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Teledyne DALSA - Line Scan Leader 5/24 LB
Device Dictionary Terms

liquid crystal
Liquid crystals are a state of matter that exhibits properties intermediate between those of conventional liquids and solid...
micro-optics
Micro-optics refers to the design, fabrication, and application of optical components and systems at a microscale level....
optical isolator
Also known as an optical diode, an optical isolator is a device that utilizes the Faraday effect to suppress or redirect...
comparator-densitometer
A device used to project a reference spectrum next to a spectrum to be analyzed to provide visual comparison.
linear accelerator
A device used to accelerate the electrons in a free-electron laser. There are several types, including the induction linear...
tracking system
A controlled motion system that may use a telescope, camera or antenna to follow accurately a satellite, missile, vehicle or...
epitaxial deposition
Epitaxial deposition is a process used in semiconductor manufacturing and materials science to grow a thin crystalline...
circulator
A passive device, having three or more ports, in which input light from one port is coupled only to the next sequential port...
laser detector
Device that operates by interaction of incident radiation with semiconductor based material in order to produce an...
intensified charge-coupled device camera
An intensified charge-coupled device (ICCD) camera is an advanced imaging device that combines the capabilities of both an...
Peltier cooler
A Peltier cooler, also known as a thermoelectric cooler (TEC) or thermoelectric module, is a solid-state device that uses...
blaze height
Blaze height typically refers to a parameter in the context of diffraction gratings, which are optical devices consisting of...
undulator magnet
A device used in a free-electron laser to convert the electron-beam's energy into microwave laser radiation by creating a...
cement
An adhesive used for bonding optical elements or for holding devices.
fiber-coupled LED
A fiber-coupled LED (light-emitting diode) refers to an LED device that is optically coupled to an optical fiber for the...
laser pen
Device consisting of a laser diode, beam-correcting optics and collimating optics in a single housing. Also called a...
plasma-coupled device
Monolithic self-scanning linear image sensor array for multichannel spectroscopy with a spectral range of from 200 to 1000...
flexible display
A flexible display refers to a type of electronic visual display that is designed to be bendable, foldable, or rollable,...
ultraviolet-visible spectrometer
Also known as UV-VIS spectrometer, a device that measures the absorbance, reflectance or transmittance of light in the...
adapter
1. In optics, the housing, usually cylindrical, that contains the lenses and iris diaphragm of a camera. 2. In fiber optics,...
footprint
1. The sector of the Earth's surface registered upon a remote sensing device in a satellite. 2. The amount of space occupied...
thermal interface materials
Thermal interface materials (TIMs) are substances or compounds used to enhance the thermal conductivity between two surfaces...
antiblooming gate
A device that prevents electrons from a saturated pixel in a CCD imaging device from spilling into an adjacent pixel. The...
optical filter
An optical filter is a device that selectively transmits or blocks specific wavelengths, or colors, of light. Optical...
polarimeter
A polariscope with a half-shade device and an angular scale generally attached to the analyzer. It is used to measure the...
polarizer
An optical device capable of transforming unpolarized or natural light into polarized light, usually by selective...
spectrofluorometer
An automatic scanning instrument that is used to study a substance's fluorescence over a wide range of wavelengths. It...
electron microscope
A device utilizing an electron beam for the observation and recording of submicroscopic samples with the aid of photographic...
thermal-infrared camera
A thermal-infrared camera, often referred to simply as a thermal camera, is a type of imaging device that detects infrared...
narrowband pyrometer
An optical pyrometer that is equipped with a narrow bandpass filter to transmit a limited number of wavelengths to the...
focal plane assembly
An infrared imaging device composed of a detector array and readout electronics. It may include a cryogenic cooling system....
linear array
A solid-state video detector consisting of a single row of light-sensitive semiconductor devices, used in linear-array...
medical lasers
Medical lasers are devices that produce intense beams of light with specific characteristics and properties, which are used...
matrix unit
An electrical or optical device used to convert color coordinates.
etaloning
Etaloning is an optical phenomenon that occurs in imaging systems, particularly in devices such as spectrometers,...
nanotechnology
The use of atoms, molecules and molecular-scale structures to enhance existing technology and develop new materials and...
field of view
The field of view (FOV) refers to the extent of the observable world or the visible area that can be seen at any given...
Casimir force
The Casimir force is a quantum phenomenon that results in an attractive force between two closely spaced uncharged...
color comparator
1. A device used in chemistry to compare the colors of solutions held in flat-bottomed tubes and viewed along the length of...
borescope
A device for the internal inspection of hard-to-get-at mechanical parts, such as rifle barrels, sewer pipes, oil wells, or...
connector
Hardware installed on fiber cable ends to provide cable attachment to a transmitter, receiver or other cable. Usually a...
night-vision device
A device that uses low-level visible radiation or infrared radiation to produce a visual image of a night scene. These...
optical grating
An optical grating, in the context of optics and physics, refers to a device with a periodic structure of closely spaced,...
optical barcode reader
An optical barcode reader, commonly known as a barcode scanner, is a device that uses optical technology to capture and...
waveguide
A waveguide is a physical structure or device that is designed to confine and guide electromagnetic waves, such as radio...
otoscope
An otoscope is a medical device used by healthcare professionals, particularly ear, nose, and throat (ENT) specialists,...
photolithography
Photolithography is a key process in the manufacturing of semiconductor devices, integrated circuits, and...
custom optic
A custom optic refers to an optical component that is designed, manufactured, and tailored to meet specific requirements or...
projecting core coupler
A device that couples a light source to an optical fiber by projecting an image of the source and the fiber core onto a...
actinometer
A device that measures the intensity of photochemically active radiation, particularly from the sun. One form of this...
image-enhancing equipment
Complex devices, often involving a computer, in which a photograph is scanned by a point of light, the amplitude of the...
metrology
Metrology is the science and practice of measurement. It encompasses the theoretical and practical aspects of measurement,...
absorption meter
A measuring device that uses a light-sensitive cell or detector to determine the amount of light transmitted by a substance.
mode-locked lasers
Mode-locking is a technique used in lasers to produce ultrashort pulses of light with durations on the order of picoseconds,...
trapped plasma avalanche-triggered transit
Oscillator device composed of a semiconducting diode in a coaxial resonating cavity. When the biasing current is applied to...
electric quadrupole lens
A device that uses four electrodes set in an alternating positive-negative polarity series to focus the beams of charged...
interference inverter
A device, consisting of a diode activated by an interference pulse, that is designed to minimize the white spots on a...
photodiode detector
A photodiode detector is a semiconductor device that converts light into an electrical current. It operates based on the...
photomultiplier tube
A photomultiplier tube (PMT) is a highly sensitive vacuum tube that detects and amplifies low levels of light. It is widely...
axicon
An optical device that produces a line image lying along the axis from a point source of light; therefore, it has no...
channel electron multiplier
A photoelectric detector consisting of a glass tube internally coated with a low conductance material. Voltage applied along...
video graphics array
A display standard no longer in use and originally defined for IBM PCs, with 640 3 480 pixels in 16 colors and a 4:3 aspect...
phototube relay
A photoelectrical relay that uses a phototube as its photoelectric device to open and close an electrical relay; used to...
calorimetry
Calorimetry is a branch of science that involves the measurement of heat flow in physical or chemical processes. It...
scopometer
A device used to take turbidimetric or nephelometric measurements by considering the contrast between a constant brightness...
infrared lens
An infrared lens is an optical component specifically designed and optimized for transmitting, focusing, or manipulating...
electrostatic analyzer
A device that permits only electrons within a narrow velocity range to pass through it, while rejecting those above and...
Lummer-Gehrcke plate
A high-resolution spectroscopic device commonly used in the early 20th century as a component of double-beam...
quantum confinement
Quantum confinement refers to the phenomenon in quantum mechanics where the motion of charge carriers, such as electrons or...
Risley prism
A Risley prism, also known as a Risley prism pair or Risley rotating prism, is an optical device used for controlling the...
local injection detection system
A device used to evaluate the quality of fiber optic splices made in the field by injecting light into the cladding of the...
CMOS image sensor
A CMOS image sensor, short for complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor image sensor, is a type of semiconductor device used...
photomask
A photomask, also known simply as a mask or reticle, is a key component in the photolithography process used in...
magneto-optical photonic crystal
A photonic crystal that comprises magneto-optical material such that the optical response of the device depends on the...
hybrid focal plane array
A device where each pixel in the detector array is mated with a preamplifier on a single silicon chip, providing sensing and...
optical chopper
A mechanical or electrical-electromagnetic device for periodically interrupting or blocking abeam of light for a brief known...
Weibull distribution
A statistical means of characterizing the failure of a fiber or device as related to strain or time. Results are plotted on...
depolarizer
A device that obliterates the polarization of a polarized beam by reflecting the beam in all directions at right angles to...
photoelectric exposure meter
A device consisting of a microammeter, a photovoltaic cell and a battery. It is used for the measurement of scene brightness...
revolving lens fiber optic scanner
A sequential scanning device, utilizing a revolving lens, in which the cathode-ray tube image is transformed into a circle...
optical coatings
Optical coatings are thin layers of materials applied to optical components, such as lenses, mirrors, filters, and prisms,...
kampometer
A device designed to measure radiant energy, particularly in the thermal region.
Kerr effect
The Kerr effect, named after the physicist John Kerr who first observed it in 1875, is a nonlinear optical phenomenon where...
feedback
The transfer of a part of a device's or circuit's output back to its input.
lithography
Lithography is a key process used in microfabrication and semiconductor manufacturing to create intricate patterns on the...
white noise
The random noise having a spectral density that is substantially independent of the frequency over a specified frequency...
gradient-index profile
The term gradient-index profile refers to a specific type of refractive index distribution within an optical material. In...
optofluidics
Optofluidics is an interdisciplinary field that combines principles from optics and fluidics to create devices and systems...
freeform mirrors
Freeform mirrors refer to reflective optical components that deviate from traditional symmetric or rotationally symmetric...
internet of things
The internet of things (IoT) refers to a network of interconnected physical devices, vehicles, appliances, and other objects...
quantum dot light-emitting diode
Quantum dot light-emitting diode (QLED) is a display technology that utilizes quantum dots, which are semiconductor...
cladding mode stripper
A mechanism or device, especially a coating with a refractive index equal to or slightly greater than that of an optical...
color temperature meter
A device containing two photocells behind deep red and blue filters to measure color temperatures. The amplifier gain is...
carrier injection
Carrier injection refers to the process of introducing charge carriers (either electrons or holes) into a semiconductor...
