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SEM Dictionary Terms

charge-injection device
A charge-injection device (CID) refers to a class of devices that manipulate and detect electrical charge within a...
computer graphics workstation
The physical area containing an assembly of computer graphics equipment for presenting generated images and allowing...
optical assembly
An optical assembly refers to a collection of optical components that are carefully arranged and aligned to perform a...
carrier injection
Carrier injection refers to the process of introducing charge carriers (either electrons or holes) into a semiconductor...
short-arc lamp
A compact high-pressure light source in which an electrical discharge between electrodes spaced no more than 12 mm apart...
spheric lens
A spheric lens, also known as a spherical lens, is a type of optical lens with at least one surface that is part of a...
hydrogel
A hydrogel is a three-dimensional network of polymer chains that are hydrophilic, meaning they have a strong affinity for...
solid-state imaging system
An imaging system that uses a mosaic of tiny light-sensitive semiconductors (phototransistors) to produce individual outputs...
pipeline
In image processing and elsewhere, generally an adjective to describe an assembly-line arrangement for performing a task....
P-type material
A semiconductor material in which the dopants create holes as the majority charge carrier. It is formed by doping with...
back-wall photovoltaic cell
A photovoltaic cell designed so that light travels through the front electrode and a semiconductor before it comes to the...
semitransparent and p-phase annular aperture
An aperture consisting of a semitransparent central region whose amplitude transmittance only is varied, and the relative...
phase conjugation
The use of a reflective device, which can be fashioned from a variety of materials including gases, solids, dyes, aerosols,...
Dove prism
A form of prism invented by H.W. Dove. It resembles half of a common right-angle prism in which a ray entering parallel to...
photodischarge spectroscopy
A spectroscopic process that detects and analyzes the discharge from an extrinsic surface with less than bandgap light. This...
high-speed motion camera
A high-speed motion camera, also known as a high-speed camera or slow-motion camera, is a specialized imaging device...
lithography
Lithography is a key process used in microfabrication and semiconductor manufacturing to create intricate patterns on the...
offset prism
A prism or prism assembly that serves to displace the instrument's optical axis.
accelerometer
An accelerometer is a sensor or transducer that measures the rate of change of velocity of an object, or in simpler terms,...
photonic integrated circuit
A photonic integrated circuit (PIC) is a compact and integrated device that incorporates multiple photonic components and...
photovoltaic cell
A photovoltaic cell, commonly known as a solar cell, is a semiconductor device that directly converts light energy into...
optoelectronic integrated circuit
A monolithic device containing both photonic and electronic sources, detectors, modulators, etc., on a single semiconductor...
catastrophic optical damage
The darkening of the laser facet of a semiconductor laser diode. It can be prevented by placing the component in a...
extrinsic properties
The properties exhibited by a semiconductor as the result of its modification by imperfections and impurities in the crystal.
substage condenser
In a microscope, the optical assembly that focuses light on the specimen and into the objective.
Kerr effect
The Kerr effect, named after the physicist John Kerr who first observed it in 1875, is a nonlinear optical phenomenon where...
line-narrowed laser
A semiconductor laser in which the naturally occurring broad linewidth has been narrowed by incorporating the laser diode...
thermophotovoltaic
Thermophotovoltaic (TPV) refers to a technology that converts heat energy into electricity using the principles of...
photodiode
A two-electrode, radiation-sensitive junction formed in a semiconductor material in which the reverse current varies with...
sputtering target
A sputtering target is a solid material used in the process of physical vapor deposition (PVD), specifically sputtering....
intensified charge-coupled device camera
An intensified charge-coupled device (ICCD) camera is an advanced imaging device that combines the capabilities of both an...
trapped plasma avalanche-triggered transit
Oscillator device composed of a semiconducting diode in a coaxial resonating cavity. When the biasing current is applied to...
photolithography
Photolithography is a key process in the manufacturing of semiconductor devices, integrated circuits, and...
thermistor
A solid-state semiconducting structure (basically one of the bolometers) that changes electrical resistance with...
thin film
A thin layer of a substance deposited on an insulating base in a vacuum by a microelectronic process. Thin films are most...
gallium antimonide
A binary semiconductor compound used as a substrate or active layer for diode lasers.
stibine gas
The purest gas source of antimony, which is used in the manufacture of compound semiconductors for IR sensors and...
optoelectronics
Optoelectronics is a branch of electronics that focuses on the study and application of devices and systems that use light...
multispectral imaging
Multispectral imaging is a technique that involves capturing and analyzing images at multiple discrete spectral bands within...
liquid marble
Liquid marble refers to a unique form of microscale liquid encapsulation, where small droplets of liquid are coated with a...
semifinished blank
A formed piece of glass, one surface of which has been ground and polished to the required curvatures.
complementary metal-oxide semiconductor
Complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) refers to a technology used in the fabrication of integrated circuits,...
