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Photonics Dictionary

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solar absorber
A substance capable of converting solar radiation into thermal energy.
solar array
A group of solar cells that are electrically contacted and physically arranged so that they may be oriented in the direction of the sun simultaneously.
solar battery
A series of solar cells arranged to collect solar radiation and to generate a given amount of electrical energy.
solar black
A material, such as gold black and carbon black, that is used as a solar absorber because of its high absorptance and low reflectivity over the solar spectrum.
solar cell
A device for converting sunlight into electrical energy, consisting of a sandwich of P-type and N-type semiconducting wafers. A photon with sufficient energy striking the cell can dislodge an...
solar constant of radiation
Solar radiation intensity existing in free space at the mean solar distance of the Earth. Commonly expressed in g cal cm-2min-1, the constant is equal to the amount of incident radiation -- in unit...
solar furnace
An optical system that is designed to produce a high temperature in a specified area by the optical direction and concentration of solar radiation on that area. The system usually consists of a...
solar heat storage
The process of transferring collected energy from solar radiation into a heat-absorbing medium (e.g., an insulated tank of water) for use at a later time.
solar laser
A laser pumped by solar radiation focused by mirrors.
solar occultation
Measurement of absorption by the gas of interest in the 2- to 6-µm range as a function of tangent height pressure. The pressure profile may be inferred by using CO2 absorption profile...
solar plasma
Plasma formed by heat radiation from the sun.
solar radiation
Radiation from the sun that is made up of a very wide range of wavelengths, from the long infrared to the short ultraviolet with its greatest intensity in the visible green at about 5000 Å. The...
solar simulation
The simulation of solar radiation in the infrared and ultraviolet spectrum for the analysis of extraterrestrial sunlight and its effects on spacecraft, materials and components.
solar simulator
A solar simulator is a device used to replicate the spectrum and intensity of sunlight in a controlled environment for testing and research purposes. Solar simulators are employed in various...
solar wind
The constant outward flow of weakly magnetized plasma from the sun that is deflected by the magnetic field of the earth and, flowing around the field, creates a magnetosphere.
solarization
1. The reduction in the developable density of a photographic emulsion that has been extremely overexposed. 2. In a laser system, damage resulting from ultraviolet radiation that degrades the lasing...
antisolar point
The point to which the extension of the straight line, reaching from the sun to the observer's eye after penetrating the atmosphere of the Earth, is projected.
mean solar time
One of two types of solar time - the other being apparent solar time - the mean solar time is the time measured by the average hour angle position of the sun in the sky compiled over a period of one...
thermoelectric solar cell
A solar cell that uses a thermoelectric converter, consisting of two sheets of metal with a semiconductor sandwiched between them, to generate electricity.
thin-film solar cell
A solar cell that is lightweight and flexible because of its construction by vacuum deposition of a semiconductor material (e.g., gallium arsenide or cadmium sulfide) onto a thin metal or plastic...
actinic
Stimulating light used for the production of energy through photosynthesis, solar cell or other light senstitive device.
albedo
The ratio of radiant energy reflected from a rough surface to that incident on it. Usually, the radiant energy is total solar energy; thus, it is not a spectral quantity.
Angstrom compensation pyrheliometer
A system used for measuring direct solar radiation.
annular eclipse
A type of solar eclipse that occurs when the sun is at perihelion and the moon is at apogee. Because the apparent size of the moon is insufficient to cover the sun, the outer edge of the solar disc...
antireflection coating
An antireflection coating (AR coating) is a thin film or coating applied to optical surfaces, such as lenses or windows, to minimize unwanted reflections and increase the transmission of light...
astronomical unit
The unit generally used to express distances within the solar system, and sometimes to measure interstellar distances. Technically, one astronomical unit is the mean distance between the Earth and...
bandgap
In semiconductor physics, the term bandgap refers to the energy range in a material where no electronic states are allowed. It represents the energy difference between the valence band, which is the...
chalcogenide
Chalcogenide refers to a class of compounds containing elements from group 16 of the periodic table, which includes sulfur (S), selenium (Se), and tellurium (Te). These elements are known as...
coronagraph
A telescope in which a mask occults the solar disk, generating an artificial eclipse and allowing observation and recording of the sun's corona.
coronal holes
Solar regions characterized by low density and open magnetic fields where high-speed solar wind streams originate. Originally believed to be "M'' regions, coronal holes are the precursors of the...
disc telescope -> coronagraph
A telescope in which a mask occults the solar disk, generating an artificial eclipse and allowing observation and recording of the sun's corona.
dispersive power
A measure of the dispersive properties of a glass. The relative dispersion is defined as: where C, D, and F refer to the material's index of refraction at the three chief Fraunhofer lines in the...
Dobson spectrophotometer
A spectrophotometer that measures the amount of ozone in the atmosphere through a comparison of solar energy at two wavelengths in the ozone's absorption band. This comparison is achieved by...
edge-defined film-fed growth
Process for growth of solar cells that results in rectangular shapes consisting of many interconnected cells in a series or series-parallel arrangement. EFG cells show increased efficiency with...
epitaxial equipment
Epitaxial equipment refers to a set of specialized tools and systems used in the process of epitaxy, which is the growth of crystalline layers on a substrate material. Epitaxial growth is a critical...
epitaxy
A well controlled thin films technique for growing films with good crystal structure in ultra high vacuum environments at very low deposition rates. Epitaxy methods are well known for the growing of...
exciton
An exciton is a quasiparticle that represents the bound state of an electron and a hole in a solid-state material, typically a semiconductor or an insulator. In simpler terms, an exciton is a paired...
fill factor
In solar energy technology, the percent of usable land covered by collectors. The horizontal collector is the only design that exhibits 100 percent fill factor.
Forbush decrease
Decrease in cosmic ray activity that is observed approximately 24 hours after a solar flare, attributed to a shielding effect produced by magnetic fields contained in the plasma of the cloud emitted...
Fresnel lens
A Fresnel lens is a type of optical lens that consists of a series of concentric grooves or steps carved into a flat, thin piece of transparent material, typically plastic or glass. This design...
global radiation
The total radiation, both solar and diffuse sky, that is incident to a unit's horizontal surface.
graphene
Graphene is a two-dimensional allotrope of carbon consisting of a single layer of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal lattice pattern. It is the basic building block of other carbon-based materials...
heliograph
An instrument designed to record the duration and intensity of solar radiation.
hydrogenated amorphous silicon
A photoreceptor material used in solar cells and in drums for laser printers and high-speed copiers because of its high quantum efficiency over a wide spectral band, high data-rate capability and...
III-V material
In semiconductor physics and materials science, the term "III-V materials" refers to compounds composed of elements from group III and group V of the periodic table. More specifically, these...
indium phosphide
Indium phosphide (InP) is a compound semiconductor material composed of indium (In) and phosphorus (P). It belongs to the III-V group of semiconductors, where elements from groups III and V of the...
junction diode
A semiconductor device with the property of conducting current more easily in one direction than the other. It has two terminals containing a single crystal of semiconducting material that ranges...
liquid-phase epitaxy -> epitaxy
A well controlled thin films technique for growing films with good crystal structure in ultra high vacuum environments at very low deposition rates. Epitaxy methods are well known for the growing of...
Lyot filter
A type of filter consisting of a series of birefringent crystals and polarizers invented by French astronomer Bernard Lyot for isolating and observing significant wavelengths of solar light.
MBE
molecular beam epitaxy — A well-controlled thin film technique for growing films with good crystal structure in ultra high vacuum environments at very low deposition rates. MBE is also commonly used in the manufacture of semiconductor devices and solar cells.

Photonics Dictionary


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