GigE
GigE, short for gigabit Ethernet, refers to a standard for high-speed Ethernet communication, capable of transmitting data...
epidiascope
A device for projecting either opaque matter or transparent slides onto a screen.
video detector
A device, such as a thermionic or crystal diode, that is introduced into the vision channel of a television receiver to...
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...
event-based sensor
An event-based image sensor, also known as a dynamic vision sensor (DVS), is a type of digital imaging device designed to...
metalens
A metalens, short for "metasurface lens," is a type of optical lens that uses nanostructured materials to manipulate light...
chip-on-board lights
Chip-on-board (COB) lights refer to a type of LED lighting technology where multiple LED chips are directly mounted onto a...
junction diode
A semiconductor device with the property of conducting current more easily in one direction than the other. It has two...
inductance heater
A device used in thin-film deposition; the material to be evaporated is placed in a crucible that is heated inductively by...
active-matrix OLED display
An OLED display that has an integrated electronic backplane as its substrate. Active-matrix OLED displays use at least two...
lateral shearing interferometer
A lateral shearing interferometer is an optical device used in interferometry to measure phase differences between two beams...
infrared light-emitting diode
An infrared light-emitting diode (IR LED) is a semiconductor device that emits infrared light when an electric current...
electron device
Any device in which the passage of electrons through a vacuum, gas or semiconductor is the principal means of conduction.
detem
A device in which the functions of optical detector and emitter are combined.
optical encoder
A device designed to measure linear or rotary motion by detection of the movement of markings on a transparent medium past a...
microdisplay
A microdisplay is a miniature electronic display technology that is designed to project visual information onto a small...
liquid crystal eyewear
A wireless stereo imaging device used in conjunction with a monitor to produce a virtual interactive environment. Liquid...
gamma correction
Modification of a system to provide for a linear transfer characteristic from an input to an output device. A circuit for...
fiber optic spectrometer
A fiber optic spectrometer is a device used for measuring the spectral content of light. It utilizes optical fibers to...
filter wheel
A device that holds a number of filters and allows the filter with the desired characteristics to be rotated into an optical...
constant deviation
That property of certain optical devices, e.g., a penta prism, that maintains the angular relationship between the entering...
laser rangefinder
A laser rangefinder is a device that uses laser technology to measure the distance between the device and a target. It...
thermography
Thermography is a technique that involves the use of an infrared imaging device, called a thermal camera or infrared camera,...
microcomb
A microcomb, short for microresonator frequency comb, is a novel photonic device that generates a precise series of evenly...
microspectrograph
A microspectroscope equipped with a sensing and recording device, such as a camera, to measure the spectrum formed by...
image processor
A device embodying a microprocessor that converts an image to digital form and then further enhances the image to prepare it...
GaN distributed feedback lasers
GaN (gallium nitride) distributed feedback (DFB) lasers refer to a specific type of semiconductor laser based on Gallium...
thin-film coating
Thin-film coatings are layers of material applied to the surface of an object or substrate, typically to modify its optical,...
viewfinder
A device, optical or electronic, that may be joined to a camera so that the operator may perceive the scene as the camera...
magneto-optic readout device
A device using the Kerr effect to read back the signals from mechanically recorded tapes and discs. It consists of a light...
fiber optic cleaver
A device used to prepare optical fiber end faces; a scribe line made by the cleaver's blade propagates across the fiber,...
novelty filter
A filtering device that detects what is new in a scene of interest. Often compared to that of a temporal high pass filter,...
dots per inch
A measurement of the spatial resolution of a line or area array in an optical character recognition scanning device.
laser drill
High power laser ablation device that by pulsed operation produces holes of controllable dimension on the scale of microns....
acousto-optic modulators and deflectors
An acousto-optic modulator (AOM) is a device that utilizes the interaction between sound waves and light waves to modulate...
optical bistability
The phenomenon that can render an optical resonator the equivalent of a semiconductor flip-flop. A bistable device will...
lab-on-a-chip
A lab-on-a-chip (LOC) is a miniaturized device that integrates various laboratory functions and capabilities onto a single,...
micromanipulator
A device that provides means for accurately moving minuscule tools over the surface of a microscopic object. The motion...
remote display unit
A display device, such as a cathode-ray tube, that is located at some distance from the source generating the displayed...
die bonding
Die bonding is a critical process in semiconductor manufacturing and microelectronics assembly, where a semiconductor die or...
object distance
The distance between the object and the cornea, or the first surface of the objective in an optical device.
time delay integration
A method of scanning in which a frame transfer device produces a continuous video image of a moving object by means of a...
coupler
1. In color development, the chemical that combines with certain by-products of the development procedure to form a dye. 2....
transversely excited atmosphere carbon dioxide laser
Abbreviated TEA CO2 laser. A gas laser that provides shorter pulses and higher peak powers than conventional CO2 lasers. The...
Q-switch
A device used to rapidly change the Q of an optical resonator. It is used in the optical resonator of a laser to prevent...
peripheral response
In a charge-coupled device, the detection of charge collected by the transport register rather than by the image-sensing...
Joule-Thomson cooler
A detector cooling device in which a gas under high pressure escapes through an expansion valve in the tank; as the escaped...
polarizing prism
A device that is used to produce or analyze plane-polarized light. It may be a Nicol prism or some other form of calcite...
beam profiler
A device that measures the spatial distribution of energy perpendicular to the propagation path of a radiant beam. An energy...
Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor
The Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor is an optical device used for measuring the wavefront aberrations of an optical system....
air bearing
A support device in which a column or chamber of air permits the free travel of a mobile part. In optical mounting and...
blinking
Intentionally alternating the intensity of a display element in a graphic display device.
GaN-based LEDs
Gallium nitride-based light-emitting diodes (GaN-based LEDs) are semiconductor devices that emit light when an electric...
radius tool
A metal device of convex or concave curvature to which lens castings or semifinished lenses are cemented with only their...
lens mount
The metal tube that maintains the optical components of a lens in proper relationship. Some lenses are mounted in metal...
breakout cable
A breakout cable, also known as a fan-out cable or breakout assembly, is a type of cable that combines multiple individual...
particle acceleration
Particle acceleration refers to the process by which charged particles, such as electrons or protons, gain kinetic energy...
optoelectronic integrated circuit
A monolithic device containing both photonic and electronic sources, detectors, modulators, etc., on a single semiconductor...
Raman effect
When light is transmitted through matter, part of the light is scattered in random directions. A small part of the scattered...
piezoelectric motion systems
Piezoelectric motion systems are mechanical systems that utilize piezoelectric materials to generate controlled motion or...
multichannel spectral analyzer
A spectrometric instrument that detects radiation simultaneously in multiple channels, sorts it spectrally from the deep...
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...
linear positioning stage
A linear positioning stage, also known as a linear stage or translation stage, is a precision mechanical device used to...
optical repeater
In an optical fiber or waveguide communications system, an optoelectronic device or module that receives an optical signal,...
slide projector
An optical projection device designed to project positive color transparencies onto a screen for viewing.
blue diode laser
A blue diode laser is a type of semiconductor laser that emits light in the blue wavelength range of the electromagnetic...
densitometer
1. An instrument used to measure the opacity or density of dyes, pigments or dispersed particles that form an image in or on...
probe card
A probe card is a testing device used in the semiconductor manufacturing industry to evaluate and test the electrical...
doping
In the context of materials science and semiconductor physics, doping refers to the intentional introduction of impurities...
heat sink
A series of flanges or other conducting surfaces, usually metal, attached to an electronic device to transmit and dissipate...
beam attenuator
A device designed to decrease flux density or power per unit area of a light beam through absorption and scattering of the...
packet
The finite amount of electrical charge generated in response to incident radiation and transferred from one storage element...
crystal spectrometer
A device designed to measure crystal properties by analysis of crystal diffraction.
area scan
Area scan, in the context of imaging and cameras, refers to a method of capturing an entire two-dimensional image in a...
comparison spectroscope
A device used for the comparison of spectra used, in turn, for the comparison of elements, such as the absorption lines in...
neuromorphic vision sensor
A neuromorphic vision sensor is a type of imaging device designed to mimic the structure and functioning of the human visual...
cathode radiant sensitivity
Cathode radiant sensitivity refers to the ability of a photocathode to convert incident radiant energy, typically in the...
laser texturing
Laser texturing is a manufacturing process that involves using a laser beam to selectively modify the surface of a material,...
dye-polymer optical disc
A type of erasable data storage device that uses a medium deposited on the disc in two layers, each dyed to absorb a...
fluorescence decay system
A device, also called a fluorescence lifetime instrument, that measures decay curves of fluorescing samples. It generally...
detector array
A detector array refers to a collection of individual detector elements arranged in a two-dimensional grid or matrix format....
electron storage ring
An advanced magnetic device used in x-ray lithography to beam x-rays onto the surface of silicon wafers used for...