TO package
Housing that resembles a small metal can for a semiconductor component, photodetector or similar device.
extrinsic detector
A photodetector composed of a semiconductor material whose responsive properties can be altered by the addition of...
two-six
Referring to compound semiconductor materials combining one element with two valence electrons and one or more with six....
simple magnifier
A short focal length (less than five inches) positive lens used to produce a magnified image of the object being viewed....
slicing and cutting machines - for crystals, quartz, glass, etc.
A crystal, glass, or quartz slicing and cutting machine is a specialized piece of equipment used in the manufacturing...
solid-state lamp
An electroluminescent semiconductor that emits low intensity radiation in the green or red regions. Used as an indicator...
Fermi-Dirac function
The mathematical expression of the probability of any given state of energy being occupied when a semiconductor is in...
semilenticular screen
A projection screen having vertical ribs or flutes set into a plastic surface.
recombination radiation
The radiation emitted in semiconductors when electrons in the conduction band recombine with holes in the valence band. If...
coincidence prism
A compound prism consisting of an assembly of small prisms cemented together that is used in a coincidence rangefinder to...
wafer
In the context of electronics and semiconductor manufacturing, a wafer refers to a thin, flat disk or substrate made of a...
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...
coded aperture imaging
An imaging process in which the single opening of a simple pinhole camera is replaced with many openings called,...
cleaning equipment
In optics, degreasers or ultrasonic arrangements used for removing pitch, cement or polishing material from lenses during...
crystalline lens
The internal lens of the eye. It is semielastic to permit changes in its power when focusing on objects at near distances.
positron emission tomography
A medical imaging device that uses a ring of crystal/photomultiplier tube assemblies encircling the patient to detect gamma...
variable-focus lens
A lens assembly containing several movable elements to permit changing of the effective focal length (EFL). Unlike a zoom...
image amplifier
An electro-optic system using, in general form, an evacuated glass envelope with a semitransparent photocathode at one end...
Glan-Thompson prism
A prism resembling a Nicol prism but having faces normal to the axis and the two parts divided by a glycerine film. Also...
combiner
A semitransparent mirror in an optical system that combines two or more output beams into a single coaxial beam.
hybrid cable
A cable assembly containing both optical fibers and copper electrical conductors in the same jacket.
scientific complementary metal-oxide semiconductor
Scientific complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (sCMOS) refers to a type of image sensor technology specifically designed...
optical manufacturing tools and machinery
Optical manufacturing tools and machinery encompass a wide range of equipment, instruments, and systems used in the...
GaAlAs laser
A GaAlAs laser is a type of semiconductor laser diode that emits light in the near-infrared region of the electromagnetic...
optical lattice
A periodic structure formed by intersecting or superimposed laser beams. These beams can trap atoms in low-potential...
substrate
A substrate refers to a material or surface upon which another material or process is applied or deposited. In various...
semifinished
A term used to describe a spectacle lens or blank with one surface totally finished.
P-type conductivity
In a semiconductor, the state created by the addition of a dopant that creates excess holes.
junction diode
A semiconductor device with the property of conducting current more easily in one direction than the other. It has two...
photoresist
Photoresist is a light-sensitive material used in photolithography processes, particularly in the fabrication of...
optical design and engineering services
Optical design and engineering services involve the development, customization, and optimization of optical systems and...
infrared signal generator
A device that combines electronic and optical techniques to form a monitored infrared signal between 1 and 14 µm. It...
fiber optic cable assembly
A fiber optic cable assembly refers to a complete unit consisting of optical fibers, connectors, protective jackets, and...
cathode-ray tube faceplate
A fiber optic end plate constructed by drawing a bundle of parallel fibers embedded in glass and cutting it into thin...
confocal resonator
A confocal resonator, also known as a confocal cavity or confocal laser resonator, is a type of optical resonator...
metasurfaces
Metasurfaces are two-dimensional arrays of subwavelength-scale artificial structures, often referred to as meta-atoms or...
probe card
A probe card is a testing device used in the semiconductor manufacturing industry to evaluate and test the electrical...
varactor
A semiconductor diode that exhibits change in capacitance with a change in applied voltage; used as a voltage-variable...
unijunction transistor
A three-terminal semiconductor having only one PN junction and a stable, open-circuit, negative-resistance property.
proximity-focused image tube
A planar photocathode and a planar phosphor screen mounted in a close-spaced parallel configuration in an evacuated...
relay condenser
A form of lens assembly used in a projection system to maximize efficiency and assure uniform illumination of the object...
xenon
A rare gas used in small high-pressure arc lamps to produce a high-intensity source of light closely resembling the color...
