Search
Menu
Videology Industrial-Grade Cameras - Custom Embedded Cameras LB 2024
Fiber Dictionary Terms

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...
V-groove
A V-shaped channel pressed or etched into a substrate, in which, for example, optical fibers may be placed to create an...
bifurcated fiber
A branched fiber optic lightguide that performs both receiving and transmitting functions.
plastic-clad silica fiber
An optical waveguide having a silica core and a plastic cladding.
fiberless optics
 intrinsic joint loss
Loss intrinsic to the fiber caused by parameter (core dimension, profile parameter) mismatches when two nonidentical fibers...
fundamental mode
The lowest order mode of a waveguide. In fibers, the mode designated LP01 or HE11.
Kevlar
E.I. duPont's trade name for an aramid yarn used as a strength member in the jacket of fiber optic cable.
optical channel monitor
An optical channel monitor (OCM) is a device used in optical communication systems to monitor and analyze the performance of...
fiber optic guided missile
A weapon launched from a ground-based platform and controlled by a two-way fiber optic data link. The fiber is payed out...
stripper
A tool used to remove the outer cladding of an optical fiber without damaging the fiber core.
HE11 mode
Designation for the fundamental mode of an optical fiber.
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...
Bragg grating
A filter that separates light into many colors via Bragg's law. Generally refers to a fiber Bragg grating used in optical...
Gordon-Haus effect
Temporal jitter at a signal's receiver when amplified noise causes frequency shifts, as with a soliton traveling through an...
fiber optic ribbon
A coherent optical fiber bundle in which the configuration is flat rather than round, giving an output in a line.
splitter
A passive fiber optic coupler that divides light from a single fiber into two or more fiber channels.
automatic profiling
In fiber optics, the use of a detector to study the range of refractive indices achieved at various wavelengths. This...
overfill
The condition of the numerical aperture or beam diameter of the laser, LED, or other optical source being larger than the...
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...
mechanical splice
A fiber splice accomplished by fixtures or materials, rather than by thermal fusion. Index matching material may be applied...
SMA connector
The fiber optic connector developed and manufactured by Amphenol Fiber Optic Products.
crush strength
The physical limit of an optical fiber or cable to withstand an applied force or weight perpendicular to the axis of the...
optical repeater
In an optical fiber or waveguide communications system, an optoelectronic device or module that receives an optical signal,...
fiber optic illuminators
 fiber optic transceiver
A fiber optic transceiver, often simply referred to as an "optical transceiver," is a device used in fiber optic...
section converter
An arrangement of optical fibers in a bundle whereby the geometric configuration of the input end differs from that of the...
Raman fiber probe
A flexible fiber cable with a small diameter that transports light from the excitation laser to the target. Used in Raman...
light pipe
Transparent matter that usually is drawn into a cylindrical, pyramidical or conical shape through which light is channeled...
fiber Bragg grating
A fiber Bragg grating (FBG) is a type of optical filter that is inscribed or "written" into the core of an optical fiber. It...
hygroscopic
In fiber optics, a material whose properties, usually of transmission, are distinctly affected by the absorption of water...
pistoning
Motion of a fiber into and out of the ferrule. This effect is often caused by changes in temperature.
bend radius
The radius of curvature that an optical fiber can bend without breaking.
launching fiber
A fiber used in conjunction with a source to excite the modes of another fiber in a particular fashion.
refractive index profile
The description of the refractive index along a fiber diameter.
mandrel
A shaft, spindle or any object generally passed through a workpiece to hold, support or shape a particular piece during its...
inside vapor-phase oxidation
A method that produces low-loss optical fibers. A glass tube rotates while reactants pass through the tube and heat is...
mode scrambler
A device for inducing mode coupling in an optical fiber. Also, a device composed of one or more optical fibers in which...
microbubble resonator
A microbubble resonator is a device used in photonics and optical physics for the precise manipulation of light waves. It...
multiplexing
The combination of two or more signals for transmission along a single wire, path or carrier. In most optical communication...
double-clad fiber
Double-clad fiber (DCF) is a specialized optical fiber that features two concentric cladding layers surrounding a core. The...
fiber curl
A property of optical fiber that results from thermal stresses during manufacturing and is defined as the amount of...
edge-emitting LED
An edge-emitting light-emitting diode is a type of LED structure where light emission occurs primarily along the edge of the...
optical time-domain reflectometry
A method for characterizing a fiber wherein an optical pulse is transmitted through the fiber, and the resulting light...
hot extrusion
A method of manufacturing polycrystalline infrared-transmitting optical fiber by heating a single halide crystal billet and...
polarization-insensitive operation
Capability requirement for optical switches for transmission lines to process arbitrarily polarized light because of the...
optical ceramics
Transparent glassy and or crystalline structured materials engineered from inorganic, non-metallic materials via various...
tap
A device for extracting a portion of the optical signal from a fiber.
concatenation
The process of linking optical fiber end to end.
microbending loss
Transmission loss in optical fibers caused by packaging processes; it is considered a power-coupling effect from the guided...
hydroxyl ion absorption
An optical fiber's absorption of electromagnetic waves due to hydroxyl ions remaining after contact with water.
amplitude-modulated sensor
A type of fiber optic sensor that detects alteration in position, distance, pressure, liquid level or temperature by...
fused array of fibers
Optical fibers fused together to form a solid, vacuum-tight assembly in the form of a slab or rod. Discs or rectangular...
first window
The spectral transmission window in silica-based fibers between 830 and 850 nm.
