354 terms
Photonics Dictionary
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homogeneous multilayer coatingA thin film of absorbing or nonabsorbing layers in which the absorption of radiation at any point is directly proportional to the electrical field intensity at that point.
hybrid cableA cable assembly containing both optical fibers and copper electrical conductors in the same jacket.
hybrid electromagnetic waveA wave in the electromagnetic spectrum that has both electrical and magnetic field vectors in the direction of propagation.
hybrid modeA mode possessing components of both electrical and magnetic field vectors in the direction of propagation.
iconoscopeA camera tube that employs a high-velocity electron beam to scan a photoemissive mosaic and to store electrical charge patterns.
IEEEInstitute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
image enhancing equipmentComplex devices, often involving a computer, in which a photograph is scanned by a point of light, the amplitude of the electrical signal being modified electronically before being recorded on...
image photocounting distributionPhoton flow created by imaging of light into a detector array; IPD is the electrical signal used by the image processor in a laser radar angular tracking system.
image-enhancing equipmentComplex devices, often involving a computer, in which a photograph is scanned by a point of light, the amplitude of the electrical signal being modified electronically before being re-recorded on...
impurity ionAn alien, electrically charged atomic system in a solid; an ion substituted for the constituent atom or ion in a crystal lattice, or located in an interstitial site in the crystal.
indium phosphideIndium phosphide (InP) is a compound semiconductor material composed of indium (In) and phosphorus (P). It belongs to the III-V group of semiconductors, where elements from groups III and V of the...
inductanceInductance is a fundamental property of an electrical circuit or component that describes its ability to store energy in a magnetic field when an electric current flows through it. It is typically...
induction linear acceleratorA device used to accelerate the electrons in a free-electron laser by supplying electrical energy to the electron beam through a series of transformers.
infrared cameraAn infrared camera, also known as a thermal imaging camera or IR camera, is a device that captures and visualizes the infrared radiation emitted by objects, revealing temperature variations across...
infrared detectorAn infrared detector is a device that is used to detect and measure infrared radiation, which lies beyond the visible spectrum of light. These detectors are utilized in various applications,...
InGaAs photodiodeAn InGaAs photodiode refers to a photodetector device that is constructed using a semiconductor material composed of a combination of indium (In), gallium (Ga), and arsenic (As). The term InGaAs...
intensity interferometerAn interferometer that functions by first detecting the light striking each aperture and then combining the two detector outputs. With an intensity interferometer, the primary collectors need not be...
interferometric sensor -> phase-modulated sensorA phase-modulated sensor is a type of sensor that uses modulation of the phase of a signal to measure changes in a physical quantity. In such sensors, variations in the phase of the signal are...
interlayer attractionInterlayer attraction refers to the attractive forces between adjacent layers of atoms or molecules in a material, particularly in layered structures such as van der Waals solids, graphene, and...
ion laserA laser in which the transition involved in stimulated emission of radiation takes place between two levels of an ionized gas. The gases are electrically excited in a container called a plasma tube,...
junction diodeA semiconductor device with the property of conducting current more easily in one direction than the other. It has two terminals containing a single crystal of semiconducting material that ranges...
Kerr cellA cell filled with a transparent material that, when placed in a strong electrical field, exhibits double refraction. Since the two polarized elements of an incident light beam travel at different...
laser active elementsLaser active elements typically refers to the substances or materials within a laser system that play a critical role in the amplification of light through the process of stimulated emission. These...
laser annealingLaser annealing is a process that involves using a laser beam to heat and modify the microstructure of a material, typically a thin film or surface layer, with the objective of improving its...
laser detectorDevice that operates by interaction of incident radiation with semiconductor based material in order to produce an electrical signal or by other means, to interact with calorimetric devices which...
laser diode -> diode laserA diode laser is a type of laser that uses a semiconductor diode as the active medium to generate coherent light. Semiconductor diodes are electronic devices that conduct electricity primarily in one...
laser diode moduleA laser diode module is a compact device that incorporates a laser diode, optics, and often other components into a single package. These modules are designed to provide a convenient and efficient...
laserA laser, which stands for "light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation," is a device that produces coherent and focused beams of light through the process of optical amplification based...
laser-induced breakdown spectroscopyLaser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is an analytical technique that uses a high-powered laser pulse to ablate a small amount of material from a sample, creating a plasma. This plasma emits...