thermoelectric solar cell
A solar cell that uses a thermoelectric converter, consisting of two sheets of metal with a semiconductor sandwiched between...
vertical external cavity surface-emitting laser
A laser that has a surface-emitting semiconductor gain element coupled to an external mirror designed to complete the laser...
organic light-emitting diode
An organic light-emitting diode (OLED) is a type of light-emitting diode (LED) technology that utilizes organic compounds to...
loupe
A low-power (2x to 10x) magnifier consisting of a single positive lens assembly.
blue diode laser
A blue diode laser is a type of semiconductor laser that emits light in the blue wavelength range of the electromagnetic...
block
A supporting member used to hold optical parts during grinding and polishing. It also describes the assemblage of optical...
compound semiconductor
A semiconductor made up of two or more elements, in contrast to those composed of a single element such as germanium or...
aligned bundle
An assembly of fibers in which the coordinates of each fiber are the same at the two ends of the bundle. Also called...
quantum cascade laser
A quantum cascade laser (QCL) is a type of semiconductor laser that operates based on the principles of quantum mechanics....
single-photon avalanche diode
A single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) is a specialized type of photodetector designed to detect extremely weak optical...
integrated photonics
Integrated photonics is a field of study and technology that involves the integration of optical components, such as lasers,...
crystal diode
A diode with a semiconducting material, such as germanium or silicon, for one electrode, and a fine wire "whisker''...
correlated double sampling
A technique for removing thermal noise and drift from focal plane assemblies by sampling the system output between views of...
tellurium
The material favored for study of interaction of high-acoustic intensities with free carriers. Tellurium is the...
automated optical inspection
Automated optical inspection (AOI) is a technology used in manufacturing processes, particularly in electronics, to...
masks for evaporation/deposition
In the context of thin film deposition processes such as evaporation or sputtering, masks are used to selectively deposit...
PP junction
A transition boundary between two regions having different properties in a P-type semiconducting material.
Dewar vessel
An evacuated, double-walled container for storing liquids at low temperatures. Often made of glass, the vessel resembles a...
homojunction
A junction between semiconductors that differ in their doping level conductivities but not in their atomic or alloy...
photonic crystals
Photonic crystals are artificial structures or materials designed to manipulate and control the flow of light in a manner...
automatic recording spectrograph
A direct reading spectrograph having a photomultiplier assembly in place of a photographic plate. The output from the...
chalcogenide
Chalcogenide refers to a class of compounds containing elements from group 16 of the periodic table, which includes sulfur...
photoacoustic spectroscopy
A method for obtaining the optical absorption spectra of solids, semisolids, liquids and gases. PAS is inherently...
covalent crystal
A crystal formed by covalent bonds that are generally highly directional by nature. The electric characteristics of these...
radius tool
A metal device of convex or concave curvature to which lens castings or semifinished lenses are cemented with only their...
epitaxial deposition
Epitaxial deposition is a process used in semiconductor manufacturing and materials science to grow a thin crystalline...
Bridgman technique
Crystal growth method that resembles static freeze, but that induces growth by removing the ampoule from the furnace so that...
terahertz spectrometer
A terahertz spectrometer is a scientific instrument used to measure and analyze the properties of materials in the terahertz...
electron storage ring
An advanced magnetic device used in x-ray lithography to beam x-rays onto the surface of silicon wafers used for...
quantum dot light-emitting diode
Quantum dot light-emitting diode (QLED) is a display technology that utilizes quantum dots, which are semiconductor...
injection luminescent diode
A semiconductor diode operating in either a coherent or incoherent mode that is used as a near-infrared or visible source in...
cylindrical lens
A cylindrical lens is an optical component that has different curvatures along its two orthogonal axes, resulting in a shape...
indium gallium arsenide camera
An InGaAs (indium gallium arsenide) camera is a type of imaging device that utilizes InGaAs sensors to capture images in the...
GaN distributed feedback lasers
GaN (gallium nitride) distributed feedback (DFB) lasers refer to a specific type of semiconductor laser based on Gallium...
nanopositioning
Nanopositioning refers to the precise and controlled movement or manipulation of objects or components at the nanometer...
fiber laser
A fiber laser is a type of laser in which the active gain medium is an optical fiber doped with rare-earth ions such as...
photoluminescence mapping
A technique used for noncontact inspection of semiconductor wafers. The material is illuminated by an excitation source that...
lensless microscopy
Lensless microscopy, also known as computational or holographic microscopy, is an imaging technique that captures and...
quasi-optical
Having properties resembling those of light- waves; e.g., the propagation of waves in the television spectrum.
APD detector
An APD detector, or avalanche photodiode detector, is a type of photodetector used to detect light or optical signals by...
pulsed laser deposition
A technique for depositing a material coating on metal, ceramic, semiconductor or polymer substrates. The interaction of...