Hypalon
E.I. duPont's trade name for a material used in the jacket of fiber optic cables. It is flame-retardant, thermally stable...
flip chip
An optical switch that controls conduction paths into and out of a junction in fiber optic and integrated optical circuits.
low-loss fiber
Optical fiber that transmits a greater percentage of input light than does high-loss step-index fiber. Low-loss fiber...
fiber
data bus
A system incorporated into fiber optic data communications characterized by several spatially distributed terminals that are...
Weibull distribution
A statistical means of characterizing the failure of a fiber or device as related to strain or time. Results are plotted on...
side-lit cable
A type of fiber optic cable that emits light from its sides along its length.
hard-clad silica fiber
A type of optical fiber in which a silica core is surrounded by a hard polymer or similar material much stronger than the...
fiber optic coupler
 laser lithotripsy
Laser lithotripsy is a medical procedure that uses laser energy to break down or fragment stones in various parts of the...
jacket
The outer material that surrounds and protects the buffered and unbuffered fibers in an optical cable.
transverse offset method
A technique used to measure the mode-field diameter of an optical fiber by scanning one fiber past another at a distance of...
chirped-pulse amplification laser
A laser whose pulses are expanded, using gratings and optical fibers, before amplification and compressed to increase beam...
photonic crystals
Photonic crystals are artificial structures or materials designed to manipulate and control the flow of light in a manner...
hackle
A defect in the cleaved end face of an optical fiber, defined as multiple surface irregularities across the fiber surface. A...
cladding glass
In fiber optics, the glass that is found around the glass core of the fiber, and that has a lower refractive index than the...
reflection coefficient
Parametric measurement for elliptical fiber and cable expressed as a ratio of the two-directional flow of power through the...
zirconium fluoride
An infrared transmitting material used in the production of fluoride glasses for optical fibers.
vapor-phase axial deposition
A process by which high-quality fiber optics are made. See axial vapor-phase deposition.
packing density
1. In a photonic interconnect, the number of detectors in a given area. Detectors spaced too closely may give rise to...
epoxy
Common name for a variety of adhesives used for lens bonding, fiber optic splicing and other photonics applications. The...
lip
A defect in the cleaved end face of an optical fiber, in the form of a sharp protrusion at the edge of the fiber.
optical testing instrument
An optical testing instrument is a device or system used to evaluate and measure the performance, quality, and...
Sagnac interferometer
A type of interferometer in which two coils of optical fiber are arranged so that light from a single source travels...
bandwidth
The range of frequencies over which a particular instrument is designed to function within specified limits. See also fiber...
optoelectronics
Optoelectronics is a branch of electronics that focuses on the study and application of devices and systems that use light...
blown fiber
A technique developed by British Telecom in which the viscous drag of air is used to install optical fibers in narrow...
boule
1. A group of optical fibers that are fused and then treated to produce a vacuum-tight optical fiber cone or plate. 2. An...
splitting uniformity
When splitting the output of a single optical fiber into two or more fibers, the difference in the maximum loss between any...
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...
aligned bundle
An assembly of fibers in which the coordinates of each fiber are the same at the two ends of the bundle. Also called...
optical fiber
Optical fiber is a thin, flexible, transparent strand or filament made of glass or plastic used for transmitting light...
splitting ratio
A ratio expressing the difference in power between the output fibers of a coupler or splitter.
optical microphone
Laser-powered telephone device for analog communications that employs a vibrating plastic membrane as a transmitter to...
light-powered telephone
Technology that relies on a highly efficient photodetector that can detect incoming light signals at one frequency and...
differential mode attenuation
The variation in attenuation among the propagating modes of an optical fiber.
cladding mode stripper
A mechanism or device, especially a coating with a refractive index equal to or slightly greater than that of an optical...
diffraction grating
A diffraction grating is an optical component consisting of a surface with a periodic structure of equally spaced, parallel...
plastic jackets
The direct cladding used for fused silica cores to create large numerical aperture fibers and used as overcoats to...
marhic method
Nondestructive measurement of the delta and alpha of clad optical fibers that involves interferometry with the fiber...
pigtail
A short length of optical fiber permanently fixed to a component and used to couple power between it and the transmission...
