Photonics Dictionary

The process of perforating a silicon or ceramic substrate with a series of tiny holes along which it will break. Nd:YAG or CO2 lasers are now routinely used.

An angstrom, symbolized by the Ångström or Å, is a unit of length used to express atomic and molecular dimensions. It is equal to 0.1 nanometers or 1 × 10-10 meters. The...

A CIE index describing the changes in color of standard test objects when the illumination is changed from a standard to a test illuminant.

A colorimeter is a device used to measure and quantify the color characteristics of an object or a light source. It provides objective and standardized color information, typically expressed in terms...

Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) is a mechanism describing the transfer of energy between two closely spaced fluorescent molecules. This phenomenon is named after the German scientist...

Describing a surface that is coated with a film of metal of such thickness that it transmits about one-half of the incident light and reflects about one-half.

Describing the standard television method of raster scanning in which the image is the product of two fields, each of which is a series of successively scanned lines separated by the equivalent of...

The graph of a curve describing the spectral irradiance of extraterrestrial sunlight.

The generic term describing the class of light particles having no strong interactions.

A term denoting the magnitude and direction of the magnetic field associated with an electromagnetic wave when describing light in its vector form.

1. Viewed with one eye. 2. Describing an image as viewed from a single angle.

Describing a laser that emits simultaneously at more than one wavelength.

A term describing a substance that is impervious to light; the characteristic of a substance that has no luminous transmittance.

Also known as the Wiener spectrum or the noise power spectrum, the optical power spectrum is a fundamental quantity in film-screen image quality evaluation. It is a means of describing image content...

The formula describing the spectral radiant emittance of a perfect blackbody as a function of its temperature and the wavelength of the emitted radiation. where Wλ equals radiation...

Describing a prism, or the effects produced by prisms.

The area of optics in which quantum theory is used to describe light in discrete units or "quanta" of energy known as photons. First observed by Albert Einstein's photoelectric effect, this particle...

An interferometric method for describing the surface shape of large coated or uncoated optical flats. The procedure uses a commercially available small-aperture phase-shifting interferometer for...

A term describing a type of scratch.

Describing a laser in which the gas is permanently sealed within the tube.

A term describing an antireflection coating that may be applied to optics that cannot tolerate the high temperatures usually required for normal "hard'' coatings. Such coatings lack durability...

A term describing lenses with both surfaces finished but not yet cut to any form.