SPIN
Acronym for self-aligned polysilicon interconnect N-channel. A metal-gate process that uses aluminum for the metal-oxide...
detector-Dewar assembly
A detector-Dewar assembly typically refers to a combination of a detector and a Dewar flask used in scientific instruments,...
spin-flip Raman laser
A semiconductor laser that operates in the infrared and that is pumped with strong pulses of radiation from a second laser....
electronics
That branch of science involved in the study and utilization of the motion, emissions and behaviors of currents of...
CCD camera
A CCD camera, or charge-coupled device camera, is a type of digital camera that utilizes a CCD image sensor to capture and...
London equations
The partial differential equations for the spatial and time dependence of electric and magnetic fields inside a...
detector array
A detector array refers to a collection of individual detector elements arranged in a two-dimensional grid or matrix format....
image enhancement laser
A semiconductor platelet laser that emits a coherent image by means of plane optical pumping over the platelet surface, and...
annealing
The process of heating and slowly cooling a solid material, like glass or metal, to stabilize its thermal, electrical or...
molded blank
A blank whose basic surface curves are attained by heating and forming a given weight of raw glass; a rough glass blank...
germanium
A crystalline semiconductor material that transmits in the infrared.
wedge ring detector
A diffraction pattern sampling unit composed of a 32-element monolithic silicon photodiode array and a readout unit. The...
optical bistability
The phenomenon that can render an optical resonator the equivalent of a semiconductor flip-flop. A bistable device will...
daylight lamp
An incandescent or fluorescent lamp whose emittance spectrum resembles that of daylight.
Peltier cooler
A Peltier cooler, also known as a thermoelectric cooler (TEC) or thermoelectric module, is a solid-state device that uses...
core-coupled lens
A semispherical or conical lens created directly on the core of an optical fiber to focus light from a laser into the fiber...
photomask
A photomask, also known simply as a mask or reticle, is a key component in the photolithography process used in...
nanoLED
An LED (light-emitting diode) is a semiconductor device that emits light when an electric current passes through it. LEDs...
photoconductive antenna
Photoconductive antenna (PCA) is a semiconductor element that generates or detects high-frequency electromagnetic signals....
light-activated silicon-controlled rectifier
A PN-PN device with incident light taking the place of gate current; three of the four semiconductor regions are available...
laser active elements
Laser active elements typically refers to the substances or materials within a laser system that play a critical role in the...
fused array of fibers
Optical fibers fused together to form a solid, vacuum-tight assembly in the form of a slab or rod. Discs or rectangular...
semiconductor
A semiconductor is a type of material that has electrical conductivity between that of a conductor and an insulator. In...
image quality
A measure of the closeness with which an optical image is capable of resembling the original object. The factors that affect...
negative-electron-affinity photocathode
A photocathode having a P-type semiconductor with a work function less than its bandgap. The photocathode can release a...
PIN photodiode
A PIN photodiode is a type of photodetector or semiconductor device used to convert light signals into electrical signals....
gallium arsenide injection laser
A laser system consisting of a planar PN junction within a single crystal of gallium arsenide. The pair of parallel,...
germanium crystal
Germanium crystal refers to a crystalline form of the element germanium (Ge), which is a metalloid and semiconductor...
electron-gun system
An electron-gun system is an assembly used to generate and control a focused beam of electrons. Electron guns find...
proof-of-concept system
An assembly of prototype instruments, equipment and/or software designed to perform all the functions of a concept or idea...
epitaxial equipment
Epitaxial equipment refers to a set of specialized tools and systems used in the process of epitaxy, which is the growth of...
Rochon prism
A polarizing prism assembly made up of two cemented calcite halves. The prism transmits the ordinary ray without deviation,...
infrared detector
An infrared detector is a device that is used to detect and measure infrared radiation, which lies beyond the visible...
light-emitting diode
An LED, or light emitting diode, is a semiconductor device that emits light when an electric current passes through it. LEDs...
integrated Dewar cooler assembly
An infrared detector mounted directly on the cold finger of the Dewar cooler rather than at the interface of Dewar and...
single-molecule FRET
Single-molecule Förster resonance energy transfer (smFRET) is a specialized technique in biophysics and molecular...
ion-beam sputtering
Ion-beam sputtering (IBS) is a physical vapor deposition (PVD) technique used for depositing thin films onto substrates. It...
PN junction
The transition boundary between P-type and N-type materials in a semiconductor.