double-crucible method
A method of fabricating an optical waveguide by melting the core and clad glasses in two suitably joined concentric...
indent
A flaw deliberately introduced into an optical fiber to prepare it for cleaving.
bandwidth-limited operation
In fiber optics, the limitation on performance imposed by the system bandwidth rather than the amplitude of the signal.
double-window fiber
Optical fiber capable of operating at both a shorter and a longer wavelength.
metropolitan area network
A cable backbone used to interconnect local area networks at various sites (corporate offices and factories, for example) in...
chip
1. A localized fracture at the end of a cleaved optical fiber or on a glass surface. 2. An integrated circuit.
mandrel wrap test
A means of testing optical fiber for macrobending losses by wrapping the fiber once at very low tension around a mandrel,...
fiber optic cable assembly
A fiber optic cable assembly refers to a complete unit consisting of optical fibers, connectors, protective jackets, and...
synchronous optical network
A standard for fiber optic telecommunications interfaces, with a 1300-nm data link operating over single-mode fiber at data...
elasto-optic effect
A change in the refractive index of an optical fiber caused by variation in the length of the fiber core in response to...
fiber fusion
multimode distortion
In an optical waveguide,- typically a multimode fiber - the distortion resulting from differential mode delay, i.e. axial...
fiber bandwidth
The lowest frequency at which the magnitude of the fiber transfer function decreases to a specified fraction of the zero...
interstitial absorbing coating
An absorbing coating medium between fibers, used in some fused fiber optic plates to absorb unwanted light. Such coatings...
modulator
A modulator is a device or component that modifies a carrier signal in order to encode information for transmission over a...
photonics
The technology of generating and harnessing light and other forms of radiant energy whose quantum unit is the photon. The...
fiber axis
The mechanical centerline through the core of an optical fiber.
energy-sharing laser
A laser that distributes its output power among two, three or four optical fibers simultaneously.
fiber distributed data interface
A standard for fiber optic data transmission systems being developed by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and...
insertion loss
The total optical power loss caused by the insertion of an optical component such as a connector, splice or coupler into a...
multileg lightguide
A fiber optic bundle split along its length with the ends of the fibers extending separately to illuminate different points...
optical continuous wave reflectometer
An instrument used to measure backscatter as well as optical return loss and reflectance within an optical fiber system by...
beat length
A characteristic of optical fiber used to calculate the fiber's ability to maintain polarization. The beat length describes...
zero-dispersion wavelength
In a single-mode optical fiber, the wavelength that causes material dispersion and waveguide dispersion to cancel each...
rare-earth doped fiber
An optical fiber in which ions of a rare-earth element, such as neodymium, erbium or holmium, have been incorporated into...
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...
lambda services
Term for service offered by a vendor who leases a particular wavelength to a customer through DWDM technology. Lambda...
microbend-modulated sensor
A type of fiber optic sensor that detects changes in pressure, vibration, sound level or acceleration by monitoring the...
pyrolysis
A process that employs heat to remove polyimide plastic coatings from silica optical fibers and capillary tubing.
high-performance parallel interface
A very high bandwidth communication line often used in fiber optics.
multifibers
An array of optically distinct fibers that are fused into one strand. They are used to keep the resolution efficiency of the...
SELFOC fiber
Derived from "self-focusing,'' Nippon Sheet Glass Co. (NSG) of Japan's trade name for graded-index fiber rods with parabolic...
splice tray
A container that prevents spliced fibers from becoming damaged or being misplaced.
barrier layer
In the fabrication of an optical fiber, a layer that can be used to create a boundary against OH-ion diffusion into the core.
plastic fiber
Fiber in which both core and cladding are made of plastic.
evanescent field theory
A high-frequency approach to the propagation of light in graded-index fibers in which the modal field is represented in...
signal level
Calculation of peak and average transmission power at a given point along an optical fiber or cable.
Weissenberg method
The Weissenberg method, named after the German physicist Karl Weissenberg, is a technique used in x-ray crystallography for...
power flow equation
Optical fiber channel characterization scheme based on three assumptions; the discrete mode spectrum can be replaced by a...
monocoil sheathing
A type of tubing used to protect optical fiber cables, consisting of a wire spiral of aluminum, galvanized steel or...
polyethylene
A material used to jacket fiber optic cables. It is chemical- and moisture-resistant, but not fire-resistant.
intensified vidicon
A standard direct-readout vidicon tube linked by fiber optics to an intensifier for increased sensitivity.
attenuation meter
A device used to measure power loss in fiber optic connectors, cables or systems.
holmium laser
Holmium lasers are a type of medical laser that utilizes holmium-doped crystals as the gain medium. The term holmium laser...
zip-cord
A two-fiber optical cable containing two single-fiber cables that are connected by a strip of jacket and that can easily be...
fiber-coupled photoconductive antenna
A fiber-coupled photoconductive antenna (FCPA) is a type of optoelectronic device that combines a photoconductive antenna...
reference surface
The surface of an optical fiber that is used as a reference when joining optical fibers. Although the outermost cladding is...
deeply depressed cladding fiber
An optical fiber, usually a single-mode fiber, that has an outer cladding with nearly the same index of refraction as the...
fiber optic taper
A coherent fiber optic bundle made from fibers whose diameter changes gradually along its length. Used to magnify or reduce...
dynamic fatigue
Stress applied to an optical fiber at a constant rate.
polarization-preserving fiber
Single-mode fiber that preserves the plane of polarization of the light launched into it as the beam propagates through its...
