Photonics Dictionary

The point at which short-wavelength transmission is cut off.

A small xenon-filled tube with metal electrodes fused into the ends. The gas flashes brilliantly when a condenser is discharged through the tube. The duration of the flash is primarily dependent upon...

A mechanical shutter that has had its timing escapement replaced with an electronic timing circuit. This circuit allows a wider range of exposure times, can be more accurate, and, placed in a circuit...

That branch of science involved in the study and utilization of the motion, emissions and behaviors of currents of electrical energy flowing through gases, vacuums, semiconductors and conductors, not...

An electrophoretic display, often referred to as an electronic paper display or e-paper display, is a type of electronic visual display technology used in electronic devices for the purpose of...

A device that permits only electrons within a narrow velocity range to pass through it, while rejecting those above and below.

Information storage on a dielectric medium that represents the data as those spots on the medium having electrostatic charges, forming an observable record of the data.

A common form of high-precision, ceramic-based actuator capable of moving and measuring at the nanometer level.

Ellipsometry is an optical technique used to characterize the properties of thin films and surfaces. It is based on the measurement of changes in the polarization state of light reflected or...

The term "embedded laser" typically refers to a laser device that is integrated or embedded into a larger system or structure. In this context, "embedded" implies that the laser is an integral part...

See emissivity; exitance.

A source of radiation.

Enantiomers are a pair of molecules that are non-superimposable mirror images of each other, similar to left and right hands. They are stereoisomers, meaning they have the same molecular formula and...

An arc lamp whose carbon electrodes are enclosed in a transparent chamber, resulting in an arc that is steadier, lasts longer and emits more ultraviolet radiation.

End-fire coupling refers to a method of coupling energy into or out of a waveguide, transmission line, or antenna, where the electromagnetic waves are directed primarily along the axis or direction...

An endoscope is a medical device used for visualizing and examining the interior of hollow organs, body cavities, or confined spaces within the body. It consists of a flexible or rigid tube equipped...

The occurrence of very large rotations in transparent materials at weak magnetic fields as predicted in the classical dispersion theory. This effect was discovered by Mavaluso and Corbino in 1898 in...

The entrance slit, also known simply as the slit, is an essential component in optical instruments such as spectrometers and monochromators. It is a narrow opening or aperture through which light...

Potential hazards to a system's application and installation, including temperature variations, chemical reactivity, mechanical stress and moisture.

The maximum to minimum range of temperature, pressure, humidity, vibration and biological conditions under which an optical component or system can function and be stored. The range required depends...

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) is a laboratory technique used to detect and measure the presence of specific substances, such as antibodies, antigens, proteins, hormones, or other...

Uniform measure of time based on dynamics law and calculated according to planetary orbital paths; specifically, Earth's orbit about the sun.

Fluorescence imaging technique in which the excitation light from the objective is directed into the sample producing emission at all angles. Light emitted into the objective is measured allowing the...

Epitaxial refers to the growth of a crystalline layer on a crystalline substrate in such a way that the orientation of the crystal lattice of the growing layer is related to that of the substrate. In...

Epitaxial deposition is a process used in semiconductor manufacturing and materials science to grow a thin crystalline layer, known as an epitaxial layer, on a substrate. The term epitaxial refers to...

Epitaxial equipment refers to a set of specialized tools and systems used in the process of epitaxy, which is the growth of crystalline layers on a substrate material. Epitaxial growth is a critical...

A well controlled thin films technique for growing films with good crystal structure in ultra high vacuum environments at very low deposition rates. Epitaxy methods are well known for the growing of...

1. A contour map of a photographic deposit consisting of lines and curves that join points of equal density. 2. The portrayal of a photograph's points of equal density in hues of yellow, cyan and...

1. The use of an electronic microdensitometer to measure points of equal density on a photographic deposit. 2. A technique that simplifies a picture's density pattern by making a single isodensity...

Colors differing only in chromaticity but not in luminance.

When a block of glass (prism, window, filter, etc.) is placed into a converging light bundle, it increases the physical distance to the point of focus. The equivalent air path for that block of glass...

An Er:YAG laser is a type of solid-state laser that uses a crystal made of erbium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (Er:Y3Al5O12) as the gain medium. The erbium (Er) ions are introduced into the crystal...

An optical fiber that can be used to amplify an optical input. Erbium rare earth ions are added to the fiber core material as a dopant in typical levels of a few hundred parts per million. The fiber...

An erbium-doped fiber laser (EDFL) is a type of laser that uses an optical fiber doped with erbium ions (Er³+) as the gain medium. These lasers are widely used in telecommunications, medical...

The addition to the information signal in communications of redundant bits that enable the originally encoded message to be decoded without degradation of the data. In compact disc technology, the...

An etalon is an optical device that consists of two parallel reflecting surfaces separated by a precise and known distance. It operates based on the principle of optical interference and is used to...

Etaloning is an optical phenomenon that occurs in imaging systems, particularly in devices such as spectrometers, interferometers, and cameras. It is characterized by the appearance of interference...

A product of the area of a light beam (normal to its direction of propagation) and the solid angle that the beam includes; flux per unit radiance or luminance. Alternative terms: geometric extent,...

A sensor generally used for infrared imaging. It consists of two chambers separated by a thin, blackened membrane. An infrared image is formed on the membrane by a lens or mirror and produces...

An event-based image sensor, also known as a dynamic vision sensor (DVS), is a type of digital imaging device designed to capture visual information in a highly efficient and unique way compared to...