Photonics Dictionary: F

A crystal capable of being polarized in the reverse direction when an electric field is applied.

The region of a ferroelectric crystal where spontaneous polarization is uniformly directed.

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

Ferroelectric materials are a type of dielectric materials that exhibit spontaneous electric polarization, meaning they possess a permanent electric dipole moment even in the absence of an external...

The phenomenon whereby certain crystals exhibit spontaneous electric polarization. It is analogous with ferromagnetism.

A device used to transmit and receive images that have been converted to electrical signals over regular telephone lines; it includes a scanner, a transmitter, a receiver and a printer.

The reproduction of a picture or image, produced by scanning the image and converting it into electrical signals that carry the image to be reproduced. Also known as fax.

A laser with output over a wide range of wavelengths spanning the far-infrared region of the spectrum (30 to 1000 µm); typically, it consists of a metal or dielectric waveguide one to two...

The capacitance of a capacitor which has a potential difference of one volt between its plates when it is charged by one coulomb of electricity.

The product of Avogadro's constant and the electrical charge of an electron; thus, the electrical charge carried by 1 gmol of a substance, or approximately 9.65 x 104 C.

The fiber optic connector standard for Nippon Telephone & Telegraph (NTT) installations, developed with Nippon Electric Co. (NEC).

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 erbium, ytterbium, or neodymium. Fiber lasers generate coherent light through...

A fiber optic gyroscope (FOG) is a type of gyroscope that uses the interference of light waves to detect changes in orientation or rotation. It operates based on the principle of the Sagnac effect,...

A fiber optic sensor is a device that uses optical fibers to detect and measure physical, chemical, biological, or environmental parameters. Unlike traditional electrical sensors, fiber optic sensors...

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 fiber-coupled photoconductive antenna (FCPA) is a type of optoelectronic device that combines a photoconductive antenna with optical fibers for the purpose of generating or detecting terahertz...

An X-Y electrically addressable series of arrays with individual electron emitters bombarding a phosphor-coated transparent plate. The phosphor is induced into luminescence, similar to traditional...

An extremely powerful microscope that renders individual ionized atoms visible by using an electric field to propel the ions to a fluorescent screen where they are magnified.

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

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

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 device that converts stored electrical energy into light by means of a sudden electrical discharge.

A microscope that uses a flying spot scanner, directed through the eyepiece, as a light source to determine the features of a transparent specimen. The flying spot is modulated by the varying density...

A device used to scan, with a small, intensely bright spot, portions of a picture surface and to transform the original picture into a series of electrical signals. In optical character recognition,...

One of the electrodes used to focus the electron beam of a cathode-ray tube. As the electrode's voltage is changed, its electrical field is changed, resulting in a change of the electron beam's spot...

Observed lengthening in wavelengths of the optical absorption edge of a semiconductor with the application of an electric field.

FTIR (Fourier transform infrared) spectrometer is a powerful analytical instrument used to obtain an infrared spectrum of absorption or emission of a solid, liquid, or gas sample. It operates based...

Functional materials refer to materials that possess specific properties or functionalities that make them suitable for particular applications or purposes. These materials are designed and...