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...
prefusing
A step before fusion splicing that involves cleaning the fiber end with low-current electricity.
impurity level
In the context of optical materials, the term "impurity level" refers to the presence of foreign atoms or molecules within...
optical assembly
An optical assembly refers to a collection of optical components that are carefully arranged and aligned to perform a...
optical fiber optic switches
Optical fiber optic switches are devices used in optical fiber communication systems to selectively route optical signals...
w-type fibers
GaAlAs laser
A GaAlAs laser is a type of semiconductor laser diode that emits light in the near-infrared region of the electromagnetic...
GRIN lens
A GRIN (gradient index) lens is a type of optical lens that utilizes a gradient in refractive index across its volume rather...
connector loss
Energy loss encountered at connectors in optical fiber transmission systems. The major contributors are mutual core...
FC connector
The fiber optic connector standard for Nippon Telephone & Telegraph (NTT) installations, developed with Nippon Electric...
fiber optic connector
 optical waveguide termination
A configuration or device mounted at the end of a fiber or cable that is intended to prevent reflection.
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...
electron-beam recording
The recording of the information contained in a modulated electron beam onto photographic or silicon resin-coated materials....
hard elastics
High-modulus elastic fibers that exhibit the following differences from conventional elastic fibers: Increasing temperature...
photonic integrated circuit
A photonic integrated circuit (PIC) is a compact and integrated device that incorporates multiple photonic components and...
cladding ray
A ray that is reflected into the core of an optical fiber from the outer surface of the cladding.
core-coupled lens
A semispherical or conical lens created directly on the core of an optical fiber to focus light from a laser into the fiber...
extramural absorption cement
A cement used to reduce crosstalk in fiber optic bundles or plates.
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,...
lapping
1. The process of wearing down the surface of a softer material by rubbing it under pressure against the surface of a harder...
planar access coupler
Low-insertion-loss fiber coupler fabricated from a sheet of light-sensitive material laminated onto a fused quartz substrate...
fiber optic cable
A package for an optical fiber or fibers that may include cladding, buffering, strength members and an outer jacket.
neoprene
A type of thermoset rubber used to jacket fiber optic cables, including those used in outdoor military installations.
polishing jig
In fiber optics, a device used to polish a biconic plug to a specified length and surface finish. Also called a polishing...
fiber-lens fusing
A method of terminating optical fibers by forming a lens directly on the end of the fiber, eliminating the need for precise...
mode filter
A device used in measuring the attenuation of multimode optical fibers. A short reference length of fiber when combined with...
rare earth dopants
Rare earth dopants refer to elements from the lanthanide series, also known as rare earth elements, that are intentionally...
injection fiber
 optical switching
Optical switching refers to the process of controlling the routing or transmission of optical signals within a network using...
fluoro-immunosensor
A fiber optic device that uses a HeNe laser, beamsplitter, monochromator and photomultiplier to detect trace levels of...
fiber optic lightguide
A bundle of optical fibers arranged randomly for the purpose of transmitting energy, not an image.
laser lithotripter
A laser device intended for crushing urinary tract stones so they can be flushed from the body. Light is introduced via...
optical time-domain reflectometer
An optical time-domain reflectometer (OTDR) is a specialized instrument used in optical fiber communications to characterize...
Brillouin scattering
Brillouin scattering is a phenomenon in physics where an incident electromagnetic wave (usually light) interacts with...
optics
Optics is the branch of physics that studies the behavior and properties of light, including its interactions with matter...
direct detection
In a fiber optic transmission system, the conversion of received optical pulses directly to an electrical signal.
hybrid cable
A cable assembly containing both optical fibers and copper electrical conductors in the same jacket.