Nipkow disc scanner
A device consisting of a disc with a spiral arrangement of holes that is used to convert visible patterns into electrical...
metamaterial
Metamaterials are artificial materials engineered to have properties not found in naturally occurring substances. These...
telepresence
The use of head-mounted displays and body-operated remote actuators to control distant machinery. Provides a virtual...
half-shade device
A device for forming at least two adjacent areas of polarized light. The angle between the directions of vibration of the...
transfer function
The complex function, H(f), equal to the ratio of the output to input of the device as a function of frequency. The...
monolithic device
A device that is fabricated in a single piece; A device (i.e. circuit) that is operated at a single frequency or a single...
optical clock
An optical clock is a highly precise and advanced timekeeping device that relies on the oscillations of electromagnetic...
disc calorimeter
A device that provides simple and reliable laser power and energy measurement. Essentially a heat flux sensor producing an...
absorption spectrophotometer
Measures the absorption or sample transmittance over a range of specified wavelengths. Sample may be placed within the...
forward-looking infrared
A night-vision device that uses one or more infrared transducers to scan a scene in the 3- to 5-µm or 8- to...
metal vapor laser
Devices in which the lasing medium is a vapor of metal atoms or ions, sometimes mixed with another gas. Metal vapor lasers...
electrodeless discharge tube
A device consisting of an airtight quartz tube that holds the material to be analyzed. When a high-frequency electrostatic...
hybrid cooler
A cryogenic cooler device that is an intermittent Joule-Thomson refrigerator with a passive radiator serving as the...
spectral centroid
Average wavelength usually determined for light-transmitting devices by taking a weighted average for each wavelength of the...
noise
The unwanted and unpredictable fluctuations that distort a received signal and hence tend to obscure the desired message....
lens
A lens is a transparent optical device that focuses or diverges light, allowing it to pass through and form an image. Lenses...
single-walled carbon nanotubes
Referred to as SWCNTs, these cylindrical nanostructures composed of a folded sheet of graphene can be used as near-infrared...
stereoscopic photography
The photographing of a scene from positions corresponding to the locations of both eyes. A viewing device is used to present...
gyroscope
A gyroscope is a mechanical device consisting of a spinning disk or wheel mounted on a spinning axis in such a way that its...
full-well capacity
The number of electrons that each pixel of a charge-coupled device can hold without overflowing and causing blooming.
machine vision system
A machine vision system is an integrated combination of hardware and software components designed to capture, process, and...
micro-LED
Micro-LED (micro-light-emitting diode) refers to a technology that involves the use of very small light-emitting diodes to...
atomic clock
An atomic clock is a highly precise timekeeping device that uses the vibrations or oscillations of atoms as a reference for...
positron emission tomography
A medical imaging device that uses a ring of crystal/photomultiplier tube assemblies encircling the patient to detect gamma...
electronic flash unit
A small xenon-filled tube with metal electrodes fused into the ends. The gas flashes brilliantly when a condenser is...
diffraction efficiency
Diffraction efficiency is a measure of how effectively a diffractive optical element (DOE) or diffraction grating directs...
light valve
With respect to display systems, a device that uses an independent light source and a control-layer medium, the active...
image jump
In optics, the term image jump refers to a displacement or shift in the apparent position of an image when a change occurs...
dichroscope
A device used to investigate the dichroism of crystals.
optical interconnection
The use of photonic devices rather than electronic devices to make connections within and between integrated circuits.
thermal imaging
The process of producing a visible two-dimensional image of a scene that is dependent on differences in thermal or infrared...
CoaXPress
CoaXPress (CoaXPress or CXP) is a standardized digital interface and communication protocol used primarily in machine vision...
baffle
An opaque shielding device designed to reduce the effect of stray light on an optical system.
microwave holography
The holographic recording of the pattern formed by two sets of coherent microwaves that interfere at a scanning plane. A...
attosecond photonics sources
Attosecond photonics sources refer to devices or systems that generate extremely short pulses of light on the order of...
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...
clinometer
An instrument for measuring the vertical angle of an object. It usually contains an accurately made protractor, a sensitive...
goniophotometer
A device used to measure directional reflectance, with light collection restricted to a narrow range of angles of which the...
charge-injection device
A charge-injection device (CID) refers to a class of devices that manipulate and detect electrical charge within a...
photovoltaic cell
A photovoltaic cell, commonly known as a solar cell, is a semiconductor device that directly converts light energy into...
diamond-turned optic
Diamond turning refers to a precision machining process used to produce complex optical components, particularly lenses and...
potentiometer
A device designed to measure electromotive force or electrical difference potential.
riflescope
A small erect-image telescope for use as a sighting device on a rifle. The chief requirement is a long eye relief to avoid...
high-resolution visible sensor
A satellite-borne remote sensing device capable of transmitting images at 10 and 20 m resolution from an altitude of 830 km,...
freeform optics
Freeform optics refers to the design and fabrication of optical surfaces that do not follow traditional symmetric shapes,...
facsimile machine
A device used to transmit and receive images that have been converted to electrical signals over regular telephone lines; it...
modulator
A modulator is a device or component that modifies a carrier signal in order to encode information for transmission over a...
optoelectronics
Optoelectronics is a branch of electronics that focuses on the study and application of devices and systems that use light...
exciton
An exciton is a quasiparticle that represents the bound state of an electron and a hole in a solid-state material, typically...
retarder cell
A device that uses nematic liquid crystals sandwiched between fused silica substrates to change the phase of polarized...
capacitor
A device that accumulates and stores electrical energy to introduce capacitance into a circuit. Basically, it is composed of...
test cube
A device used to detect elevation, pyramid and resolution errors in prisms and other components by bringing them into...
optical switching
Optical switching refers to the process of controlling the routing or transmission of optical signals within a network using...
antireflection coating
An antireflection coating (AR coating) is a thin film or coating applied to optical surfaces, such as lenses or windows, to...
drive
The hardware for reading (and writing in devices so equipped) an optical mass data storage disk.
jig
A device to hold and locate a workpiece as it guides, controls or limits a cutting tool.
frame rate
Frame rate refers to the frequency at which consecutive images, or frames, are displayed in a video sequence. It is...
ray
A geometric representation of a light path through an optical device; a line normal to the wavefront indicating the...
photoelectric relay
A relay that opens or closes an electrical circuit depending on the intensity of the light incident to a photoelectric...
integrated photonics
Integrated photonics is a field of study and technology that involves the integration of optical components, such as lasers,...
glass dosimeter
A device that detects and measures the quantity of exposure to nuclear radiation. It uses a special glass rod that...
photovoltaic
Photovoltaic (PV) refers to a technology that converts sunlight directly into electricity using semiconductors. The term...
fiber optic sensor
A fiber optic sensor is a device that uses optical fibers to detect and measure physical, chemical, biological, or...
grating beamsplitter
A grating beamsplitter is an optical device that utilizes the principles of diffraction to split a beam of light into...
electrophoretic display
An electrophoretic display, often referred to as an electronic paper display or e-paper display, is a type of electronic...
differential quantum efficiency
The slope of the curve when output is plotted against input for quantum efficiency in a device.
image enhancing equipment
Complex devices, often involving a computer, in which a photograph is scanned by a point of light, the amplitude of the...
photomicrography
The use of a microscope in photographing objects. A device for photomicrography includes a light source, microscope and...
television microscope
A device designed to enlarge the image of a microscopic object by television process. It may be a flying spot scanner that...
metasurfaces
Metasurfaces are two-dimensional arrays of subwavelength-scale artificial structures, often referred to as meta-atoms or...
biometrics
Biometrics refers to the automated recognition of individuals based on their physiological or behavioral characteristics....
cleaning equipment
In optics, degreasers or ultrasonic arrangements used for removing pitch, cement or polishing material from lenses during...
serpentine bend mode filter
A device used in measuring attenuation in optical fiber. The loss caused by the bends in a short reference length of fiber...
phase matching
Phase matching is a crucial concept in the field of optics, particularly in nonlinear optics and the generation of coherent...
wedge spectrograph
A spectrograph in which the flux density transmitted through the entrance aperture is regulated by an optical wedge or...
actuator
Mechanical device intended for the translation (rotational and linear) using high precision control from electronically...
gallium arsenide phosphide
Gallium arsenide phosphide (GaAsP) is a semiconductor alloy composed of gallium (Ga), arsenic (As), and phosphorus (P). It...
point-focusing collector
A device used in solar systems to direct mirror-reflected sunlight to a heat absorber and heat-driven engine, which turns a...
photoacoustic gas cell
A device for measuring absorption coefficients in which a confined, nonabsorbing gas fills the space inside the cell between...
efficiency
As applied to a device or machine, the ratio of total power input to the usable power output of the device.
microchannel spatial light modulator
A device to modulate spatially a collimated coherent beam of light with input data in optical data processing. It uses a...
actinic
Stimulating light used for the production of energy through photosynthesis, solar cell or other light senstitive device.
fluorescent screen
A fluorescent screen refers to a phosphorescent or fluorescent-coated surface that emits visible light when exposed to other...
diffractive lens
Any optical device that utilizes diffraction in an image-forming capability. Familiar diffractive lenses are zone plates,...
digitizer
A device that samples and quantizes a signal in digital form for storage in memory.
mirror mount
A mirror mount is a mechanical device used to secure and precisely position mirrors in optical systems. Mirrors are...
flasher
A device that is designed to automatically turn electric lamps on and off in a rapidly repeating sequence. The device may...
cathode
1. The negative electrode of a device in an electrical circuit. 2. The positive electrode of a primary cell or storage...
dewetting
Dewetting is a phenomenon in materials science and physics where a thin film or coating spontaneously undergoes a process of...
microfluidics
Microfluidics is a multidisciplinary field that involves the manipulation and control of very small fluid volumes, typically...
photoelectric counter
A device used to count objects that pass a given point by allowing each object to obstruct a beam of light falling on a...
broadband filter
A broadband filter is an electronic or electromagnetic device designed to pass a range of frequencies or signals within a...
photocurrent
The current that flows through a photosensitive device, such as a photodiode, as the result of exposure to radiant power.
rare earth dopants
Rare earth dopants refer to elements from the lanthanide series, also known as rare earth elements, that are intentionally...
microtome
A device used for slicing very thin specimens in preparation for mounting on a microscope slide.
liquid crystal light valve
A liquid crystal light valve (LCLV), also known as a spatial light modulator (SLM), is an optical device that modulates the...
Pockels
In optics, the Pockels effect refers to the phenomenon where the refractive index of a material changes in response to an...
feedback compensation
The placement of a device or an additional circuit into a feedback control system to improve its response in relation to a...
nanopositioning
Nanopositioning refers to the precise and controlled movement or manipulation of objects or components at the nanometer...
input/output
I/O stands for input/output. In computing, it refers to the communication between a computer system or program and its...