CCD image sensor
A CCD image sensor, or charge-coupled device image sensor, is a type of electronic device used to convert optical images...
optical cable assembly
An optical cable that is connector terminated. Generally, an optical cable that has been terminated by a manufacturer and is...
optical materials
Optical materials refer to substances or compounds specifically chosen for their optical properties and used in the...
concave and convex spherical mirror
Concave and convex spherical mirrors are types of curved mirrors that have surfaces shaped like segments of spheres. These...
laser pointer
Handheld optical laser device containing a semiconductor or DPSS source. The output is corrected via internal collimating...
pencil beam
In astronomy, the main lobe of an antenna pattern that has a small angular extent in two mutually perpendicular directions....
liquid crystal
Liquid crystals are a state of matter that exhibits properties intermediate between those of conventional liquids and solid...
coherent fiber bundle
A coherent fiber bundle (CFB), also known as a coherent fiber optic bundle, is an assembly of multiple optical fibers...
photodiode detector
A photodiode detector is a semiconductor device that converts light into an electrical current. It operates based on the...
GRIN lens
A GRIN (gradient index) lens is a type of optical lens that utilizes a gradient in refractive index across its volume rather...
Franz-Keldysh effect
Observed lengthening in wavelengths of the optical absorption edge of a semiconductor with the application of an electric...
fiber optic spectrometer
A fiber optic spectrometer is a device used for measuring the spectral content of light. It utilizes optical fibers to...
transistor
An electronic device consisting of a semiconductor material, generally germanium or silicon, and used for rectification,...
focal plane assembly
An infrared imaging device composed of a detector array and readout electronics. It may include a cryogenic cooling system....
lattice
In photonics, a lattice refers to a periodic arrangement of optical elements or structures, often on a microscopic or...
ellipsometry
Ellipsometry is an optical technique used to characterize the properties of thin films and surfaces. It is based on the...
extreme ultraviolet
Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) refers to a specific range of electromagnetic radiation in the ultraviolet part of the spectrum....
nanotube
A nanotube, also known as a nanotubule or simply a tube-like structure, is a nanoscale cylindrical structure composed of...
thin-film deposition equipment
Thin-film deposition equipment refers to machinery and tools used in the process of depositing thin layers of material onto...
half-shade plate
A semicircular, half-wave quartz plate between the polarizer and analyzer. It often is used in forming precision settings...
comb filter
A filter that passes a series of wavelength regions that are at equal distances from one another, such that its output...
machine vision system
A machine vision system is an integrated combination of hardware and software components designed to capture, process, and...
electron device
Any device in which the passage of electrons through a vacuum, gas or semiconductor is the principal means of conduction.
retroreflecting multipass cell
Two lenses, separated by a distance equal to the sum of their focal lengths, and retroreflecting mirror assemblies, one of...
topology
Topology is a branch of mathematics that focuses on the properties of space that are preserved under continuous...
quantum efficiency
Quantum efficiency (QE) is a measure of the effectiveness with which a device or system, typically in the context of...
short wavelength infrared
Short wavelength infrared (SWIR) refers to the portion of the infrared spectrum that encompasses wavelengths roughly between...
thin-film semiconductor
A semiconductor formed by applying a particular single-crystal layer to the specific insulator.
proximal scanning
Technique using a fiber optic assembly to illuminate an opaque object and transmit an image back from it without a lens...
scanning electron microscopy
Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) is an advanced imaging technique used in microscopy to obtain high-resolution,...
conduction band
A partially filled or empty energy band through which electrons can move easily. The material can therefore carry an...
monitor current
In a laser diode, the photocurrent produced by a photodiode that detects the emission from the rear facet of the...
fiber bundle
A rigid or flexible, concentrated assembly of glass or plastic fibers used to transmit optical images or light. See aligned...
Mach-Zehnder interferometer
A Mach-Zehnder interferometer is an optical device used to measure the phase difference between two collimated beams of...
photonics contract manufacturing
Photonics contract manufacturing refers to the outsourcing of the production of photonics-related components, devices, or...
orange peel
In the context of imaging, particularly digital imaging and printing, "orange peel" refers to a texture or visual distortion...
sputtering equipment
Sputtering equipment is machinery used in the process of physical vapor deposition (PVD), specifically sputtering....
heterojunction
A junction between semiconductors that differ in their doping level conductivities, and also in their atomic or alloy...
semitransparent photocathode
A photocathode that receives radiation from one side and emits a photoelectric current from the opposite side.
acceptor
Impurity in a semiconductor or any other electroluminescent device capable of inducing hole conduction and accepting a...
direct-vision prism
An assembly of multiple prisms that disperses incident light into its spectral components without deviating light at the...
Seidel aberrations
Seidel aberrations refer to a set of monochromatic aberrations in optical systems, named after the German mathematician and...
triplet
A lens assembly made up of three lens elements that may or may not be cemented.