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...
armor
A protective jacket added to an optical fiber to facilitate use in harsh environments. Armor usually consists of steel or...
transverse scattering
The method for measuring the index profile of an optical fiber or preform by illuminating it coherently and transversely to...
histochemical staining
Histochemical staining is a laboratory technique used in biology and medicine to visualize specific chemical components...
lasing medium
The material that produces stimulated emission from within a laser oscillator. Laser gain media may vary from...
sapphire optical fiber
Sapphire optical fiber is a type of optical fiber made from single-crystal sapphire, which is a form of aluminum oxide...
intensity-modulated sensor
A type of fiber optic sensor that responds to a change in the intensity of received light caused by the displacement or...
outside vapor-phase oxidation
A process for the production of optical fibers. A glass bait is rotated in a traversing flame of a reaction burner....
rolloff
A defect in the cleaved end face of an optical fiber in which a portion of the edge has broken away; the complement of lip.
proximal scanning
Technique using a fiber optic assembly to illuminate an opaque object and transmit an image back from it without a lens...
tight buffer
Protective material surrounding the cladding of an optical fiber that allows the fiber no play within it.
incoherent bundle
A bundle of filaments of optical glass or other transparent materials that transmit only light, not optical images. The...
modified chemical vapor deposition
Modified chemical vapor deposition (MCVD) is a technique used in the fabrication of optical fibers. It is a specialized form...
second-window cable
Fiber optic cable that operates at the 1300-nm wavelength.
biconic connector
A type of fiber optic connector consisting of two cone-shaped ferrules aligned by a mating sleeve.
transmitter
In fiber optic communications, a light source whose beam can be modulated and sent along an optical fiber, and the...
liquid core optical fiber
Multimode straight fiber capable of transporting linearly polarized light with any incident polarization angle, and in which...
bend loss
The loss of optical power in an optical fiber because radiation escapes through its bends. The radiation loss caused by...
borescope
A device for the internal inspection of hard-to-get-at mechanical parts, such as rifle barrels, sewer pipes, oil wells, or...
image transducer
Any arrangement of a bundle of optical fibers that alters the shape of the image. For example, by systematic regulation of...
fiber optic plate
 adapter
1. In optics, the housing, usually cylindrical, that contains the lenses and iris diaphragm of a camera. 2. In fiber optics,...
ultraviolet fiber optics
Ultraviolet (UV) fiber optics refers to optical fibers that are designed and optimized for the transmission of ultraviolet...
fiber undercut
The distance between the surface of a ferrule and the surface of a fiber end, provided that the ferrule extends above the...
indium phosphide
Indium phosphide (InP) is a compound semiconductor material composed of indium (In) and phosphorus (P). It belongs to the...
stripwound hose
A type of sheathing for fiber optic cable that incorporates a coil of metal; often used in harsh environments.
electroholography
A technology that uses electrically activated holograms stored within specially developed crystals to route information in...
self-phase modulation
Self-phase modulation (SPM) is a nonlinear optical phenomenon that occurs when an intense laser beam passes through a...
fiber optic preform
A fiber optic preform is a cylindrical glass rod or tube used as the starting material for manufacturing optical fibers. It...
ringlight
A circular lamp or bundles of optical fibers placed around the perimeter of an objective lens to illuminate the object field...
delay line
A device used to delay transmission of a signal for functions such as memory loops, sequential processing or built-in...
preform
A glass structure from which an optical fiber waveguide may be drawn.
plastic optical fiber
Plastic optical fiber (POF) is a type of optical fiber made from transparent plastic, typically polymethylmethacrylate...
optical manufacturing tools and machinery
Optical manufacturing tools and machinery encompass a wide range of equipment, instruments, and systems used in the...
drawing tower
A system for fabricating optical fiber, consisting of a furnace that heats the materials, a polymer coating stage, a...
isolator
In the context of electronics and optics, an isolator refers to a device that allows the transmission of signals in one...
index-matching material
A material, often a liquid or cement, whose refractive index is nearly equal to the fiber's core index, used to reduce...
nonlinear optical materials
Nonlinear optical materials are substances that exhibit optical properties that are not linearly proportional to the...
radiation angle
Half the vertex angle of the cone of light emitted by a fiber.
stress-applying part
In polarization-preserving optical fibers, the element used to induce birefringence. The SAP is highly doped to provide a...
dispersion-flattened single-mode fiber
A type of glass optical fiber that provides low pulse dispersion over a broad portion of the light spectrum and as a result...
fusion splice
A splice accomplished by the application of localized heat sufficient to fuse or melt the ends of two lengths of optical...
Nichols radiometer
An instrument devised by Nichols and Hull for use in the measurement of radiation pressure. The device has two small...
loose-tube buffering
In fiber optic cable, containment of the fiber or fibers within an outer protective tube in which they can move to some...
fiber fuse
A phenomenon in which high optical power, encountering an imperfection in an optical fiber, destroys the fiber's core and...
fiber lapping
A method of optical fiber coupling in which the fibers are ground down to expose their cores and placed together to allow...
weakly guided fiber
A fiber for which the difference between the maximum and the minimum refractive index is small, usually less than 1 percent.
monomer exchange diffusion
Process that occurs when a polymerized soft plastic rod with higher refractive index is placed in a bath of a lower...