PIN photodiode
A PIN photodiode is a type of photodetector or semiconductor device used to convert light signals into electrical signals....
pushbroom scanning
Pushbroom scanning is a technique used in remote sensing and imaging systems, particularly in satellite and aerial sensors,...
thermocouple
A device composed of dissimilar metals that, when welded together, develop a small voltage dependent upon the relative...
computer-generated hologram
A computer-generated hologram (CGH) is a holographic image produced using computational methods and algorithms, rather than...
nanotube
A nanotube, also known as a nanotubule or simply a tube-like structure, is a nanoscale cylindrical structure composed of...
induction linear accelerator
A device used to accelerate the electrons in a free-electron laser by supplying electrical energy to the electron beam...
electron-beam lithography system
An electron-beam lithography (EBL) system is a sophisticated nanofabrication tool used in the semiconductor industry and...
periscope
An optical instrument designed to displace the line of sight in a vertical direction. For submarines and other military uses...
conical scan sensor
A device used to determine the location and attitude with respect to the Earth of orbiting spacecraft by detecting the...
spherical microintegrated lens
A tiny lens (as small as 100 µm in diameter) used to focus light on charge-coupled devices, formed by heating a...
complementary metal-oxide semiconductor
Complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) refers to a technology used in the fabrication of integrated circuits,...
optical waveguide termination
A configuration or device mounted at the end of a fiber or cable that is intended to prevent reflection.
InGaAs photodiode
An InGaAs photodiode refers to a photodetector device that is constructed using a semiconductor material composed of a...
photometer
A device used to compare the luminous intensities of two sources by comparing the illuminance they produce.
iris diaphragm
A mechanical device designed to smoothly vary the effective diameter of a lens, thereby controlling the amount of light...
line-scan recording
A type of recording in which the recording line remains fixed and the recording medium is fed past the recording device.
rangefinder
1. An optical distance finder that depends on triangulation of two convergent beams on an object from disparate view points....
transistor
An electronic device consisting of a semiconductor material, generally germanium or silicon, and used for rectification,...
bench photometer
A device used to compare the luminous intensities of two sources by locating a point between the two light sources where the...
ion-beam sputtering
Ion-beam sputtering (IBS) is a physical vapor deposition (PVD) technique used for depositing thin films onto substrates. It...
hero experiments
Laboratory experiments that focus on demonstrating new capabilities of a certain technology or device, usually without...
phase distrortion
Phase distortion refers to a change in the phase relationships between different frequency components of a signal. In the...
prismograph
A graphical device used to measure prism power.
laser diode module
A laser diode module is a compact device that incorporates a laser diode, optics, and often other components into a single...
quantum well
A quantum well is a structure in quantum mechanics that confines particles, such as electrons or holes, in one spatial...
feedback control system
A system designed to control the output quantity of a device by returning a portion of its output signal to its input. This...
plasmonics
Plasmonics is a field of science and technology that focuses on the interaction between electromagnetic radiation and free...
heightfinder
A rangefinder used to determine the height or altitude of aerial targets by means of optical triangulation. The device...
framer
A device that permits the adjustment of facsimile transmitters and recorders so that their scanning lines stop and start at...
electro-optic shutter
A device used to control or block a light beam by means of the Kerr electro-optical effect.
distributed Bragg reflector
A device similar to distributed feedback lasers in construction and operation, but in which the period grating that produces...
holographic camera
A holographic camera, also known as a holographic imaging system or holographic recorder, is a specialized device used to...
nanoLED
An LED (light-emitting diode) is a semiconductor device that emits light when an electric current passes through it. LEDs...
Glan spectrophotometer
A device similar to the ordinary spectrophotometer but containing particular modifications to provide for the comparison of...
optical caliper
A device for measuring linear dimensions. The optical caliper generally consists of two circularly mounted mirrors whose...
magnification
The ratio of the size of the image of an object to that of the object. The ratio of the linear size of the image to that of...
Fresnel reflection
Fresnel reflection refers to the reflection of light at the interface between two different media with different refractive...
flying spot scanner
A device used to scan, with a small, intensely bright spot, portions of a picture surface and to transform the original...
Fresnel lens
A Fresnel lens is a type of optical lens that consists of a series of concentric grooves or steps carved into a flat, thin...
integration time
Integration time, in the context of optics, imaging systems, and sensor technology, refers to the duration over which a...
optical coherence tomography imaging system
Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is an imaging technique used in medical diagnostics and biomedical research to obtain...
beam converter
A device used to alter the shape of or energy distribution within a beam of radiation.
compound crosspoint
A device for obtaining very low crosstalk in a crosspoint by arranging two simple switches along different arms of a passive...
dichroic mirror
A dichroic mirror, also known as a dichroic beamsplitter or interference filter beamsplitter, is an optical device that...
digital camera
A digital camera is a device that captures and records still images or video in digital format. Unlike traditional film...
wavelength meter
A device that measures the wavelength of an electromagnetic wave.
laser marking
Laser marking is a process in which a laser beam is used to mark or engrave a surface by altering its properties or...
optical tooling level
A surveying device used to measure vertical displacement of target centers of scale lines from a horizontal plane generated...
photodarlington
A Darlington current amplifier consisting of two separate transistors, of which a phototransistor is the input device.
endoscope
An endoscope is a medical device used for visualizing and examining the interior of hollow organs, body cavities, or...
pixel
A pixel, short for "picture element," is the smallest controllable element of a digital image or display. It is a...
neuromorphic
Neuromorphic refers to the design and development of computing systems or devices that are inspired by the structure and...
infrared-emitting diode
A semiconductor device with a semiconductor junction in which infrared radiant flux is nonthermally produced when a current...
enhanced graphic adaptor
An image processing device that displays pseudocolor images by assigning colors to the gray scales according to look-up...
octave
In optics, an octave typically refers to a range of frequencies or wavelengths that spans a factor of 2. In other words,...
infrared signal generator
A device that combines electronic and optical techniques to form a monitored infrared signal between 1 and 14 µm. It...
nitric oxide detector
A pollution-measuring device used to detect the presence of nitric oxide regardless of other gases present. It utilizes the...
q-switched operation
Q-switched operation, or q-switching, is a technique used in lasers to produce short and intense pulses of light. The term...
photoresist
Photoresist is a light-sensitive material used in photolithography processes, particularly in the fabrication of...
radio-frequency linear accelerator
A device used to accelerate the electrons in a free-electron laser by channeling microwave energy into waveguide cavity...
galvanometric scanner
A galvanometric scanner, also known as a galvanometer scanner or galvo scanner, is a type of optical scanning device used to...
light-powered telephone
Technology that relies on a highly efficient photodetector that can detect incoming light signals at one frequency and...
light dispersion
The process whereby white light is separated into its component wavelengths. Light beams of different wavelengths are...
laser designator
A laser device used to establish a location or target usually for detection by an impact source e.g. missiles and guided...
digital-to-analog converter
In image processing, a device that transforms the digital data into an analog video image that can be viewed on a monitor or...
hybrid optical integrated circuit
Device in which the various circuit elements are fabricated in different substrate materials and then appropriately joined...
silicon carbide light-emitting diodes
Silicon carbide (SiC) light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are semiconductor devices that emit light when an electric current is...
laser ceilometer
A device used for measuring the height of clouds from a position on the ground. Measurement technique uses a vertically...
transport shift register
The element in a charge-coupled device that receives the charge packets transferred from the line of sensor sites and then...
avalanche photodiode
A device that utilizes avalanche multiplication of photocurrent by means of hole-electrons created by absorbed photons. When...
beam positioner
A device (e.g., prisms, lenses, tubes) used to align a beam in a system.
self-electro-optic effect device
An optically bistable device used for photonic switching, constructed of a multiple quantum well biased by an external...
GRIN lens
A GRIN (gradient index) lens is a type of optical lens that utilizes a gradient in refractive index across its volume rather...
linear image sensor
A linear image sensor is a type of solid-state electronic device used to capture and convert light into electrical signals....
virtual reality
Virtual reality (VR) is a computer-generated simulation of a three-dimensional environment or experience that can be...
log converter
A device designed to convert linear change in the light state at input to log data at output.
donpisha
A type of asynchronous shutter device that is used particularly in CCD sensor applications to capture an image of a...
analog-to-digital converter
A device that converts an analog signal, that is, a signal in the form of a continuously variable voltage or current, to a...
logic-to-light device
A fiber optic component or system designed in such a way that it can be operated by people without specialized knowledge of...
germicidal UV
Germicidal ultraviolet (GUV) refers to a specific range of UV radiation that has disinfectant properties capable of killing...
rotary laser
A structured light device using a rapidly rotating laser to project a beam of light that appears to the human eye as a...
waveguide nonreciprocal device
A device that consists of two types of mode converters, one of which must be magnetic. It is nonreciprocal because the...
multiphase pinned operation
A method of reducing dark current in charge-coupled devices by holding all the clocks at negative voltage during the...
pixel pitch
Pixel pitch refers to the distance between the centers of two adjacent pixels on a display screen or imaging sensor. It is...
near-infrared camera
A near-infrared (NIR) camera is an imaging device designed to capture images in the near-infrared region of the...
whole slide imaging
Whole slide imaging (WSI), also known as virtual slide microscopy or digital pathology, is a technology that involves the...
optical Fourier transform
The optical Fourier transform is a mathematical operation applied to optical signals that involves transforming a spatial...
Faraday rotation
The effect discovered by Faraday in 1845 whereby nonoptically active materials or substances become capable of rotating the...
prism coupler
An instrument that measures the angle at which a prism can couple laser light into an optical waveguide; used to determine...
white balance
A feature of some imaging devices, such as digital cameras, that allows them to compensate for different lighting conditions...
light modulator
A device that is designed to modulate a beam of light, usually from a laser source, by acting upon the beam directly. The...
aspheric lens
An aspheric lens is a type of lens whose surface profiles deviate from the traditional spherical shape. Unlike spherical...
feedback circuit
A circuit that permits feedback in an electronic device.
semiconductor
A semiconductor is a type of material that has electrical conductivity between that of a conductor and an insulator. In...
solar simulator
A solar simulator is a device used to replicate the spectrum and intensity of sunlight in a controlled environment for...
high-voltage electron microscope
An imaging device whose technology contributes three specific advantages: ability to study large solid specimens that...
horizontal drive control
A device that controls the output of a television receiver's horizontal oscillator.
optical design and engineering services
Optical design and engineering services involve the development, customization, and optimization of optical systems and...
laser Doppler velocimeter
Device which determines particle velocity through the measurement of scattered interference of a beam pair from a single...
ultrasonic stroboscope
A light-interference device whose excitation is determined by the modulation of a light beam by an ultrasonic field.
photon counter
A device used to evaluate the luminance of a surface by determining the number of photons emitted from a sample surface area.
augmented reality
Augmented reality (AR) is a technology that integrates digital information, typically in the form of computer-generated...
laser lithotripter
A laser device intended for crushing urinary tract stones so they can be flushed from the body. Light is introduced via...
tap
A device for extracting a portion of the optical signal from a fiber.
shutter speed tester
A device used to measure the opening time of a shutter. The most common devices depend on the charging or discharging of an...
heliostat
A device having a plane mirror so mounted that it can be set to reflect sunlight into a piece of laboratory equipment. It is...
photodetector
A photodetector, also known as a photosensor or photodiode, is a device that detects and converts light into an electrical...
time division multiplex
The process or device by which more than one signal can be sent over a single channel by using different time intervals for...
molded lens
A molded lens is an optical lens manufactured using a molding process, typically involving the shaping of a material, such...
cylindrical lens
A cylindrical lens is an optical component that has different curvatures along its two orthogonal axes, resulting in a shape...
