800 terms
Photonics Dictionary: S
Clear All Filters xS x
Ssiemens
ssecond
S-ARROWsimplified antiresonant reflecting optical waveguide
S-SEEDsymmetric self-electro-optic effect device
S/LJsemiconductor/liquid junction
S/Nsignal-to-noise ratio
Sabattier effectThe reversal of a developed image due to the exposure of the partially developed image to actinic light.
saccadic motionThe movement of the eye as it focuses on details of a scene. Some imaging systems mimic this movement by small, rapid scanning motions of the sensor.
saccharimeterA special-purpose polarimeter having a scale calibrated directly in the concentration of sugar in the test solution.
SADselected area diffraction
saddleA term used to describe a saddle-shaped -- i.e., convex along one axis, concave along the other -- polished surface, generally an error, whose contours are apparent by the shape of Newton's rings.
safelightFiltered light to which photographic or other photosensitive materials are not responsive; used to illuminate darkrooms when film is being processed. The color of the filter varies according to the...
sag1. In the geometric sense, an abbreviation for the term "sagitta,'' the height of a curve measured from the chord.
and it is exact for a parabola. 2. Conforming a sheet of glass to a...
sagsagitta
sagged bevelThe shape of the edge of a concave surface when the depth of the bevel plane to the vertex of the surface is controlled to a required distance.
sagitta -> sag1. In the geometric sense, an abbreviation for the term "sagitta,'' the height of a curve measured from the chord.
and it is exact for a parabola. 2. Conforming a sheet of glass to a...
Sagnac interferometerSagnac interferometry is a technique used to measure rotation or angular velocity based on the principle of interference. It relies on the Sagnac effect, named after the French physicist Georges...
Saha equationFormula that describes the thermal equilibrium of gas electrons and ions as a direct function of variations in temperature.
SALIsurface analysis by laser ionization
SAMscanning acoustic microscope; scanning Auger microscopy
SAM-APDseparate absorption and multiplication region avalanche photodiode
SAMAScientific Apparatus Makers' Association
SAMPESociety for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering
sample pointOn a chromaticity diagram, the point that denotes the chromaticity sample.
sample-and-hold circuitA device that acquires a signal and then stores it for a specified period of time before processing, and used, for example, to reduce noise as in correlated double sampling.
sampling theorem -> Nyquist criterionIn image acquisition (and sampling theory), the postulate that the pickup sampling frequency must be a minimum of twice as high as the Nyquist rate of brightness change of any detail to be resolved....
SANstyrene acrylonitrile; storage area network
sand holeA crude area on the polished surface, produced during coarse grinding, that subsequent fine grinding does not remove, owing, to some extent, to coarse grains of grinding sand that mixed with finer...
sandwich holographyThe simultaneous exposure of two holographic plates with emulsions facing the object. After deformation, a second pair of plates is exposed to the deformed object. The back plate of the initial pair...
SAPstress-applying part
sapphire -> sapphireSapphire refers to a crystalline form of aluminum oxide (Al2O3) that is used in various optical and photonic applications due to its exceptional optical, mechanical, and thermal properties. Sapphire...
sapphire crystalSapphire crystal refers to a transparent, single-crystal form of aluminum oxide (Al2O3) known as corundum. It is one of the hardest known materials, second only to diamond on the Mohs scale of...
sapphire optical fiberSapphire optical fiber is a type of optical fiber made from single-crystal sapphire, which is a form of aluminum oxide (Al2O3) that is highly transparent in the infrared region of the electromagnetic...
sapphire windowA sapphire window refers to a transparent optical component made from sapphire crystal. Sapphire is a single-crystal form of aluminum oxide (Al2O3) that is highly prized for its exceptional optical...
sapphireSapphire refers to a crystalline form of aluminum oxide (Al2O3) that is used in various optical and photonic applications due to its exceptional optical, mechanical, and thermal properties. Sapphire...
SARsynthetic aperture radar
SARISAsurface analysis by resonance ionization of sputtered atoms
SASself-alignment structure; single attachment station
SATAserial advanced technology attachment
SATA-RAIDserial advanced technology attachment — redundant array of inexpensive discs
saticonA direct-readout television pickup tube.
saturable absorberA saturable absorber is a type of optical device that exhibits variable absorption properties depending on the intensity of incident light. In essence, it becomes less absorbent as the light...
saturation1. The decrease of the absorption (or gain) coefficient of a medium near some transition frequency when the power of the incident radiation near that frequency exceeds a certain value. As long as the...
Savart plateA double-plate device used to transmit polarized light and form interference fringes of the light, thus indicating its presence. It consists of two calcite plates of equal thickness, cut parallel to...
Savart polariscope1. A polariscope consisting of a Savart plate and a tourmaline plate analyzer, and used to produce parallel color fringes by transmitting polarized light. 2. A polariscope composed of an analyzing...
SAWsurface acoustic wave
SAXSsmall-angle x-ray scattering
sbstilb
SBCSoleil-Babinet compensator
SBDSchottky-barrier diode
Photonics DictionaryS