Er:YAG laser
An Er:YAG laser is a type of solid-state laser that uses a crystal made of erbium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet...
packing fraction
The ratio of the active core area of a fiber bundle to the total area at its light-emitting or receiving end.
laser surgery
Laser surgery refers to a medical procedure in which a laser, or focused beam of light, is used as a precision tool to cut,...
single-mode waveguide (or fiber)
An optical waveguide in which only the lowest order bound mode, which may consist of a pair of orthogonally polarized...
flooding compound
A material that surrounds a fiber optic cable's buffer tubes to prevent moisture from entering if the jacket is breached.
proof strength
The minimum amount of strength characteristic of an optical fiber, as determined by proof stressing; expressed in thousands...
multimode fiber
 refractive index contrast
A measure of the relative difference in refractive index between two optical materials. Most commonly used in fiber optics...
germanium crystal
Germanium crystal refers to a crystalline form of the element germanium (Ge), which is a metalloid and semiconductor...
pulse compression
A means of achieving higher peak powers and more efficient harmonic generation by narrowing the pulse width and thus...
slab interferometry
The method for measuring the index profile of an optical fiber by preparing a thin sample that has its faces perpendicular...
hollow waveguide
An infrared-transmitting optical fiber with a hollow core; it can be square, round or rectangular in cross section. Capable...
graded index
Descriptive of an optical fiber having a core refractive index that decreases almost parabolically and radially outward...
quantum key distribution
Quantum key distribution (QKD) is a method of secure communication that utilizes principles from quantum mechanics to...
fiber optic field flattener
A plate consisting of fused optical fibers with both surfaces ground and polished, and having the entrance surface curved to...
acceptance pattern
A curve expressing an optical fiber's total transmitted power as a function of its launch angle at the input.
simplex
A fiber optic transmission system in which data can go in only a single direction.
ribbon cable
A cable that incorporates multiple fibers, jacketed side by side in a ribbonlike form.
second-harmonic generation microscopy
A nonlinear label-free imaging technique commonly used during surgical procedures for the visualization of collagen fibers...
thermoplastic elastomer
A material used in the jacket of fiber optic cables.
fiber optic imaging bundle
A fiber optic imaging bundle is a specialized optical device composed of multiple optical fibers bundled together. Each...
fiber optic spectrometer
A fiber optic spectrometer is a device used for measuring the spectral content of light. It utilizes optical fibers to...
fiber optic gyroscope
A fiber optic gyroscope (FOG) is a type of gyroscope that uses the interference of light waves to detect changes in...
multifiber cable
Fiber optic cable bearing many fibers independently sheathed and capable of carrying unrelated signals. They often surround...
optical cements and adhesive
Optical cements and adhesives are specialized materials used in the assembly and bonding of optical components in optical...
cladding
The low-refractive-index material that surrounds the core of an optical fiber to contain core light while protecting against...
time-sharing laser
A laser fitted with up to eight optical fibers that transmit the energy to different workstations in turn.
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...
dark fiber
Unused fiber; fiber that has been installed but reserved for future use. Carrying no light.
second-harmonic generation
Second-harmonic generation (SHG) is a nonlinear optical process that occurs when two photons with the same frequency combine...
gap loss
The optical power loss caused by a space between axially aligned fibers.
all-silica fiber
Also known as all-glass fiber. A fiber with both a silica core and a silica cladding, regardless of the presence of a...
optical gate
An optical gate typically refers to a device or system that controls the transmission of light, allowing it to pass through...
concentricity error
The distance between the center of the two concentric circles of an optical fiber that designate the diameter of the...
galvo-directing mirrors
A system of mirrors that can be used to direct light from a single laser source into any one of a number of separate optical...
long-wavelength system
In fiber optic communications systems, generally one that operates between 1000 and 1700 nm.
transverse interferometry
The method used to measure the index profile of an optical fiber by placing it in an interferometer and illuminating the...
characteristic angle
The angle at which a given mode propagates down an optical fiber.
fiber optics
The use of thin flexible glass or plastic fibers as wave guides — or "light pipes" — to channel light from one...
diode laser
A diode laser is a type of laser that uses a semiconductor diode as the active medium to generate coherent light....
axial vapor-phase deposition
A vapor-phase oxidation process for fabricating graded-index optical fibers. It differs from outside vapor phase deposition...
attenuation-limited power
In fiber optics, the limitation on performance imposed by the amplitude of a received signal rather than distortion.
pulse spreading
Variations in a signal passing through an optical fiber caused by the effect on the pulse of the fiber's material and mode...
fiberscope
An optical instrument consisting of an objective lens, a coherent (usually flexible) fiber bundle and an eyepiece to examine...
fiber-based confocal luminescence microscope
A microscope in which laser light is delivered through single-mode fibers that replace the pinhole usually used in confocal...
buffer
1. In fiber optics, a protective material applied as an optical fiber cover that has no optical function. 2. In image...
coherent communications
A fiber optic communications system that works on the principles of homodyning or heterodyning. The transmitting laser...
microbending
In optical fiber, sharp but microscopic curvatures that create local axial displacements of a few microns and spatial...
launch angle
The angle between the light input propagation vector and the optical axis of an optical fiber or fiber bundle.
connector
Hardware installed on fiber cable ends to provide cable attachment to a transmitter, receiver or other cable. Usually a...