Fizeau toothed wheel
A device used to measure the speed of light by adjusting the rotation of a toothed wheel so that light passing through one...
bandpass
The range of frequencies that will pass through a filter or other device. Synonymous with passband.
eye tracker
An optical device used to monitor movement of the human eye.
tristimulus integrator
A device used to produce numerical integrations for colorimetry.
rotary actuator
A precision positioning device used to produce rotary motion.
vertometer
A device that measures the back focal length or vertex power of a lens.
phase screen
A phase screen, in the context of optics and wave optics, refers to a surface or medium that introduces a phase delay to an...
indium phosphide
Indium phosphide (InP) is a compound semiconductor material composed of indium (In) and phosphorus (P). It belongs to the...
photonic crystal surface-emitting laser
A photonic crystal surface-emitting laser (PCSEL) refers to a type of laser diode that emits light from its surface rather...
stereocomparator
1. A stereoscope that has adjustable scales to allow the determination of distances and dimensions from stereoscopic...
MSM photodiode
A metal-semiconductor-metal (MSM) photodiode is a type of photodetector that consists of metal electrodes on a semiconductor...
topological photonics
Topological photonics is a branch of physics and optics that explores the application of topological concepts to the...
Fabry-Perot etalon
A nonabsorbing, multireflecting device, similar in design to the Fabry-Perot interferometer, that serves as a multilayer,...
flashlamp
A device that converts stored electrical energy into light by means of a sudden electrical discharge.
termination
The process of attaching a device to the end of a fiber cable to enable the beam to be transmitted farther, to pass to...
Ruticon
A ruticon is an opto-electronic device in which light going through it can be modulated by an electric field. The...
magnetometer
A magnetometer is a scientific instrument used to measure the strength and/or direction of a magnetic field. It can detect...
cryostat
A device used to maintain near-absolute temperatures for experimental procedures.
beam table
Laser light show effects equipment including optics and mechanical devices that reflect, position or distort the laser beam,...
neodymium:YAG
Literally, neodymium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet. A cylindrical rod of yttrium-aluminum-garnet doped with neodymium that is the...
transponder
A receiver-transmitter device that automatically transmits a signal when the proper interrogating signal is received.
multi-axis alignment
Multi-axis alignment refers to the process of aligning or adjusting components or systems in multiple spatial dimensions or...
network interface card
A network interface card (NIC), also known as a network adapter or LAN adapter, is a hardware component that allows...
laser pointer
Handheld optical laser device containing a semiconductor or DPSS source. The output is corrected via internal collimating...
line of sight
The line of vision; the optical axis of a telescope or other observation system. The straight line connecting the object and...
light meter
Any device that is used to sense and measure light. See exposure meter; photoelectric exposure meter; photoelectric...
linear receive optics
Linear receive optics typically refers to the optical components and systems used in the reception (detection) of linearly...
maser
An acronym for microwave amplification by stimulated emission of radiation. Predecessor to the laser, the maser or...
transfer gate
A single long gate electrode that transfers the line of charge packets to the transport shift register in a charge-coupled...
storage area network
A high-speed network or subnetwork that provides a connection between servers and data storage devices.
power supply
Refers to the voltage and current necessary for the operation of circuit devices.
graphene
Graphene is a two-dimensional allotrope of carbon consisting of a single layer of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal...
electromagnetic compatibility
The ability of a device to operate without electromagnetically interfering with the operation of nearby equipment and...
optical comparator
Typically used for the examination of manufactured or engineered parts, an optical gauging device, in which a backlight is...
radiation detector
Any of the many devices used to detect the presence of radiation from a specific region of the electromagnetic spectrum.
optical microphone
Laser-powered telephone device for analog communications that employs a vibrating plastic membrane as a transmitter to...
biocular
A term pertaining to devices (generally optical) designed for use with both eyes viewing through a single exit pupil. The...
electron multiplying CCD
A CCD device in which a solid-state electron multiplying register has been added to the end of the normal serial register....
photon sieve
A photon sieve is an optical device used in the field of optics and imaging. It's designed to focus and shape light,...
mode scrambler
A device for inducing mode coupling in an optical fiber. Also, a device composed of one or more optical fibers in which...
residual absorption and scattering
Loss mechanisms that degrade the performance of all thin-film optical devices by removing radiant flux out of the specular...
video scan converter
A device that changes the number of lines per frame of a video image to adapt to a lower resolution format, either by...
quantizer
A device with a limited number of possible output values (sometimes able to be selected) that can translate an incoming...
visual fault locator
A device that enables visual tracing of a fiber optic cable to check for breaks and defects by coupling visible light into...
television transmitter
An electronic device used to encode video and audio signals of a television camera into radio waves that are broadcast to...
motion controller
In optics, a motion controller refers to a device or system that precisely controls the movement of optical components, such...
colorimeter
A colorimeter is a device used to measure and quantify the color characteristics of an object or a light source. It provides...
dosimeter
A device used to detect and measure the quantity of exposure to nuclear or x-ray radiation, and dependent on the fact that...
cell
1. A single unit in a device for changing radiant energy to electrical energy or for controlling current flow in a circuit....
biplanar image tube
Also called proximity focus image intensifier. A compact image intensifier that utilizes a microchannel plate...
parallel/serial converter
A device that converts data transmitted in the parallel mode to a sequence of bits at a single frequency for output in the...
near-field scanning
A measurement technique used to determine the spatial distribution profile of an electrical or optical quantity of interest...
optical glass
Optical glass refers to a type of glass specifically engineered and manufactured for use in optical components and systems,...
focometer
A device used to measure the focal length of an optical system or lens.
beam profiling
Beam profiling is a technique used to characterize and analyze the spatial intensity distribution of a laser beam. It...
ultrasonic camera
A device that uses a piezoelectric crystal to convert ultrasonic sound waves, transmitted through a subject, into a voltage...
addressability
In display technology, an expression of resolution given by the number of pixels in both the horizontal and the vertical...
spectral flow cytometry
Spectral flow cytometry is an advanced flow cytometry technique that expands the capabilities of traditional flow cytometry...
charge-coupled device
A charge-coupled device (CCD) is a type of electronic image sensor used in various imaging devices, including digital...
photoswitch
A solid-state device that acts as a high-speed power switch, and that is activated by incident radiation.
sapphire window
A sapphire window refers to a transparent optical component made from sapphire crystal. Sapphire is a single-crystal form of...
birefringence
Birefringence is an optical property of certain materials that causes them to exhibit different refractive indices for light...
sonosensitive plate
Device that uses a coherent reference wave to record the interference patterns produced by incident ultrasonic waves on an...
multispectral imaging
Multispectral imaging is a technique that involves capturing and analyzing images at multiple discrete spectral bands within...
magneto-optics
Magneto-optics refers to the study and manipulation of the interaction between magnetic fields and light (electromagnetic...
microfilm reader
A device used to view microfilmed documents where the image on film is projected, in magnified form, onto a rear projection...
optical manufacturing tools and machinery
Optical manufacturing tools and machinery encompass a wide range of equipment, instruments, and systems used in the...
polishing jig
In fiber optics, a device used to polish a biconic plug to a specified length and surface finish. Also called a polishing...
bandgap
In semiconductor physics, the term bandgap refers to the energy range in a material where no electronic states are allowed....
resistor
A device having electrical resistance and used in an electric current for purposes of protection, operation or control of...
photonic cavity
A photonic cavity, also known as an optical cavity, is a structure that confines electromagnetic radiation within a certain...
silicon cell
A solid-state device, composed of silicon, that is used to convert radiation into electrical energy.
photoconductor
A light-sensitive resistor in which resistance decreases with increase in light intensity when illuminated. The device...
molecular motor
A molecular motor refers to a nano-sized device composed of organic molecules or other small-scale components that can...
synchronous detector
A detector sensitive only to signals close to or at a particular frequency that is the same as the frequency of a control...
phase mask
In optics and photolithography, a phase mask refers to a device that modifies the phase of light waves passing through it....
optoisolator
An optical coupling device that uses light to bridge the gap between incompatible wire communications systems. It contains...
quadrupole lens
A device used in electron microscopes and particle accelerators to focus electron beams by the arrangement of four...
infrared light source
An infrared light source is a device that emits light in the infrared spectrum, which lies beyond the visible spectrum of...
film reader
A device used to scan images or information on photographic film for the subsequent relay of information.
bubble chamber
A large tank filled with liquid hydrogen, with a flat window at one end and complex optical devices for observing and...
optical cements and adhesive
Optical cements and adhesives are specialized materials used in the assembly and bonding of optical components in optical...
nanophotonics
Nanophotonics is a branch of science and technology that explores the behavior of light on the nanometer scale, typically at...
diffractometer
A measurement device used to study the structure of matter using the diffraction of electromagnetic radiation.
retroreflector
A retroreflector is an optical device or structure that reflects incident light or electromagnetic waves back to their...
CCD image sensor
A CCD image sensor, or charge-coupled device image sensor, is a type of electronic device used to convert optical images...
thermoplastic recording device
A display device having a thermoplastic film as the control layer medium. The film, moving from a playoff reel, is scanned...
electron filter lens
An electrostatic device that uses an electric potential barrier to allow the transmittance of electrons at or above a set...
optical combiner
An optical combiner, in the context of optics and display technologies, refers to a device or component that combines...
