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Photonics Dictionary

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conoscope

An optical instrument, generally a polarizing microscope, that is used to determine the interference figures and optical axis of a sample crystal. Also called a hodoscope.

covalent crystal

A crystal formed by covalent bonds that are generally highly directional by nature. The electric characteristics of these crystals classify them as semiconductors.

cathode ray; command register; control relay; coupling ratio; crystal rectifier

crystal

A solid with a structure that exhibits a basically symmetrical and geometrical arrangement. A crystal may already possess this structure, or it may acquire it through mechanical means. More than 50...

crystal counter

An instrument that is used to detect high-energy particles by the pulse of the current formed when a particle passes through a normally insulating crystal to which a potential difference is applied.

crystal diamagnetism

The unusual and anisotropic diamagnetic quality observed in particular crystals such as those composed of bismuth.

crystal diode

A diode with a semiconducting material, such as germanium or silicon, for one electrode, and a fine wire "whisker'' which lies on the semiconductor, as the other electrode. The low capacitance...

crystal field

The electrostatic field acting locally within a crystal as a result of the microscopic arrangement of atoms and ions in the lattice.

crystal filter

A bandpass filter with piezoelectric crystal components for the passage or impedance of electrical signals of various frequencies.

crystal grating

A crystal that may serve as a diffraction grating if mounted effectively.

crystal laser -> solid-state laser

A solid-state laser is a type of laser that uses a solid gain medium (as opposed to a liquid or gas) to produce coherent light. The term "solid-state" refers to the fact that the active medium, where...

crystal lattice

A regular, periodic, geometric array of points corresponding to the positions of the atoms in a perfect crystal.

crystal optics

The study of the transmission of radiant energy through crystals, especially anisotropic crystals, and their effects on polarization.

crystal oscillator

An oscillator that uses a piezoelectric crystal to control its frequency.

crystal oven

A temperature-controlled container used to stabilize the temperature and resonant frequency of a crystal found in a crystal-controlled oscillator.

crystal quartz

The naturally occurring crystalline form of silicon dioxide. It is slightly birefringent and exhibits rotary dispersion of light rays transmitted along the crystal axis, both right-hand and left-hand...

crystal spectrograph

A system that applies a crystal as a diffracting agent to photograph the spectrum.

crystal spectrometer

A device designed to measure crystal properties by analysis of crystal diffraction.

crystalline axes

The axes of symmetry in a crystal structure. See also biaxial crystal; uniaxial crystal.

crystalline lens

The internal lens of the eye. It is semielastic to permit changes in its power when focusing on objects at near distances.

crystallite

A small region within a single crystal where the molecules form a perfect lattice.

crystallized glass

Glass of special composition that is melted, formed into desired shapes, and subjected to a high-temperature treatment in which the glass undergoes a stage of nucleic formation, and a second stage,...

crystallogram

The photographic record of the diffraction pattern formed when x-rays pass through a crystal.

crystallography

The analysis of the atomic structures within crystals by means of x-ray diffraction.

cylindrical lens

A cylindrical lens is an optical component that has different curvatures along its two orthogonal axes, resulting in a shape resembling a cylinder. Unlike spherical lenses, which have the same...

Czochralski technique

Popular process for silicon and polycrystalline production that consists of an alteration of the original state of a substance; thus, single-crystal materials can be used to form a polycrystal.

Debye-Scherrer-Hull method -> x-ray analysis

The series of processes used to identify and evaluate crystal structure by using crystalline solids to diffract x-rays. In the Laue method, radiation of a wide range of wavelengths is transmitted by...

deformation constant

Any of the constants that relate the tendency of the director to remain parallel to restoring torques throughout the media. The three constants of importance in liquid crystal displays are: splay --...

devitrification

The process by which a vitreous or amorphous substance forms a crystal structure at a specified temperature.

diamond turning

Diamond turning, also known as diamond machining or diamond cutting, is a precision machining process used to produce high-quality optical surfaces and components with extremely tight tolerances. It...

diamond-turned optic

Diamond turning refers to a precision machining process used to produce complex optical components, particularly lenses and mirrors, from materials such as metals, plastics, and crystalline materials...

dichroic polarizer

A polarizer that consists of dichroic polarizing material embedded in a plastic sheet, and that transmits light that is almost completely plane polarized with an intensity that is half that of the...

dichroism

Dichroism refers to the property of certain materials to exhibit different colors or absorbance of light depending on the direction of light propagation or polarization. The term is commonly used in...

dichroscope

A device used to investigate the dichroism of crystals.

dielectric crystal

A crystal that is characterized by its relatively poor electrical conductance.

diode-pumped solid-state laser

A diode-pumped solid-state laser (DPSSL) is a type of laser system that uses semiconductor diode lasers to pump energy into a solid gain medium, resulting in the generation of coherent light. This...

director

In a liquid crystal system, the director refers to the local symmetry axis around which the long range order of the liquid crystal is aligned. In the case of the nematic phase, the molecular long...

dislocation

The region of distorted atom configuration formed between the displaced and normal areas in a crystal when part of the crystal is displaced tangentially.

doma

A primitive crystal possessing two plane surfaces that form a dihedral angle bisected by another plane surface.

doping

In the context of materials science and semiconductor physics, doping refers to the intentional introduction of impurities into a semiconductor material in order to alter its electrical properties....

double refraction

The separation of unpolarized light into two plane-polarized elements by a doubly refracting crystal. When a crystal, such as calcite, is placed between the eye and a pinhole in a card, two bright...

doubly refracting crystal

A transparent crystalline substance that is anisotropic relative to the velocity of light.

dynamic magneto-optical correlator

An optical correlator incorporating a binary phase-only spatial light modulator made from an iron garnet magneto-optic solid crystal and used in target recognition systems.

dynamic theory

The theoretical explanation and analysis of the interactions between electron waves and crystals used in studying electron diffraction.

elaterite

The organic inclusion in quartz crystal that forms delicate films and microspheres and that shows a maximum absorption at 450 nm.

electro-optic deflection

The effect whereby a light beam is deflected by a birefringent prism when its polarization is changed by voltage applied to an electro-optical crystal through which the beam passes. The deflection of...

electroholography

A technology that uses electrically activated holograms stored within specially developed crystals to route information in the form of lightwave signals from one optical fiber to another within and...

electromagnon

An electromagnon is a quasiparticle excitation that combines aspects of both magnetism and electric polarization in a crystal lattice. Specifically, it refers to a collective excitation of spins and...

elliptical polarization -> polarization

Polarization refers to the orientation of oscillations in a transverse wave, such as light waves, radio waves, or other electromagnetic waves. In simpler terms, it describes the direction in which...

emulsion

In photography, the layer of light-sensitive material (usually a suspension of silver halide crystals) that coats the film or plate.

Photonics Dictionary