Kynar
Pennwalt's trade name for polyvinylidene fluoride, a material used in the jacket of fiber optic cables where low smoke...
effective numerical aperture
The real numerical aperture (NA) of a fiber when the computed NA is not valid because of change in the glass indices during...
extrinsic fiber loss
A type of optical fiber loss resulting from the misalignment of fibers in a splice or connector.
cutoff wavelength
1. In detector technology, the long wavelength at which detector response falls to a set percentage (usually 20 or 50...
embedded laser
The term "embedded laser" typically refers to a laser device that is integrated or embedded into a larger system or...
coupling efficiency
The fraction of available output from a radiant source that is coupled and transmitted by an optical fiber.
high-loss fiber
Optical fiber in which the attenuation exceeds the normally acceptable level for long-haul or data communications use.
cutback technique
A technique for measuring fiber attenuation or distortion by performing two transmission measurements. One is at the output...
ferrule
A mechanical fixture, generally a rigid tube, used to confine the stripped end of a fiber or a fiber bundle.
refracted ray method
The technique for measuring the index profile of an optical fiber by scanning the entrance face with the vertex of a high...
liquid lightguide
An optical fiber with a hollow core filled with a liquid material that has a higher refractive index than the solid...
index dip
The decrease in the refractive index at the center of a fiber's core, caused by certain fabrication techniques. Also called...
noncoherent bundle
An assembly of optical fibers that will not transmit coherent images or information because the relationship of the fibers...
zero halogen thermoplastic
A highly flame-retardant material used to jacket fiber optic cables, especially on shipboard applications.
Fresnel reflection method
A method for measuring the index profile of an optical fiber by measuring the reflectance as a function of position on the...
cathode-ray tube faceplate
A fiber optic end plate constructed by drawing a bundle of parallel fibers embedded in glass and cutting it into thin...
lay length
In a fiber optic cable, the longitudinal length required for the transmission media, wrapped around a central member, to...
fiber photometry
An optical recording technique that uses light source(s), a beamsplitting cube, light detector(s) and an optical fiber...
coherent fiber bundle
A coherent fiber bundle (CFB), also known as a coherent fiber optic bundle, is an assembly of multiple optical fibers...
Kerr soliton
A Kerr soliton refers to a specific type of soliton, a self-reinforcing wave packet, that arises in nonlinear optical...
fiber bundle
A rigid or flexible, concentrated assembly of glass or plastic fibers used to transmit optical images or light. See aligned...
tolerance field
In fiber optics, the annular region between two concentric circles; used to specify fiber cladding and core sizes.
pulse reduction factor
Factor that relates the pulse spread occurring in a graded-index fiber to that of an equivalent step-index fiber having an...
endoscope
An endoscope is a medical device used for visualizing and examining the interior of hollow organs, body cavities, or...
static fatigue
The application of a constant stress to an optical fiber.
MSM photodiode
A metal-semiconductor-metal (MSM) photodiode is a type of photodetector that consists of metal electrodes on a semiconductor...
space-division multiplex
In fiber optics, the condition in which each fiber of a bundle carries a separate channel.
dispersion-shifted fiber
A dispersion-shifted fiber (DSF) refers to a type of optical fiber designed to minimize the effects of chromatic dispersion,...
laser peening
Laser peening is a surface enhancement technique used to improve the mechanical properties of materials, particularly...
chalcogenide
Chalcogenide refers to a class of compounds containing elements from group 16 of the periodic table, which includes sulfur...
fiber optic sensor
A fiber optic sensor is a device that uses optical fibers to detect and measure physical, chemical, biological, or...
erbium-doped fiber amplifier
An optical fiber that can be used to amplify an optical input. Erbium rare earth ions are added to the fiber core material...
interphako interference microscopy
Measures the refractive indices axially from the fiber profile. Microscopy technique provides an interferogram with high...
luminescent fiber
Fiber that emits luminescent radiation excited by ultraviolet, x-ray or high-energy particles.
choledochoscope
A small fiber optic endoscope used in laser surgery.
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...
fiber optic probe
A flexible single- or multifiber cable having a bundle of glass fibers arranged to transmit an image.
