Photonics Dictionary

The site behind the lens system in a camera where photographic media are positioned for exposure.

A mechanism in a camera designed to position the film in the focal plane for exposure.

A device used to scan images or information on photographic film for the subsequent relay of information.

An instrument designed to place nongraphic information, usually generated by a computer, onto photographic film. The information is generally encoded as a series of opaque and translucent spots, or...

The process by which the light from the images of photographic film is encoded into electrical signals for video transmission.

An interferometer spectrometer designed to measure thicknesses of thin films or layers by recording the interferogram and by having a computer within the instrument to establish the distance between...

The butt (edge to edge) splice of two pieces of film produced by a heat splicer that melts the edges together; used in editing motion picture film.

Also cellulose acetate film. The emulsion layer applied to the substrate of a photographic surface. The emulsion layer is composed of small particles suspended in gelatin solution.

Film designed especially for the needs and conditions encountered in aerial photography. It is produced in a variety of widths, lengths and emulsions.

In analysis, the carbon layer that is evaporation-deposited on a specimen to protect and ready it for study by electron microscopy.

Film that produces color negatives or transparencies by the use of three emulsions, one coated over the other, that are each sensitive to one of the colors red, blue or green.

A camera system capable of producing microfilm copies of computerized data presented on a screen.

A very hard, highly transparent coating based on forms of carbon, used to protect optical components from abrasion and chemical damage.

A type of photographic film, often used in microfilming, that is processed by heat treatment, needing no liquid application.

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...

The method by which photographic film is scanned by an electron beam. One technique uses the uniform light of a television screen, focused by a lens onto the processed film, as a means of creating a...

Film in which electric polarization is reversible when influenced by an electric field.

An early form of photographic media consisting of glass plates coated with an emulsion.

An amorphous film in which cylindrical bubbles of reverse magnetization can be formed to follow circuit paths usually made by depositing magnetic metal strips on the film surface. It is used in...

A camera used to reduce originals onto film for easy storage. There are two basic types: one in which the film is fixed during exposure, and one in which the film is exposed while moving past an...

Two essential pieces of equipment used in connection with the microfilming process: a camera capable of producing, on film, large-scale reductions of almost any matter, printed, painted or...

A device used to view microfilmed documents where the image on film is projected, in magnified form, onto a rear projection screen for viewing.

A camera copying system that can reduce originals onto 35- or 16-mm film for easy storage.

Black and white film that is sensitive to green, blue and violet light but not to red light.

Black and white film that has a wavelength sensitivity similar to that of the eye.

A film of material that exhibits varying conductivity based upon its absorption of varying amounts of photon radiation.

The film used in photographic dosimetry to record the types and amounts of ionizing radiation, such as x-rays and gamma rays, present in an area for a set interval of time. The negative produced by...

A type of holographic film widely used for industrial applications because it is inexpensive and erasable.

A microcircuit whose passive components consist of a ceramic-metal combination deposited on a given substrate by screening and firing processes.

Successive layering of resistive, dielectric and conductive inks on a substrate by a type of screening process.

A thin layer of a substance deposited on an insulating base in a vacuum by a microelectronic process. Thin films are most commonly used for antireflection, achromatic beamsplitters, color filters,...

A circuit whose passive components are deposited on a given substrate by sputtering or vacuum processes.

Thin-film coatings are layers of material applied to the surface of an object or substrate, typically to modify its optical, electrical, or mechanical properties. These coatings are composed of thin...

Thin-film deposition equipment refers to machinery and tools used in the process of depositing thin layers of material onto a substrate surface. This technique is commonly employed in various...

A memory device consisting of thin disks of a magnetic substance deposited on a nonmagnetic substrate for use in a computer.

A semiconductor formed by applying a particular single-crystal layer to the specific insulator.

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...

A transparent dielectric film, bounded by material of a lower index of refraction, capable of guiding light.

Imaging materials that generally consist of a polyester base, a transparent electrically conductive layer and an organic photoconductive top coating. When charged and exposed to light, an...

A film or plate that is usually coated on both sides with a very fast emulsion that is sensitive to x-rays, and used to record x-ray diffraction patterns photographically.

A type of liquid-crystal display in which each display element contains an active component, such as a thin-film transistor, to maintain its state between refresh scans.

An OLED display that has an integrated electronic backplane as its substrate. Active-matrix OLED displays use at least two thin-film transistors (TFTs) to control the on-current at each OLED cell or...

An OLED display that has an integrated electronic backplane as its substrate. Active-matrix OLED displays use at least two thin-film transistors (TFTs) to control the on-current at each OLED cell or...

The intermolecular attraction between two surfaces, as between a substrate and a coating; it is an important factor in the durability of optical thin films.

A cathode-ray tube having a screen that is coated on the back with a thin film of aluminum, which serves to intensify the propagation of light.

The process of applying a film of aluminum to a surface, usually by evaporation in a vacuum.

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...