Photonics Dictionary: E

Three proportional coefficients labeled Am, Bmn, and Bnm, that respectively characterize the rate of spontaneous emission, induced emission, and absorption of radiation by an atom, ion or molecule.

The ejection of electrons from the surface of a solid by the absorption of a sufficient amount of photons.

In photoelectric sensing, the portion of the transmitted beam that actually functions in the system; the diameter of the beam that determines the presence or absence of an object by being blocked or...

1. The branch of physics that deals with the use of electrical energy to create or manipulate light waves, generally by changing the refractive index of a light-propagating material; 2....

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...

An EMCCD (electron-multiplying charge-coupled device) camera is a type of scientific camera specifically designed for low-light imaging applications that require high sensitivity and fast readout...

An electron-beam lithography (EBL) system is a sophisticated nanofabrication tool used in the semiconductor industry and research laboratories to pattern extremely fine features with sub-micrometer...

A nonmagnetic instrument utilizing an electrofocus and deflection tube with a photocathode for imaging purposes. The optical image is converted into a photoelectric output at the photocathode and is...

Magnification that is above the level of maximum useful magnification and does not contribute useful resolving power. In a visual telescope, empty magnification is any in excess of 20 D, where D =...

An endoscope is a medical device used for visualizing and examining the interior of hollow organs, body cavities, or confined spaces within the body. It consists of a flexible or rigid tube equipped...

Epitaxial deposition is a process used in semiconductor manufacturing and materials science to grow a thin crystalline layer, known as an epitaxial layer, on a substrate. The term epitaxial refers to...

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...

An etalon is an optical device that consists of two parallel reflecting surfaces separated by a precise and known distance. It operates based on the principle of optical interference and is used to...

A factor, F, indicating the increase in shot noise in an avalanche photodiode as compared with the ideal multiplier, which is noiseless. The noise, which results from variations in avalanche gains,...

The term "excimer," strictly used, refers to excited species made by combination of two identical moieties, atoms or molecules. Excited complexes that do not fall into this category are...

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...

A ray that has a nonisotropic speed in a doubly refracting crystal. It does not necessarily obey Snell's law upon refraction at the crystal surface.