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...
fiber optic transceiver
A fiber optic transceiver, often simply referred to as an "optical transceiver," is a device used in fiber optic...
optoelectronic shutter
A device used to control or block a light beam by means of the Kerr electro-optical effect, and other electro-optic devices...
codec
A device that combines the functions of encoder and decoder.
integrated optics
A thin-film device containing miniature optical components connected via optical waveguides on a transparent dielectric...
linear element
A device for which the output electric field is linearly proportional to the input electric field, and no new wavelengths or...
attenuation meter
A device used to measure power loss in fiber optic connectors, cables or systems.
near-infrared spectrometer
A near-infrared (NIR) spectrometer is an analytical instrument used to measure the absorption, transmission, or reflection...
stroboscope
A device that produces brief flashes of light for observing the behavior of an object during a short interval. One of the...
parametric oscillator
A device using a parametric amplifier inside a resonant optical cavity to generate a frequency-tunable coherent beam of...
III-V material
In semiconductor physics and materials science, the term "III-V materials" refers to compounds composed of elements from...
polariton
A polariton is a quasiparticle resulting from the strong coupling between photons (light particles) and certain types of...
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...
charge-transfer device
See charge-coupled device; charge-injection device.
charge trapping
In a charge-coupled device, the disappearance of some of the accumulated charge into the silicon during readout.
electro-optic detector
A device that detects radiation by utilizing the influence of light in forming an electrical signal. It may be a phototube;...
Savart plate
A double-plate device used to transmit polarized light and form interference fringes of the light, thus indicating its...
stereomicroscope
Wide-field, low-magnification device that consists of two compound microscopes focused on a single object, producing an...
ambient light
Light present in the environment around a detecting or interpreting device, especially a machine vision system, and...
Twyman-Green interferometer
A testing device that provides a contour map of the emergent wavefront for the observer in terms of the given wavelength of...
beat
The signal formed when two signals, such as light waves, of different frequencies are present simultaneously in a nonlinear...
electro-optic modulator
An electro-optic modulator (EOM) is a device used to modulate the amplitude, phase, or polarization of light waves using an...
photonics contract manufacturing
Photonics contract manufacturing refers to the outsourcing of the production of photonics-related components, devices, or...
optical channel monitor
An optical channel monitor (OCM) is a device used in optical communication systems to monitor and analyze the performance of...
machine vision
Machine vision, also known as computer vision or computer sight, refers to the technology that enables machines, typically...
feedback amplifier
An amplifying device that returns a portion of its output to its input as a means of modifying the device's performance.
piezoresistance
Piezoresistance is a phenomenon in materials science and physics where the electrical resistance of a material changes in...
gallium nitride
Gallium nitride (GaN) is a compound made up of gallium (Ga) and nitrogen (N). It is a wide-bandgap semiconductor material...
plastic optics
Plastic optics refers to optical components or systems that are made from transparent plastic materials, as opposed to...
solenoid
In micropositioning, a remote positioning device in which an electric current drives a movable armature mounted on an...
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...
masks for evaporation/deposition
In the context of thin film deposition processes such as evaporation or sputtering, masks are used to selectively deposit...
backward-wave oscillator
An amplifying device with a wide tuning range in which an electron gun sends a beam of electrons into a slow-wave structure....
helium leak detector
A small mass spectrometer used to find leaks in a vacuum system by detecting the presence of helium. Using a magnetic...
epitaxial equipment
Epitaxial equipment refers to a set of specialized tools and systems used in the process of epitaxy, which is the growth of...
terahertz
Terahertz (THz) refers to a unit of frequency in the electromagnetic spectrum, denoting waves with frequencies between 0.1...
manometer
A device used to measure the pressure of gases and vapors, without regard to atmospheric pressure.
spinthariscope
A device through which scintillations are observed or counted through a magnifying lens system.
pointing interferometer
A device attached to the end of an alignment telescope that detects and calculates a plane mirror's rotation axis that is...
piezoelectric transducers and ceramic materials
Piezoelectric transducers are devices that utilize the piezoelectric effect to convert electrical energy into mechanical...
ratiometer
An electronic device that minimizes short-term drift effects and random measurement error inherent in alternate...
mid-infrared camera
A mid-infrared camera is a type of imaging device designed to capture images in the mid-infrared (mid-IR) spectral range,...
deep-depletion CCD
A CCD device for sensing longer wavelengths, such as NIR and IR, that has a deeper depletion region than would be necessary...
anisotropic
Anisotropic is a term used to describe a material or substance that exhibits different properties or behaviors in different...
photonic crystals
Photonic crystals are artificial structures or materials designed to manipulate and control the flow of light in a manner...
optical design software
Optical design software refers to specialized computer programs used by optical engineers, physicists, and designers to...
shutter
A mechanical or electronic device used to control the amount of time that a light-sensitive material is exposed to radiation.
oximeter
A device that uses a photoelectric cell to determine the level of oxygenation in the blood.
resonator
A resonator is a device or system that exhibits resonance, which is a phenomenon that occurs when an external force or...
differential interferometer
A device that produces an interferogram that can be directly related to the temperature gradient and thereby provides a...
optical fiber optic switches
Optical fiber optic switches are devices used in optical fiber communication systems to selectively route optical signals...
videography
Videography refers to the process of capturing moving images and recording them in a digital format. It involves the use of...
Rayleigh interferometer
A device that is used to determine the index of refraction of a gas or liquid through the interference patterns formed by...
laser contact tip
A surgical device used to deliver laser light. Specifically,contact tips are made with artificially grown sapphire which is...
barium titanate
A crystalline material used in piezoelectric devices.
ferroelectric materials
Ferroelectric materials are a type of dielectric materials that exhibit spontaneous electric polarization, meaning they...
Kerr cell
A cell filled with a transparent material that, when placed in a strong electrical field, exhibits double refraction. Since...
remote active spectrometer
A device employed to identify toxic agents lingering on the ground or in the air from up to three miles away, by using laser...
sapphire
Sapphire refers to a crystalline form of aluminum oxide (Al2O3) that is used in various optical and photonic applications...
image enhancement laser
A semiconductor platelet laser that emits a coherent image by means of plane optical pumping over the platelet surface, and...
planar magnetron
A device used in the sputtering of thin films, in which a magnet system on the back of the cathode deflects the electrons,...
thyristor
A family of semiconductor switching devices of which the silicon-controlled rectifier and the triac are most commonly used....
Zener diode
A type of semiconductor diode used in voltage-limiting circuits; when voltage reaches a certain value, the device becomes a...
auto-iris lens
A device for automatic exposure control in which a motor-driven diaphragm adjusts the aperture in response to a signal from...
polygonal mirror
A polygonal mirror, also known as a multifaceted mirror or facet mirror, is a type of optical component used in various...
Abbe refractometer
Device which measures the index of refraction of glass as well as the dispersion over visible range.
directed energy
Directed energy refers to a type of energy that is emitted and transferred in a controlled direction. The term is often...
thermal resistance
In a laser, a measure of the device's ability to dissipate internally generated heat.
thickness gauge
A device used to measure the thickness of a given substance.
joint transform correlator
A device consisting of two optical systems in which two signals are simultaneously transformed to produce their spectra, and...
Raman shifter
A device that changes the frequency of light by inducing the Raman effect on a beam passing through it.
gas discharge display
A display device that contains an inert gas that gives off orange light when a high voltage is applied to ionize the gas.
absolute colorimetric
Method of preserving the measured color value and color information as it is translated from differing devices. For example...
hyperspectral imaging camera
A hyperspectral imaging camera is a sophisticated imaging device capable of capturing and processing data across a wide...
impurity level
In the context of optical materials, the term "impurity level" refers to the presence of foreign atoms or molecules within...
electron-beam gun
1. A device generally used in a cathode-ray or camera tube to emit a stream of electrons moving at uniform velocity in a...
sapphire crystal
Sapphire crystal refers to a transparent, single-crystal form of aluminum oxide (Al2O3) known as corundum. It is one of the...
microlens array
A microlens array is a grid-like structure composed of numerous small lenses, typically arranged in a regular pattern. Each...
limiting angle of resolution
The angle subtended by two points or lines that are just far enough apart to be distinguished as separate. The ability of an...
genlock
A device used to lock the internal synchronization generator of a television camera to an external source.
occluder
A device that completely or partially restricts the amount of light reaching the eye.
second-order nonlinear optical properties
Second-order nonlinear optical properties refer to a class of phenomena exhibited by certain materials in response to...
optical lever
A device used to detect and measure small amounts of rotation. The rotating object contains a reflecting surface from which...
light pen
A handheld, light-sensitive device that is used with a display console to directly change, measure or erase the visual...
gunsight
An optical device that permits the alignment of a gun, cannon or rocket launcher system with its target.
digital filter
A linear computation or algorithm performed on a selected series in the form of an input signal that produces a new series...
optical testing instrument
An optical testing instrument is a device or system used to evaluate and measure the performance, quality, and...
smart pixel array
An array of active optical devices (modulators, laser diodes and/or detectors), each of whose electrical inputs or outputs...
Manufacturing Automation Protocol
A computerized token-passing local area network (LAN) configuration adopted by General Motors for real time control over the...
Ultraviolet-C
Ultraviolet-C (UV-C) refers to a specific range of ultraviolet radiation with shorter wavelengths than those of visible...
Debye-Sears ultrasonic cell
A device used in ultrasonic imaging to measure the velocity and attenuation of compressional waves in a transparent liquid...
Camera Link HS
Camera Link HS (high speed) is a standard developed for high-speed digital data transmission in machine vision and...
flat panel display
An electronic display in which a flat screen is formed by an orthogonal array of display devices, such as electroluminescent...
scanner
1. A device used to trace out an object and build up an image. One of the most common of these types is video scanning. The...
hybrid image recording device
A single housing that includes means of recording an image photographically and electronically.
optical assembly
An optical assembly refers to a collection of optical components that are carefully arranged and aligned to perform a...
dark frame
A frame taken to identify electronic noise in a CCD imaging device. A dark frame is recorded without exposing the CCD to any...
