Photonics Dictionary

The interval between direction of signal to a light-emitting diode and attainment of 10 percent output current in the photodetector.

Observed electroluminescence of zinc sulfide phosphors when excited by an electric field. This effect is the basis for the alternating-current phosphor panel technology.

Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) is an international standard for medical imaging created by both the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) and the American...

A digital twin refers to a virtual representation or digital counterpart of a physical object, system, or process. This digital replica is created using real-time data and simulation models, allowing...

A two-electrode device with an anode and a cathode that passes current in only one direction. It may be designed as an electron tube or as a semiconductor device.

A diode laser is a type of laser that uses a semiconductor diode as the active medium to generate coherent light. Semiconductor diodes are electronic devices that conduct electricity primarily in one...

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...

Any lamp whose emission of radiant energy is dependent upon the passage of an electrical current through the emissive medium.

A lamp that uses the transmission of an electric current through a gas or vapor to produce illumination. Neon, mercury and argon lamps are examples of electric-discharge lamps.

An electrochemical process of metal fabrication using an electrolyte, an anode to supply the metal, and a control of the electrical current and of the deposit of metal on the matrix of a reflector.

Conduction of an electric current through a chemical compound in its natural state, solution or as a molten, to decompose the compound.

A high-speed shutter, similar to a Kerr cell, that uses the birefringence produced in a liquid during the passage of an electric current through it to change the liquid's optical transmission...

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-gun system is an assembly used to generate and control a focused beam of electrons. Electron guns find applications in various fields, including cathode ray tubes (CRTs), electron...

That branch of science involved in the study and utilization of the motion, emissions and behaviors of currents of electrical energy flowing through gases, vacuums, semiconductors and conductors, not...

A technique that uses the passage of an electrical current through a recording medium to produce a permanent image on that medium.

The light spectrum formed by an explosive reaction or by the electrical explosion of a metallic wire by a strong current.

Measurement of the interval during which a photodetector's signal and output current drops from 90 to 10 percent.

A fiber optic transceiver, often simply referred to as an "optical transceiver," is a device used in fiber optic communications to transmit and receive data over optical fibers. It integrates both a...

A photodetector employing photoregeneration of carriers in the channel region of an FET structure to provide photodetection with current gain.

The freeing of electrons from a filament in an electron tube as the result of the filament being heated by an electric current.

A transformer that is designed to regulate the amount of current that passes through an electron tube's filament.

Filoviruses are a family of viruses that are responsible for severe and often fatal hemorrhagic fevers in humans and non-human primates. The name "filovirus" is derived from their filamentous...

A device that is designed to automatically turn electric lamps on and off in a rapidly repeating sequence. The device may use a motor-driven mechanism or a combination heater filament and bimetallic...

A tube containing mercury vapor and lined with a phosphor. When current is passed through the vapor the strong ultraviolet emission excites the phosphor, which emits visible light. The ultraviolet...

Voltage that produces current flow in the direction of lesser resistance to the steady-state direct current, i.e., from the anode to the cathode.

A GaAlAs laser is a type of semiconductor laser diode that emits light in the near-infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum. It is composed of layers of gallium, aluminum, and arsenic, hence...

Gain-switching is a technique used in lasers to generate short pulses of light by modulating the gain of the laser medium. This method is distinct from Q-switching and mode-locking, two other common...

The emission of radiant energy produced by the passage of an electrical current through an appropriate electrolyte in which an electrode, made of certain metals such as aluminum or tantalum, has been...

An instrument for detecting or measuring small electric currents.

A galvanometric scanner, also known as a galvanometer scanner or galvo scanner, is a type of optical scanning device used to rapidly and precisely direct a laser beam or other light source to...

Gallium nitride-based light-emitting diodes (GaN-based LEDs) are semiconductor devices that emit light when an electric current passes through them. These LEDs are constructed using gallium nitride...

The increase in current of a phototube as a result of the gas in the tube becoming ionized.

An electron tube whose current flow is affected by the pressure on the gas or vapor contained in the tube.

Also called Geiger-Müller counter. An instrument designed to detect and measure radioactivity through the use of a gas-filled metallic tube containing a needle electrode. Radiation traveling...

An electric discharge in a low-pressure gas having a low-current density and a space potential near the cathode that is much higher than the ionization potential of the gas but less than its sparking...

The development of a transverse electric field in a solid material when it carries an electric current and is placed in a magnetic field that is perpendicular to the current.

The inductance of a closed circuit in which an electromotive force of one volt is produced when the electric current in the circuit is varied uniformly at a rate of one ampere per second.

A camera tube widely used in television broadcasting. It consists of three sections within a single vacuum envelope. 1. A photosensitive film sometimes called the photocathode. The scene to be...

A lamp that emits light when an electric current passes through a resistant metallic wire situated in a vacuum tube.

A device used in thin-film deposition; the material to be evaporated is placed in a crucible that is heated inductively by current passing through a coil around it.

An infrared detector is a device that is used to detect and measure infrared radiation, which lies beyond the visible spectrum of light. These detectors are utilized in various applications,...

An infrared light source is a device that emits light in the infrared spectrum, which lies beyond the visible spectrum of light. Infrared light has longer wavelengths than visible light and is...

An infrared light-emitting diode (IR LED) is a semiconductor device that emits infrared light when an electric current passes through it. Similar to standard LEDs that emit visible light, IR LEDs are...