CMOS camera
A CMOS camera refers to an imaging device that employs a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor to...
unipolar
Refers to the transistors in which the working current flows through only one type of semiconductor material, either P-type...
gallium arsenide phosphide
Gallium arsenide phosphide (GaAsP) is a semiconductor alloy composed of gallium (Ga), arsenic (As), and phosphorus (P). It...
linear positioning stage
A linear positioning stage, also known as a linear stage or translation stage, is a precision mechanical device used to...
sapphire
Sapphire refers to a crystalline form of aluminum oxide (Al2O3) that is used in various optical and photonic applications...
N-type material
A quadrivalent semiconductor material, with electrons as the majority charge carriers, that is formed by doping with donor...
epitaxial
Epitaxial refers to the growth of a crystalline layer on a crystalline substrate in such a way that the orientation of the...
gallium nitride
Gallium nitride (GaN) is a compound made up of gallium (Ga) and nitrogen (N). It is a wide-bandgap semiconductor material...
noncoherent bundle
An assembly of optical fibers that will not transmit coherent images or information because the relationship of the fibers...
active layer
That layer in a semiconductor injection laser or light-emitting diode that provides optical gain.
Porro prism
A 45-90-45° reflecting prism whose surfaces form the 90° angle reflecting the light beam through a total angle of 180°. The...
mirror mount
A mirror mount is a mechanical device used to secure and precisely position mirrors in optical systems. Mirrors are...
gallium aluminum arsenide
A crystalline semiconductor alloy used as the light confinement layer in both single- and double-heterostructure diode...
xylene
Fluid used to aid in examination of semifinished blanks.
phase mask
In optics and photolithography, a phase mask refers to a device that modifies the phase of light waves passing through it....
three-five
Referring to compound semiconductor materials combining one element that has three valence electrons with one or more that...
photodiffusion effect
The potential difference between two areas of a semiconductor when one is exposed to light.
deformable mirror device
A spatial light modulator consisting of a metallized polymer film stretched over an array of metal-oxide semiconductor...
cold finger
A cryogenically cooled component incorporated into the Dewar of an infrared detector assembly to maintain the sensing...
Zener diode
A type of semiconductor diode used in voltage-limiting circuits; when voltage reaches a certain value, the device becomes a...
custom lapping and polishing services
Custom lapping and polishing services involve specialized processes used to improve the surface finish and dimensional...
dual inline package
A package for electronic components that is suited for automated assembly into printed circuit boards. The DIP is...
transmission electron microscope
A transmission electron microscope (TEM) is a powerful microscopy technique that uses a beam of electrons to create...
quantum well
A quantum well is a structure in quantum mechanics that confines particles, such as electrons or holes, in one spatial...
depletion region
The region at the PN junction in a semiconductor radiation detector where the potential energies of the two materials create...
dBm
Decibels referenced to one milliwatt; often used to specify power ratings for semiconductor diode lasers.
surface-emitting laser diode
A semiconductor laser diode that emits light perpendicular to the active region. The output radiation is taken through the...
fiber optic scanner
A scanner in which a fiber optic assembly replaces a lens system.
charge-coupled device
A charge-coupled device (CCD) is a type of electronic image sensor used in various imaging devices, including digital...
grown-junction photocell
A photodiode that has been designed so that the bar of semiconductor material has a PN junction perpendicular to its length...
infrared-emitting diode
A semiconductor device with a semiconductor junction in which infrared radiant flux is nonthermally produced when a current...
III-V material
In semiconductor physics and materials science, the term "III-V materials" refers to compounds composed of elements from...
thyristor
A family of semiconductor switching devices of which the silicon-controlled rectifier and the triac are most commonly used....
bandgap
In semiconductor physics, the term bandgap refers to the energy range in a material where no electronic states are allowed....
GaN-based LEDs
Gallium nitride-based light-emitting diodes (GaN-based LEDs) are semiconductor devices that emit light when an electric...
distributed feedback laser
A distributed feedback laser (DFB laser) is a type of semiconductor laser diode designed to emit coherent, narrow-bandwidth...
eye pattern
A pattern on an oscilloscope display that consists of a string of shapes that resemble eyes. Because the pattern becomes...
breadboard
An experimental model of an electrical circuit or complex assembly; a prototype.
quantum confinement
Quantum confinement refers to the phenomenon in quantum mechanics where the motion of charge carriers, such as electrons or...
piezoelectric motion systems
Piezoelectric motion systems are mechanical systems that utilize piezoelectric materials to generate controlled motion or...
indium phosphide
Indium phosphide (InP) is a compound semiconductor material composed of indium (In) and phosphorus (P). It belongs to the...
kinematic mount
A mount for an optic element or optics assembly, designed so that all six degrees of freedom are singly constrained. This...
excess noise factor
A factor, F, indicating the increase in shot noise in an avalanche photodiode as compared with the ideal multiplier, which...