Mach-Zehnder interferometer
A Mach-Zehnder interferometer is an optical device used to measure the phase difference between two collimated beams of...
meter
1. The basic unit of length in the metric system, equal to 39.37 in. or 3.28 ft. 2. Any device or instrument used for...
substrate
A substrate refers to a material or surface upon which another material or process is applied or deposited. In various...
face-pumped laser
A device in which slab geometry internally compensates for thermal-optic distortion; the solid host material -- glass or...
getter
In vacuum deposition, a device that removes contaminants from the vacuum chamber.
scintillation detector
A scintillation detector is a radiation detection device that utilizes scintillation crystals to detect and measure ionizing...
germanium crystal
Germanium crystal refers to a crystalline form of the element germanium (Ge), which is a metalloid and semiconductor...
plasmon ion-assisted deposition
Plasmon ion-assisted deposition (PIAD) is a technique used in thin-film deposition processes, particularly in the production...
optical fiber
Optical fiber is a thin, flexible, transparent strand or filament made of glass or plastic used for transmitting light...
telescope
An afocal optical device made up of lenses or mirrors, usually with a magnification greater than unity, that renders distant...
linear actuator
High-precision motorized positioning device, often linked to computer control equipment.
epitaxy
A well controlled thin films technique for growing films with good crystal structure in ultra high vacuum environments at...
micro-optic gyroscope
A thin-film device that integrates optics and electronics on a single chip to provide a passive-ring resonator gyroscope...
photoelectric reader
An input device for a computer that detects and reads the data, in the form of punched holes in cards, by light that is...
image intensifier
An image intensifier, also known as an image intensification tube or image intensification device, is a specialized...
sample-and-hold circuit
A device that acquires a signal and then stores it for a specified period of time before processing, and used, for example,...
broadside radiation
Radiation that occurs perpendicular to the plane of the radiation device.
mass spectrograph
A device that uses electromagnetic fields to separate electrically charged particles according to their masses. As a beam of...
radiometer
A device used to measure the intensity of radiant energy.
enclosed laser device
A laser or laser system positioned within an enclosure to prevent dangerous optical radiation from leaving the enclosure.
fiber optic cable assembly
A fiber optic cable assembly refers to a complete unit consisting of optical fibers, connectors, protective jackets, and...
fiber optic gyroscope
A fiber optic gyroscope (FOG) is a type of gyroscope that uses the interference of light waves to detect changes in...
laser drift
Laser drift typically refers to a phenomenon where the frequency or wavelength of a laser source gradually changes over...
laser optics
Laser optics refers to a broad category of optical components and systems designed for manipulating and controlling laser...
light amplifier
A device that serves to emit light of the same wavelength as the input light, only with an increase in intensity. It may be...
TO package
Housing that resembles a small metal can for a semiconductor component, photodetector or similar device.
microbubble resonator
A microbubble resonator is a device used in photonics and optical physics for the precise manipulation of light waves. It...
quantum efficiency
Quantum efficiency (QE) is a measure of the effectiveness with which a device or system, typically in the context of...
Babinet compensator
A device containing two opposed quartz wedges of equal angle, one wedge being movable along its length by a micrometer...
Nichols radiometer
An instrument devised by Nichols and Hull for use in the measurement of radiation pressure. The device has two small...
fiber optic imaging bundle
A fiber optic imaging bundle is a specialized optical device composed of multiple optical fibers bundled together. Each...
sapphire optical fiber
Sapphire optical fiber is a type of optical fiber made from single-crystal sapphire, which is a form of aluminum oxide...
amplifier
A device that enlarges and strengthens a signal's output without significantly distorting its original waveshape. There are...
photon jet
A photon jet is a narrow, highly collimated beam of light that is formed when light interacts with small dielectric...
cinesextant
An optical instrument used to track and image a test vehicle (target) throughout its flight. The cinesextant frequently...
nonselective sensor
A radiometric device or system having uniform responsivity relative to all of the radiation parameters, or relative to one...
quantum-ehanced metrology
Quantum-enhanced metrology refers to the use of quantum mechanics principles and techniques to enhance the precision and...
detector-Dewar assembly
A detector-Dewar assembly typically refers to a combination of a detector and a Dewar flask used in scientific instruments,...
autocorrelator
A signal-averaging device that improves signal-to-noise ratio by comparing a sampled signal with a time-delayed form of...
solar cell
A device for converting sunlight into electrical energy, consisting of a sandwich of P-type and N-type semiconducting...
bulk nonreciprocal device
A device that functions throughout the continuous radiation of a linearly polarized plane wave, and whose nonreciprocity...
pulse counter detector
A device designed to detect frequency-modulated signals by forming a unidirectional pulse from each sine wave. The direct...
delay line
A device used to delay transmission of a signal for functions such as memory loops, sequential processing or built-in...
Q machine
Device in which contact ionization of atomic particles and thermionic electron emission are used to produce magnetically...
optoelectronic
Pertaining to a device that responds to optical power, emits or modifies optical radiation, or utilizes optical radiation...
fiber optic scrambler
A device used for coding messages and having a fiber bundle that is aligned at both ends and scrambled in the middle, potted...
wafer
In the context of electronics and semiconductor manufacturing, a wafer refers to a thin, flat disk or substrate made of a...
optical correlator
A device incorporating a spatial light modulator and a reference filter; used for matching an input optical waveform or...
micro ion milling
Process developed for the production of high-resolution patterns in electro- and magneto-optics. These high-generation...
scanning head
A device composed of a light source and phototube used to scan a moving strip of material in photoelectric side-register...
multijunction device
A photovoltaic device that consists of multiple p-n junctions to produce a greater efficiency when in use than that of...
corner cube
A corner cube, also known as a corner reflector or retroreflector prism, is a type of optical device used to reflect light...
microprojector
A miniature projecting device designed to enhance and reproduce the image generated by a smaller image-forming instrument....
microwave phototube
A device designed to detect microwave modulation and to mix modulated and unmodulated laser beams. It consists of a...
laser
A laser, which stands for "light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation," is a device that produces coherent and...
analyzer
An optical device, such as a Nicol prism, capable of producing plane-polarized light, and used for detecting the effect of...
embedded laser
The term "embedded laser" typically refers to a laser device that is integrated or embedded into a larger system or...
diode laser
A diode laser is a type of laser that uses a semiconductor diode as the active medium to generate coherent light....
ultrasonic
Ultrasonic refers to sound waves with frequencies higher than the upper audible limit of human hearing, typically above...
phototransistor
A solid-state device similar to an ordinary transistor except that incident light on the PN junctions regulates the response...
dimmer
An electric or electronic device that regulates the voltage going to a light source as a means of varying the intensity of...
optical gate
An optical gate typically refers to a device or system that controls the transmission of light, allowing it to pass through...
microchannel plate
A microchannel plate (MCP) is a specialized electron multiplier device used in various applications such as particle...
laser oscillator
Contains the light or beam path within a laser device. The oscillator uses reflective optical components that are oriented...
modem
Modulator/demodulator. An electronic device that modulates and demodulates signals transmitted over communications lines.
spectroradiometer
A spectroradiometer is a device used to measure the intensity of light at different wavelengths across the electromagnetic...
CMOS camera
A CMOS camera refers to an imaging device that employs a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor to...
nanoimprint lithography
Nanoimprint lithography (NIL) is a nanolithography technique used for fabricating nanoscale patterns on a substrate. It is a...
hand viewer
A device small enough to be held in a hand that uses a magnifying lens and a translucent back to permit the viewing of...
reticle
A reticle, also known as a reticule or graticule, is a pattern or set of markings placed in the focal plane of an optical...
gated image tube
An intensified charge-coupled device that uses a large negative charge at the grid to switch off the flow of electrons at...
short wavelength infrared
Short wavelength infrared (SWIR) refers to the portion of the infrared spectrum that encompasses wavelengths roughly between...
transducer
A transducer is a device or component that converts one form of energy into another. It is commonly used in various fields,...
optical grating reflectance evaluator
A device for measuring diffraction grating efficiency at any angle of incidence, consisting of a reflectometer wherein the...
lamp housing
A device designed to concentrate and direct a light source by enclosing the source in it and using a concave reflector to...
fluoro-immunosensor
A fiber optic device that uses a HeNe laser, beamsplitter, monochromator and photomultiplier to detect trace levels of...
pattern
A device that determines the lens shape in the cutting or edging phase of fabrication. It also is used to denote the...
acousto-optic modulator
A device that varies the amplitude and phase of a light beam; e.g., from a laser or by sound waves. Also known as a Bragg...
micrometer
1. The SI unit of length equal to 10-6 m. Also called micron. 2. A screw thread device used to make accurate physical linear...
computer-generated holographic scanner
A phase reflection scanner that eliminates the need for a complex translation device while maintaining a high-energy-density...
embedded vision
Embedded vision refers to the integration of computer vision technologies into various embedded systems, devices, or...
beam shaper
A beam shaper is an optical device or system designed to modify the spatial profile or intensity distribution of a laser or...
optical modulator
A multilayered thin-film device used to modulate transmitted light in integrated photonic circuits.
diascope
1. An optical device used for projection of enlarged images of transparencies or lantern slides on a screen. 2. A device...
horizon detector
An infrared device used in satellites and rockets to determine a heat horizon for the Earth at altitudes (above 200 miles)...
monitor current
In a laser diode, the photocurrent produced by a photodiode that detects the emission from the rear facet of the...
etalon
An etalon is an optical device that consists of two parallel reflecting surfaces separated by a precise and known distance....
electroluminescent display
The utilization of the light produced when electrical energy is directly converted into light within devices used for visual...
raster image processor
In imaging technology, a device that converts raster or line-scan data to pixel form for further processing.
barcode scanner
An optical scanning device designed to read information printed in the form of bars of different size by detection and...
constant luminance encoder
A device used in broadcast CCD cameras to improve definition in heavily saturated colors by band-limiting the color...
infrared searchlight
An infrared source combined with reflecting projection optics to illuminate a target making it visible when observed through...
pneumatic detector
A device used to detect radiant energy by means of the thermal expansion of gas.
optics
Optics is the branch of physics that studies the behavior and properties of light, including its interactions with matter...
flatbed scanner
An imaging device analogous to a drum scanner, but operating at greater speeds; it uses a row of sensors to traverse an...
vacuum ultraviolet detector
A device that serves to detect the presence of vacuum ultraviolet radiation. It may be photographic film, a thermopile, ion...
digital twin
A digital twin refers to a virtual representation or digital counterpart of a physical object, system, or process. This...
spatial light modulator
A spatial light modulator (SLM) is an optical device that modulates or manipulates the amplitude, phase, or polarization of...
