Photonics Dictionary

The technology of generating and harnessing light and other forms of radiant energy whose quantum unit is the photon. The science includes light emission, transmission, deflection, amplification and...

A photonic cavity, also known as an optical cavity, is a structure that confines electromagnetic radiation within a certain region or volume. It is typically composed of materials with different...

Photonics contract manufacturing refers to the outsourcing of the production of photonics-related components, devices, or systems to specialized manufacturing firms. Photonics involves the...

Noise created by patterns imaged on a CCD surface. Pixel sensitivity is altered by responsivity during illumination.

A photovoltaic cell usually sensitive to infrared radiation. It may have a copper base and a film of cuprous oxide. When it is irradiated, voltage is produced.

A kinescope used to survey the details of television video transmission.

A vacuum gauge designed to measure very high degrees of vacuum by thermal conduction.

Motion of a fiber into and out of the ferrule. This effect is often caused by changes in temperature.

Pixel binning, also known as pixel merging or pixel combining, is a technique used in digital imaging and camera technology. It involves the combining or grouping of adjacent pixels on an image...

Plasmonics is a field of science and technology that focuses on the interaction between electromagnetic radiation and free electrons in a metal or semiconductor at the nanoscale. Specifically,...

Geometrical partition possible with a sphere that can be four, six, eight, 12 or 20 solid-angle wedges. Each platonic mass is made up of a given number of regular polygonal faces and is classified...

Positioning generally refers to the determination or identification of the location or placement of an object, person, or entity in a specific space or relative to a reference point. The term is used...

The dielectric coefficient parallel to the director in a liquid crystal display (LCD), rather than perpendicular to the director.

Basically, a hydrogen atom with two alterations, positronium is the lightest atom in the universe and has an extremely light positron in its nucleus that replaces hydrogen's proton so that its atomic...

Laws that predict the maximum power output as a function of tube diameter for a hydrogen cyanide laser of a given discharge length and cavity losses, all other parameters being optimized.

Technique using a fiber optic assembly to illuminate an opaque object and transmit an image back from it without a lens system on the distal end.

Pushbroom scanning is a technique used in remote sensing and imaging systems, particularly in satellite and aerial sensors, to capture images of the Earth's surface or other objects. In pushbroom...

The science of all complex elements of atomic and molecular spectra, and the interaction of radiation and matter.

The film used in photographic dosimetry to record the types and amounts of ionizing radiation, such as x-rays and gamma rays, present in an area for a set interval of time. The negative produced by...

Raster scanning is a technique used in imaging and scanning systems to systematically capture and process information from a two-dimensional area or surface. It involves moving a sensor or scanning...

The vertical or horizontal distance between two addressable points on a display screen; indicates the basic resolution element of a terminal.

A photodetector mounted in the same package as a laser diode that is positioned to monitor the output from the rear facet of the diode.

A two-dimensional scanning process, in which a slow sector scan, propagated in one direction, is superimposed at right angles upon a rapid sector scan.

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

A display device, such as a cathode-ray tube, that is located at some distance from the source generating the displayed information.

A type of ultrasensitive laser spectroscopy that can detect quantities as small as a single atom of some substances and that can differentiate between isobars of different elements.

A roughening laser is a laser-based surface modification technique aimed at altering the surface texture of a material to achieve specific properties such as enhanced adhesion, light diffusion, or...

The successive analysis or synthesizing of the light values or other similar characteristics of the components of a picture area, following a given method.

Also called scanning laser acoustic microscope. A device that uses high-frequency ultrasound waves to penetrate surfaces. A scanning laser beam is used as a detector, which transmits information...

A light, radar or electron beam used to scan according to a particular method.

Measures by heterodyning interferometry the local slope of a vibrating sample. The method allows the reconstruction of a three dimensional map of the surface in order to determine the slope and...

In field-sequential color television, the rotating tricolor disc placed between the subject and the lens, or between the picture tube and the viewer.

The picture formed by the scanning beam of electrons in a scanning electron microscope.

A scanning electron microscope (SEM) is a powerful imaging instrument used in scientific research, materials characterization, and various industrial applications. Unlike traditional optical...

Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) is an advanced imaging technique used in microscopy to obtain high-resolution, three-dimensional images of the surfaces of solid specimens. SEM achieves this by...

A device composed of a light source and phototube used to scan a moving strip of material in photoelectric side-register control systems.

1. The continuous thin strip marked by the scanning beam. Generally, during return of the scan, the line is blanked out. 2. The thin strip marked by the scanning process and composed of the...

A microdensitometer that contains a scanning stage to provide simultaneous representations of position vs. density.

A contour mapping technique that uses electronic scanning and sampling techniques instead of a reference grating (see moire topography; projection moire topography) to obtain moire fringes, producing...

See atomic force microscope; magnetic force microscope; near-field scanning optical microscope; scanning tunneling microscope.

A spectroradiometer having a means to scan different regions of the light spectrum, providing simultaneous representations of amplitude vs. wavelength of the spectrum.

The picture area scanned per second.

The spot illuminated on a cathode-ray tube by the initial impact of the scanning ray and the screen.

A high-resolution imaging instrument that can detect and measure the positions of individual atoms on the surface of a material. A very fine conductive probe is placed at a distance of 10 to 20...

A nonlinear label-free imaging technique commonly used during surgical procedures for the visualization of collagen fibers and muscle tissue (myosin) with submillimeter resolution. During the...

Second-harmonic generation (SHG) is a nonlinear optical process that occurs when two photons with the same frequency combine within a nonlinear material, resulting in the generation of a new photon...

The process of grinding the convex surface of a convexo-concave meniscus.

A photoconductive cell consisting of a layer of selenium on a substrate whose electrical resistance varies with the illumination falling on the cell. Selenium cells have been replaced largely by...