Photonics Dictionary

Sputtering equipment is machinery used in the process of physical vapor deposition (PVD), specifically sputtering. Sputtering is a method of depositing thin films of material onto a substrate surface...

A sputtering target is a solid material used in the process of physical vapor deposition (PVD), specifically sputtering. Sputtering targets are typically made of metals, metal alloys, or compounds...

A plane-parallel interferometer that yields extremely high contrast over a wide range of finesse values without significantly reducing transmission.

A laser resonator in which a mode oscillating between the mirrors will converge upon the laser's longitudinal axis.

A type of laser used when a great amount of power is required. Avoiding the bulk of large numbers of optical lenses, this instrument offers high-output intensity and a small emitting region at...

A reticle pattern in a surveying instrument consisting of parallel lines that can be superimposed on a calibrated rod, making possible determination of the distance from the instrument to the rod.

The determination of distance based upon the known size of an object and the size of its image at the image plane of an optical system.

In microscopy, a calibrated scale on a slide that may be viewed to determine the exact magnification factor of the microscope.

The visual examination by a trained observer of the image of a point source. Any coloring or departure from the Airy disc rings indicates the presence of aberrations in the lens forming that image.

That characteristic which makes a weapon system less visible to radar, optical, acousto-optic, infrared and other military sensors.

The utilization of photometric measurement to determine the relative magnitudes of the heavenly bodies.

The observed time dependence of the transmittance of a step of radiation through a given medium.

A type of camera that has scales or other arrangements by which successive exposures can be lined up and equally spaced on a sheet of film. It is used in the preparation of microfiche copies of...

A projection printer that is capable of reproducing a multiplicity of images from a master transparency on a single support coated with a photosensitive layer by indexing the receiving material from...

The unit solid angle subtended at the center of a sphere by an area on its surface equivalent to the square of the radius; the unit of solid angular measurement, often used in problems of...

1. A stereoscope that has adjustable scales to allow the determination of distances and dimensions from stereoscopic photographs. 2. A device used to view pictures of the same section of the night...

Technique that provides two stereographic views of an object that are larger than the object itself, by means of mutually inclined lens axes or nominal separation of axes of parallel lenses.

Wide-field, low-magnification device that consists of two compound microscopes focused on a single object, producing an erect three-dimensional image.

The use of a specialized optical microscope designed to provide a more three-dimensional view of a sample. Stereomicroscopy usually uses reflected light and provides enhanced depth perception via the...

A rangefinder similar to a pair of binoculars with a long base, a dot or other wander mark provided in each eyepiece field, together forming an apparent point in space. When one dot is moved...

The array of methods used in the transmission and reception of pictures and images with a three-dimensional appearance.

The purest gas source of antimony, which is used in the manufacture of compound semiconductors for IR sensors and solid-state lasers.

A polishing machine with a lens mounted on a wooden stick, allowing a very wide sweep. It is used to polish hemispherical or hyper-hemispherical surfaces.

A unit of luminance that is equal to one candela/cm2. (sb).

In Stimulated Brillouin Scattering (SBS), an incident photon (usually laser light) interacts with acoustic phonons in a medium. The energy and momentum of the incident photon are transferred to the...

The process of creating a large, panoramic image by aligning and joining a set of smaller images. Image processing is used to obscure the edges between the smaller images, producing a seamless...

Stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (STORM) is a superresolution microscopy technique that enables imaging of biological specimens at resolutions beyond the diffraction limit of conventional...

The determination of what, how much and in what proportions chemicals must be combined to produce the desired reactions and products.

A line of the Raman spectrum that fulfills Stokes' law because it possesses a wavelength that is greater than the radiation that stimulated the luminescence of the source.

Relative to radiation wavelength, the law that states that the wavelength of luminescence stimulated by radiation always surpasses that of the stimulating radiation.

The determination of axially symmetric and asymmetric refractive-index distributions by use of interferometry carried out on the basis of the approximation of a straight path of rays passing through...

A viewer that uses the transmittance of polarized light through glass or a similar medium to examine strained regions. See polariscope.

A streak camera is a specialized instrument used to capture and analyze ultrafast phenomena, such as extremely short pulses of light or rapidly changing events. Unlike traditional cameras that...

The ratio of the illuminance at the peak of the diffraction pattern of an aberrated point image to that at the peak of an aberration-free image as formed by the same optical system.

A strand of aramid yarn, steel or fiberglass in an optical cable intended to prevent bending or stretching that would damage the transport medium.

In polarization-preserving optical fibers, the element used to induce birefringence. The SAP is highly doped to provide a different coefficient of expansion from the rest of the fiber material; when...

A method of polishing an aspheric surface by mechanically distorting the optic while polishing the surface to a perfect sphere. When the stress is released, the substrate assumes the desired aspheric...

An imperfection in optical glass consisting of a distinct streak of transparent material having a slightly different refractive index from the body of glass. It is caused by improper mixing of...

A device that produces brief flashes of light for observing the behavior of an object during a short interval. One of the most effective means for accomplishing this is a gaseous tube energized by...

A pulsed interferometer that permits the continuous quantitative mapping of the surface deformation of an adaptive optical element (e.g., a deformable mirror) and provides the capability for...

Structural color refers to coloration in materials that is not caused by pigments or dyes but is instead a result of the physical structure of the material. In structural color, the interaction of...

Structured illumination microscopy (SIM) is an advanced optical imaging technique used in microscopy to enhance the resolution of images beyond the diffraction limit imposed by traditional light...