collimator
An optical instrument consisting of a well- corrected objective lens or mirror with a light source and or object/image (i.e....
meta-optics
Meta-optics, also known as metasurface optics or flat optics, is a branch of optics that involves the design, fabrication,...
phase conjugation
The use of a reflective device, which can be fashioned from a variety of materials including gases, solids, dyes, aerosols,...
acceptor
Impurity in a semiconductor or any other electroluminescent device capable of inducing hole conduction and accepting a...
fixed focus
Describes devices that are not provided with a means of focusing.
mode filter
A device used in measuring the attenuation of multimode optical fibers. A short reference length of fiber when combined with...
deformable mirror device
A spatial light modulator consisting of a metallized polymer film stretched over an array of metal-oxide semiconductor...
beamsplitter
A beamsplitter is an optical device for dividing a beam into two or more separate beams. A simple beamsplitter may be a very...
interferometric modulator display
Interferometric modulator display (IMOD) is a type of display technology used in electronic devices, known for its energy...
precision aperture
An accurately produced hole of any size and shape that is used as a masking device in an optical system. Pinhole apertures...
lensless microscopy
Lensless microscopy, also known as computational or holographic microscopy, is an imaging technique that captures and...
splice
A permanent joint whose purpose is to couple optical power among two or more ports. Also, a device whose purpose is to...
laser tube
The device, usually made of glass or a similar material, that contains the resonant cavity and optics of a gas laser.
laser-excited Shpol'skii spectroscopy
A type of fluorescence spectroscopy in which an excimer laser, a dye laser and a frequency-doubling device are used to...
optical character reader
A photosensitive device used to optically scan and read character data (numbers, letters etc.) and input this data into a...
light-emitting diode
An LED, or light emitting diode, is a semiconductor device that emits light when an electric current passes through it. LEDs...
micro-ring resonator
A micro-ring resonator is a compact optical device that utilizes the resonant behavior of light within a small ring-shaped...
reactor
In chemistry, a device in which a chemical reaction takes place. In electronics, a device that introduces reactance into a...
oleophobic
Oleophobic is a term used to describe substances or materials that repel or resist oils. The word oleophobic comes from the...
cosine collector
Translucent collector developed to compensate for the partial blocking of a flat surface's collection angle that normally...
integrated optical circuit
An optical circuit, either monolithic or hybrid, composed of active and passive components, used for coupling between...
projection pointer
A device used to project a small area of light on a screen for indication.
fiber-coupled photoconductive antenna
A fiber-coupled photoconductive antenna (FCPA) is a type of optoelectronic device that combines a photoconductive antenna...
epitaxial
Epitaxial refers to the growth of a crystalline layer on a crystalline substrate in such a way that the orientation of the...
waveform analyzer
A device designed to measure the amplitude and frequency of the elements in a complex waveform.
nitrogen vacancy
A nitrogen vacancy (NV) refers to a specific type of defect or impurity in a crystal lattice where a nitrogen atom replaces...
binocular magnifier
A device having a pair of decentered lenses, one for each eye, that focuses on a single object as a magnifier. It is often...
terminated crossbar
An optical matrix that does not require perfection in both states of the crosspoint, so that all the optical switches can be...
accelerometer
An accelerometer is a sensor or transducer that measures the rate of change of velocity of an object, or in simpler terms,...
knife-edge scanning microscope
An imaging device originally created to image whole mouse brain volumes at microscopic resolution. The main component of the...
intensified charge-coupled device
A CCD image sensor that uses a proximity-focused image intensifier to provide greater sensitivity at low light levels.
beacon
A device, either visual or electronic, that emits signals to identify set positions for use in the navigation of aircraft...
drum scanner
An image-processing device that scans in a straight line parallel to the axis of a rotating cylinder to which the material...
triac
A semiconductor device that functions as an electrically controlled switch for AC loads.
Becke apertometer
Device used to measure the numerical aperture of a microscope, composed of a 14-mm-thick glass block with numerical aperture...
polishing puck
A flat cylindrical device generally used to polish terminated ends in fiber optic connections.
laser lithotripsy
Laser lithotripsy is a medical procedure that uses laser energy to break down or fragment stones in various parts of the...
contour projector
An inspection device in which the profile of a mechanical part is projected onto a ground-glass screen at a precisely known...
write once, read many (WORM)
An optical data storage device that permits the user to store data (write) and play it back (read), but not to erase or...
silicon photodiode
A silicon photodiode is a semiconductor device that converts light into an electrical current. It is a type of photodetector...
MEMS fiber optic switch
A MEMS fiber optic switch is a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) device designed to selectively route optical signals...
gimbal mount
An optical mounting device that permits adjustment around two perpendicular and intersecting axes of rotation.
two-photon polymerization
Two-photon polymerization (TPP) is a technique used in additive manufacturing, specifically in the field of 3D printing. It...
hydrogel
A hydrogel is a three-dimensional network of polymer chains that are hydrophilic, meaning they have a strong affinity for...
optical communications
The transmission and reception of information by optical devices and sensors.
bias
1. To influence to a single direction. 2. Voltage that is applied to a solid-state device.
character read-out system
A photoelectrically controlled, alphanumeric reading device that converts characters to audible or sorting signals which can...
chalcogenide
Chalcogenide refers to a class of compounds containing elements from group 16 of the periodic table, which includes sulfur...
filter
1. With respect to radiation, a device used to attenuate particular wavelengths or frequencies while passing others with...
charge-transfer efficiency
In a charge-coupled device, the percentage of each charge packet that is carried over to the next stage of the transport...
retroreflection
Retroreflection is a phenomenon in optics where light is reflected back toward its source, typically in a direction nearly...
mass spectrometer
A device used to measure the masses and relative concentrations of atoms and molecules. It utilizes the Lorentz force...
isolator
In the context of electronics and optics, an isolator refers to a device that allows the transmission of signals in one...
diode
A two-electrode device with an anode and a cathode that passes current in only one direction. It may be designed as an...
voltage multiplier
A device that converts alternating voltage to direct voltage, while at the same time increasing its amplitude.
polychromatic acousto-optic modulator
A crystal-based device that combines and adjusts the intensities of multiple wavelengths of laser light in order to obtain...
video measuring gauge
A device that calibrates the size, position or distance of objects imaged on a video screen.
infrared camera
An infrared camera, also known as a thermal imaging camera or IR camera, is a device that captures and visualizes the...
holographic particle velocimetry
A method of measuring flow velocity by seeding the flow with neutrally buoyant particles and using a pulsed laser to...
Pockels cell
A Pockels cell, also known as an electro-optic modulator, is an optical device used to control the polarization of light by...
extreme ultraviolet
Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) refers to a specific range of electromagnetic radiation in the ultraviolet part of the spectrum....
Jacquinot advantage
The higher throughput obtained with an FTIR device compared with traditional spectrometers that need slits to achieve...
optical materials
Optical materials refer to substances or compounds specifically chosen for their optical properties and used in the...
thin-film memory
A memory device consisting of thin disks of a magnetic substance deposited on a nonmagnetic substrate for use in a computer.
detector
1. A device designed to convert the energy of incident radiation into another form for the determination of the presence of...
repeatability
The degree to which a predetermined or previous setting of a positioning device can be duplicated by observance of the...
spectrum analyzer
A scanning device used to cyclically tune through a given frequency range to determine the amplitude-frequency distribution...
echelette grating
A diffraction grating with lines and grooves formed so as to concentrate the radiation of a particular wavelength into one...
GaAlAs laser
A GaAlAs laser is a type of semiconductor laser diode that emits light in the near-infrared region of the electromagnetic...
passive optical component
A device that responds to incident light but does not generate light.
infrared
Infrared (IR) refers to the region of the electromagnetic spectrum with wavelengths longer than those of visible light, but...
opaque projector
An opaque projector is a device used for enlarging and projecting images from opaque objects such as printed pages,...
CID camera
CID, or charge injection device, camera refers to a type of imaging device that utilizes a specific kind of solid-state...
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...
red, green, blue
RGB stands for red, green, blue, which are the primary colors of light used in additive color mixing. The RGB color model is...
double-layer light amplifier
A device used to create a light output that exceeds light input, the energy being provided by an electric field. It consists...
magnon
A magnon is a quasiparticle representing a quantized spin wave in a magnetic material. In other words, it is a collective...
quantum cascade laser
A quantum cascade laser (QCL) is a type of semiconductor laser that operates based on the principles of quantum mechanics....
linear optics
Linear optics refers to the study and manipulation of light in a linear and deterministic manner, where the response of...
whispering gallery mode
Whispering gallery mode (WGM) refers to a phenomenon in wave physics, particularly in optics, where waves, such as light or...
modulation transfer function analysis/measurement equipment
MTF analysis/measurement equipment refers to instruments and tools used to measure and analyze the modulation transfer...
laser annealing
Laser annealing is a process that involves using a laser beam to heat and modify the microstructure of a material, typically...
indexing table
Generally, a rotatable table with scales marked in degrees. The fiducial marking also may be a vernier scale. The same...
scanning acoustic microscope
Also called scanning laser acoustic microscope. A device that uses high-frequency ultrasound waves to penetrate surfaces. A...
electromagnon
An electromagnon is a quasiparticle excitation that combines aspects of both magnetism and electric polarization in a...
calutron
An electromagnetic device used to separate isotopes of elements based on their respective masses.
infrared detector
An infrared detector is a device that is used to detect and measure infrared radiation, which lies beyond the visible...
photonic integrated circuit
A photonic integrated circuit (PIC) is a compact and integrated device that incorporates multiple photonic components and...
electro-optics
1. The branch of physics that deals with the use of electrical energy to create or manipulate light waves, generally by...
scintillation crystal
A scintillation crystal, also known simply as a scintillator, is a material that emits light when it interacts with ionizing...
photoconductive detector
A device for detecting visual and infrared radiation using a photoconductor as the principle sensing element.
flowmeter
A flowmeter is a device used to measure the flow rate or quantity of a fluid passing through a particular point in a system....
electron multiplication charge-coupled device camera
An EMCCD (electron-multiplying charge-coupled device) camera is a type of scientific camera specifically designed for...
CD/I
A technical specification for a consumer product drawn up by Sony and Philips. CD/I combines audio, video and text recorded...

(764 results found)

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