five. Examples include gallium arsenide and indium antimonide. (III-V).

three-level laser

A laser having a material, such as ruby, that has an energy state structure of three levels: the ground state (1) wherein excitation applied to the material raises ions in the material into the...

three-photon microscopy

Three-photon microscopy is an advanced imaging technique that belongs to the family of multi-photon microscopy methods. It is used in biological and medical research to capture high-resolution images...

threshold

1. In visual perception, the minimum value of stimulus that can be perceived on the average. 2. In optical detection systems, that signal level at which the probability of detection is 50 percent.

threshold contrast

In visual perception, the smallest difference in illumination perceived on the average.

threshold current

The minimum driving current corresponding to lasing threshold at a specified temperature. (Ith).

threshold test

In laser damage testing, the exposure of many sites of a sample to different intensities of laser irradiation to discover the point at which the laser induces failure of the material.

threshold voltage

1. Voltage at which a PN junction begins to pass a current. 2. In a solid-state lamp, the voltage at which light is first emitted.

threshold wavelength

The greatest wavelength of radiation for a specified surface for the emission of electrons.

<
1
2
3
...
159
160
161
162
163
...
173
174
175
>

Photonics Dictionary

Need Help?