photovoltaic
Photovoltaic (PV) refers to a technology that converts sunlight directly into electricity using semiconductors. The term...
microfilm camera
A camera used to reduce originals onto film for easy storage. There are two basic types: one in which the film is fixed...
triac
A semiconductor device that functions as an electrically controlled switch for AC loads.
split lens
A close-up lens, semicircular in shape, that is mounted in front of a conventional lens focused at infinity. The result is...
laser annealing
Laser annealing is a process that involves using a laser beam to heat and modify the microstructure of a material, typically...
indium antimonide
A semiconductor material that is used as an infrared detector for light up to 5 µm in wavelength.
microbubble resonator
A microbubble resonator is a device used in photonics and optical physics for the precise manipulation of light waves. It...
cold atom
Cold atoms refer to atoms that have been cooled to extremely low temperatures, typically in the microkelvin (µK) to...
InGaAs photodiode
An InGaAs photodiode refers to a photodetector device that is constructed using a semiconductor material composed of a...
liquid crystal on silicon
Liquid crystal on silicon (LCoS) is a display technology that combines liquid crystal materials with silicon-based...
polariton
A polariton is a quasiparticle resulting from the strong coupling between photons (light particles) and certain types of...
quantum dots
A quantum dot is a nanoscale semiconductor structure, typically composed of materials like cadmium selenide or indium...
infrared light source
An infrared light source is a device that emits light in the infrared spectrum, which lies beyond the visible spectrum of...
clear aperture
The limited light-gathering area of an optical system. The area is normally restricted to an edge or outer surface of an...
epitaxy
A well controlled thin films technique for growing films with good crystal structure in ultra high vacuum environments at...
capnometer
An instrument incorporating an infrared detector assembly, used to analyze carbon dioxide gases and in medical applications...
symmetry operation
Any systemic process that ultimately reassembles all the system's components into their initial alignment, or an arrangement...
microscopy
Microscopy is a scientific technique that involves the use of microscopes to observe and study objects that are too small to...
edge-emitting LED
An edge-emitting light-emitting diode is a type of LED structure where light emission occurs primarily along the edge of the...
scientific CMOS camera
A scientific CMOS (complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor) camera is a type of digital camera specifically designed for...
N-type conductivity
In a semiconductor, the state created by the addition of a dopant that provides excess electrons.
excitation
1. The process by which an atom acquires energy sufficient to raise it to a quantum state higher than its ground state. 2....
pyramid error
Pyramid error in optics refers to an aberration in the shape of an optical surface, particularly in the context of mirrors....
bipolar
Refers to transistors in which the working current flows through two types of semiconductor material: N- and P-type. In...
electron-beam lithography system
An electron-beam lithography (EBL) system is a sophisticated nanofabrication tool used in the semiconductor industry and...
solar cell
A device for converting sunlight into electrical energy, consisting of a sandwich of P-type and N-type semiconducting...
optical-grade silicon
The element that resembles a lightweight metal, but when very pure, has a very high electrical resistance and is transparent...
intrinsic photoconductivity
The absorption of a photon raising an electron across the forbidden gap from valence to conduction band of the semiconductor...
CMOS image sensor
A CMOS image sensor, short for complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor image sensor, is a type of semiconductor device used...
chemical vapor deposition equipment
Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) equipment refers to a class of specialized apparatus used in the process of chemical vapor...
linear array
A solid-state video detector consisting of a single row of light-sensitive semiconductor devices, used in linear-array...
infrared light-emitting diode
An infrared light-emitting diode (IR LED) is a semiconductor device that emits infrared light when an electric current...
plasmonics
Plasmonics is a field of science and technology that focuses on the interaction between electromagnetic radiation and free...
radio-frequency linear accelerator
A device used to accelerate the electrons in a free-electron laser by channeling microwave energy into waveguide cavity...
exciton
An exciton is a quasiparticle that represents the bound state of an electron and a hole in a solid-state material, typically...
PN-junction luminescence
Discharge that results when a doped semiconductor crystal with a PN junction is charged with a low-voltage direct current....
breakout cable
A breakout cable, also known as a fan-out cable or breakout assembly, is a type of cable that combines multiple individual...