LED -> light-emitting diodeAn LED, or light emitting diode, is a semiconductor device that emits light when an electric current passes through it. LEDs are widely used in various applications due to their energy efficiency,...
light chopper -> optical chopperA mechanical or electrical-electromagnetic device for periodically interrupting or blocking abeam of light for a brief known interval. The three most common chopper types include the tuning fork...
light fidelityLiFi, short for light fidelity, is a wireless communication technology that utilizes visible light or infrared light to transmit data. Developed as an alternative or complementary technology to...
light source powerThe electrical power used to stimulate any light source. Power supplies may be step-up or step-down transformers; rectifiers to convert AC to DC; ammeters and voltmeters to observe the input to the...
light valveWith respect to display systems, a device that uses an independent light source and a control-layer medium, the active optical element, to convert an electrical charge image to an optical image....
light-emitting diodeAn LED, or light emitting diode, is a semiconductor device that emits light when an electric current passes through it. LEDs are widely used in various applications due to their energy efficiency,...
linear image sensorA linear image sensor is a type of solid-state electronic device used to capture and convert light into electrical signals. Unlike area image sensors (such as CCD or CMOS sensors), which capture an...
liquid crystalLiquid crystals are a state of matter that exhibits properties intermediate between those of conventional liquids and solid crystals. In a liquid crystal, the molecules are ordered like those in a...
liquid crystal on siliconLiquid crystal on silicon (LCoS) is a display technology that combines liquid crystal materials with silicon-based semiconductor technology to create high-resolution, high-quality images. LCoS...
liquid/fluid opticsLiquid or fluid optics refers to the use of liquids to create or enhance optical systems. These systems leverage the unique properties of liquids, such as their ability to change shape, refractive...
longitudinal field modulatorPockels cell or dynamic optical retarder in which the electrical field is applied in a direction parallel to that of light passing through it.
magnetically focused image tubeA vacuum tube in which a magnetic field is superimposed onto the tube's electrical field. When the two fields are aligned, electrons from the photocathode are accelerated through the tube in a spiral...
mass spectrographA device that uses electromagnetic fields to separate electrically charged particles according to their masses. As a beam of charged particles is passed through a mass spectrograph, the result is a...
mass spectrometerA device used to measure the masses and relative concentrations of atoms and molecules. It utilizes the Lorentz force generated by external magnetic field on a moving charged particle, in which the...
matrix unitAn electrical or optical device used to convert color coordinates.
MAUmedia access unit — A media access unit (MAU) is a unique device utilized to connect token ring devices from multiple network stations into a star topology. There are two types of MAUs, passive and active. Passive MAUs are powered from their network connections while active MAUs are powered electrically from an external source.
MCZmagnetic Czochralski process — Introduction of an external magnetic field in the Czochralski melting process for crystal growth in order to influence the flow and dampen the amplitudes of the melt oscillations that occur in the process. This is accomplished when the external magnetic field generates an electric field inside the melt, which further induces an internal magnetic field in the now electrically conducting melt. The amplitudes of the now induced electric and magnetic fields can be controlled by the strength of the external magnetic field allowing control of the MCZ process.
metal arcThe electrical arc formed between metal rods that emits the spectrum of the metal itself. Commonly used in the chemical analysis of metals.
metasurfacesMetasurfaces are two-dimensional arrays of subwavelength-scale artificial structures, often referred to as meta-atoms or meta-elements, arranged in a specific pattern to manipulate the propagation of...
microelectromechanical systemsMicroelectromechanical systems, or MEMS, refer to miniature devices or systems that integrate mechanical and electrical components at a microscale. These systems combine elements such as sensors,...
mid-infrared cameraA mid-infrared camera is a type of imaging device designed to capture images in the mid-infrared (mid-IR) spectral range, typically spanning wavelengths from approximately 3 to 12 µm. This...
Photonics Dictionary