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784 terms

Photonics Dictionary: S

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SERI

Solar Energy Research Institute

serial scanning -> rectilinear scanning

The scanning of a region in a given sequence of slender, straight parallel strips.

serial transmission

A mode of data transmission whereby each bit is generated in sequence on a single carrier.

serioscopy

A variation of tomography, which is a means of visualizing any one of a large set of parallel planes in the patient. A series of x-ray pictures taken from different angles results in developed...

SERODS

surface-enhanced Raman optical data storage

serpentine bend mode filter

A device used in measuring attenuation in optical fiber. The loss caused by the bends in a short reference length of fiber approximates that of a much longer fiber under test.

SERS

surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy

servomechanism

A closed-loop system that is constantly adjusted in response to input signals generated within the system.

servomotor

A type of motor that acts as the control element in a servomechanism. It is powered by an amplifier circuit and drives the load with linear or rotary motion.

SESAM

semiconductor saturable absorber mirror

SEW

surface electromagnetic waves

sextant

A handheld navigational instrument used to measure the elevation angle of celestial bodies such as the sun. An image of the sun is viewed through a small telescope via two plane mirrors so that any...

SEY

secondary electron yield

SFB

semiconductor functional block

SFF

small form factor

sfm

surface feet per minute

single heterostructure

Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor

The Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor is an optical device used for measuring the wavefront aberrations of an optical system. It is widely used in adaptive optics systems to correct distortions and...

shading

1. The sorting of lenses by their color. 2. In an optical system, an irradiance or brightness gradient in the image that is not present at the object.

shadow mask -> aperture mask

Also known as a shadow mask, a perforated plate placed between the focusing and accelerating electrodes, and the tricolor phosphor screen in a color-television tube.

shadow mask tube

A type of color-generating cathode-ray tube that uses a shadow mask, a thin perforated electrode, located close to the display screen. Each hole in the mask coincides with a triad of three phosphor...

shadowgraph

A method of demonstration or examination using a point source illumination without the use of any projection lens between the object and its shadow, the shadow being cast on a distant screen.

shallow

A term used to denote a concave surface having too long a radius of curvature. That is, its negative power is too small or low.

Shannon's sampling theorem -> finite sampling theorem

A finite version of Shannon's sampling theorem that states that a class of functions can be reconstructed exactly by a sufficient number of spectral samples; the reconstructed function is an explicit...

sharp

A term used to describe a convex surface having too short a radius of curvature. To correct this condition, material is cut from the outer portion of the polishing tool.

sharp height

The distance between the base and the vertex before the edging of a prism.

sharpness index

A function of the intensity distribution in an image aberrated by a quadratic curvature wavefront distortion.

shear

Image distortion that occurs when the axes of the original image are not perpendicular in the resulting image, making the resulting image appear slanted. Shear can be caused by movement of the...

shearing interferometer

An interferometer in which interference is produced between wavefronts that are sheared in the sample object by a small lateral distance.

sheathing -> jacket

The outer material that surrounds and protects the buffered and unbuffered fibers in an optical cable.

sheet grating

A three-dimensional grating designed with thin metal sheets to remain opaque to all but one specific and predetermined wave.

sheet polarizer

A sheet of plastic material containing microscopic crystals of herapathite or some other similar substance that transmits light polarized in one direction, but absorbs light polarized in a...

SHF

super high frequency

SHG

second-harmonic generation

shift register -> transport shift register

The element in a charge-coupled device that receives the charge packets transferred from the line of sensor sites and then delivers the image data to the device's output circuitry.

shining -> clearing

Also called shining. Grinding and polishing one surface of a blank to permit a more thorough examination for quality.

shock wave

Interruption in the normal flow of a plasma or fluid characterized by sharp rises in velocity, temperature and pressure. As the shock passes into a gaseous compound, gas particles are heated and...

short finish

A term that describes an incomplete polish.

short wavelength infrared

Short wavelength infrared (SWIR) refers to the portion of the infrared spectrum that encompasses wavelengths roughly between 1,000 and 3,000 nanometers (nm). In the electromagnetic spectrum, infrared...

short-arc lamp

A compact high-pressure light source in which an electrical discharge between electrodes spaced no more than 12 mm apart occurs in a xenon or other gas medium, providing a visible light resembling a...

short-flash light source

An electronic flash tube in which the flash recurs at a frequency extending to many thousands per second. A stroboscopic light source is a short-flash light source.

short-focus lens -> wide-angle lens

A wide-angle lens is a type of camera lens that has a shorter focal length than a standard or normal lens, allowing it to capture a broader field of view. Wide-angle lenses are characterized by their...

short-wave pass filter

A filter that is transparent to shorter wavelengths, but opaque to longer wavelengths.

short-wave radiation

Characterizes the significant solar radiation at the surface of the earth, so named because its spectral range extends only from 0.3 to 2.8 µm.

shot noise

Noise generated by the random variations in the number and velocity of the electrons from an emitter.

shunt resistance

In a silicon photodiode, the dynamic resistance (dv/d1) of the junction at zero volts.

shutter

A mechanical or electronic device used to control the amount of time that a light-sensitive material is exposed to radiation.

shutter speed tester

A device used to measure the opening time of a shutter. The most common devices depend on the charging or discharging of an electrical condenser, or on the production of a curve of open area against...

Systeme Internationale d'Unites, the international metric system of units.

International System of Units; step index

Photonics DictionaryS

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