MSM photodiode
A metal-semiconductor-metal (MSM) photodiode is a type of photodetector that consists of metal electrodes on a semiconductor...
neutral density wedge
A strip or annulus of glass coated with a semitransparent material such as inconel. The coating thickness, and as a result...
injection-mounted assembly
A process by which a plastic cell is molded around a glass lens or lenses to create a mount, eliminating the metal barrel...
scanning electron microscope
A scanning electron microscope (SEM) is a powerful imaging instrument used in scientific research, materials...
silicon carbide light-emitting diodes
Silicon carbide (SiC) light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are semiconductor devices that emit light when an electric current is...
lasing medium
The material that produces stimulated emission from within a laser oscillator. Laser gain media may vary from...
laser diode module
A laser diode module is a compact device that incorporates a laser diode, optics, and often other components into a single...
micro-ring resonator
A micro-ring resonator is a compact optical device that utilizes the resonant behavior of light within a small ring-shaped...
gain-switching
Gain-switching is a technique used in lasers to generate short pulses of light by modulating the gain of the laser medium....
integration time
Integration time, in the context of optics, imaging systems, and sensor technology, refers to the duration over which a...
Maksutov objective
A catadioptric lens assembly consisting of a Maksutov corrector and a spherical primary mirror.
band-to-band photoluminescence
The emission of a photon by the return of an excited carrier from the conduction band to the valence band of a semiconductor...
hydrophobic
Hydrophobic is a term used to describe substances or materials that repel or do not readily interact with water. The word...
laser detector
Device that operates by interaction of incident radiation with semiconductor based material in order to produce an...
platinum silicide
A semiconductor material used in photodetectors, sensitive in the infrared up to 5 µm.
die bonding
Die bonding is a critical process in semiconductor manufacturing and microelectronics assembly, where a semiconductor die or...
deep ultraviolet
Deep ultraviolet (DUV or deep-UV) refers to a specific range of ultraviolet light with shorter wavelengths than those in the...
ultraviolet microscopy
The study and photographing of microscope specimens in ultraviolet light; using an optical microscope containing fluorite...
photoconductor
A light-sensitive resistor in which resistance decreases with increase in light intensity when illuminated. The device...
superradiance
Directional and coherent radiation pulses that result from an ensemble of coherently prepared states in an optical medium.
doping
In the context of materials science and semiconductor physics, doping refers to the intentional introduction of impurities...
anomalous photoconductivity
A spectral phenomenon in which the degree of the photoresponse of an illuminated semiconductor is determined by the...
cold shield
That part of an infrared detector-Dewar assembly that limits the solid angle viewed by the sensor; it is maintained at a...
optical cements and adhesive
Optical cements and adhesives are specialized materials used in the assembly and bonding of optical components in optical...
CubeSat
A CubeSat is a type of miniaturized satellite characterized by its standardized size and modular design. CubeSats are...
Astrosital
A glass-ceramic material developed in Russia. Astrosital resembles Zerodur in terms of its ultralow thermal expansion. Other...
photon drag effect
The induction of an electric field in a semiconductor by an incident laser beam. The technique has rapid response time at...
diode
A two-electrode device with an anode and a cathode that passes current in only one direction. It may be designed as an...
diode laser
A diode laser is a type of laser that uses a semiconductor diode as the active medium to generate coherent light....
photodetector
A photodetector, also known as a photosensor or photodiode, is a device that detects and converts light into an electrical...
nonlinear optical materials
Nonlinear optical materials are substances that exhibit optical properties that are not linearly proportional to the...
fused quartz and silica
Fused quartz and silica are closely related materials, both composed primarily of silicon dioxide (SiO2), but they are...
line-scan camera
A line-scan camera, also known as a line-scan image sensor or linear array camera, is a type of digital camera designed to...
functional material
Functional materials refer to materials that possess specific properties or functionalities that make them suitable for...
lens testing equipment
Lens testing equipment refers to a range of specialized tools and instruments used to evaluate the optical performance,...
germanium detector
A type of photoconductive detector in which germanium, usually doped with boron, gallium and indium, serves as a...
infrared thermistor
A thermistor that uses a semiconductor that is sensitive to infrared radiation to measure the radiation's intensity.
indium
Metal used in components of the crystalline semiconductor alloys indium gallium arsenide (InGaAs), indium gallium arsenide...
echelle grating
A specialized form of diffraction grating consisting of assembled glass plates of equal thickness that resemble a flight of...
digital holographic microscopy
Digital holographic microscopy (DHM) is an advanced imaging technique that combines holography and digital image processing...
optical switching
Optical switching refers to the process of controlling the routing or transmission of optical signals within a network using...
thin-film solar cell
A solar cell that is lightweight and flexible because of its construction by vacuum deposition of a semiconductor material...
silicon photodiode
A silicon photodiode is a semiconductor device that converts light into an electrical current. It is a type of photodetector...
CID camera
CID, or charge injection device, camera refers to a type of imaging device that utilizes a specific kind of solid-state...
excimer laser
An excimer laser is a type of ultraviolet laser that emits short pulses of light in the ultraviolet spectrum. The term...
multi-axis alignment
Multi-axis alignment refers to the process of aligning or adjusting components or systems in multiple spatial dimensions or...

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