MEMS fiber optic switch
A MEMS fiber optic switch is a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) device designed to selectively route optical signals...
time smear
The elongation of a transmitted data pulse through a fiber optic due to the chromatic dispersion of the fiber material.
distal end
The end of an optical fiber farthest from the source of illumination.
silicon photodiode
A silicon photodiode is a semiconductor device that converts light into an electrical current. It is a type of photodetector...
macrobending
In optical fiber, bends that are larger than microbends (see microbending), being visible. Generally they are caused by...
supercontinuum
Supercontinuum refers to a broad spectrum of light that spans a wide range of wavelengths, typically from the visible to the...
spiral
A defect in the cleaved end face of an optical fiber in which the surface changes abruptly.
multifiber joint
A fiber optic connector or splice that mates two multifiber cables, optically aligning all of the individual fibers...
distributed feedback laser
A distributed feedback laser (DFB laser) is a type of semiconductor laser diode designed to emit coherent, narrow-bandwidth...
fiber-linked array image formatter
A wide-field multiobject spectroscopy system used in astronomy, in which a bundle of low-loss optical fibers positioned on...
scattered fringe period
Measure of the interference fringe pattern produced by the forward scattering of light by an optical fiber; the fringe...
immersion liquid
Term synonymous with refractive index liquid, but related more to tank or chamber immersion of crystals, fibers, lenses,...
fused silica
Glass consisting of almost pure silicon dioxide (SiO2). Also called vitreous silica. Frequently used in optical fibers and...
free-space optics
Free-space optics (FSO), also known as optical wireless communication or optical wireless networking, refers to the...
strength member
A strand of aramid yarn, steel or fiberglass in an optical cable intended to prevent bending or stretching that would damage...
lateral load test
A method of measuring microbending losses in optical fiber by sandwiching a length of fiber between two parallel plates,...
breakout cable
A breakout cable, also known as a fan-out cable or breakout assembly, is a type of cable that combines multiple individual...
extrinsic joint loss
Synonym of extrinsic fiber loss.
polishing puck
A flat cylindrical device generally used to polish terminated ends in fiber optic connections.
fiber optic scanner
A scanner in which a fiber optic assembly replaces a lens system.
micro-optics
Micro-optics refers to the design, fabrication, and application of optical components and systems at a microscale level....
step index fiber
An optical fiber in which the core is of uniform refractive index.
irradiated cross-linked polyolefin
A thermosetting material used in the jacket of fiber optic cables.
plasma chemical vapor deposition
The use of a plasma to induce the formation of oxides in the production of graded-index optical fibers.
step index profile
A profile of an optical component, usually a fiber, in which the core is of uniform refractive index and the cladding or...
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...
himawari
A system of Japanese origin that utilizes Fresnel lenses and a fiber optic network to transmit sunlight to otherwise...
laser
A laser, which stands for "light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation," is a device that produces coherent and...
stress corrosion
A type of fatigue found in optical fibers, caused by water or another corroding agent.
trunk
In a fiber optic communications network, a circuit that connects two switching centers and does not branch off to terminal...
parabolic profile
The condition in which the index of refraction in an optical fiber varies as a parabolic function of the radius.
peel point
In a fiber optic guided missile, the point at which the optical fiber pays out from the bobbin on which it is wound.
legacy fiber
Older fiber optic cable that may not be suitable for state-of-the-art applications and that is difficult for suppliers to...
near-field scanning
A measurement technique used to determine the spatial distribution profile of an electrical or optical quantity of interest...
window
1. A piece of glass with plane parallel surfaces used to admit light into an optical system and to exclude dirt and...
mode field diameter
For a single-mode fiber, the measurement of the irradiance distribution at the fiber's end face.
differential mode delay
A variation in propagation delay caused by differences in group velocity among modes of an optical fiber. Also called...
PIN photodiode
A PIN photodiode is a type of photodetector or semiconductor device used to convert light signals into electrical signals....
channel density
The number of channels per unit bandwidth handled by a single optical fiber.
stimulated Brillouin scattering
In Stimulated Brillouin Scattering (SBS), an incident photon (usually laser light) interacts with acoustic phonons in a...
large-core fiber
Optical fiber with a large core, often a step-index fiber; "large'' is at times defined as greater than 85 µm.
core
The light-conducting portion of an optical fiber, defined by the region of high refractive index.
proof stressing
A means of testing the strength of optical fibers to ensure reliability, by applying stress to the fiber so that any flaws...
InGaAs photodiode
An InGaAs photodiode refers to a photodetector device that is constructed using a semiconductor material composed of a...
normalized frequency
Also referred to as the V number in fiber optics; the normalized frequency is a dimensionless quantity, denoted by the...
gradient-index profile
The term gradient-index profile refers to a specific type of refractive index distribution within an optical material. In...
fiber optic window
The face of a cathode-ray tube (CRT) that has a fiber optic sheet attached to its surface. The sheet's fibers are at right...
electro-optic modulator
An electro-optic modulator (EOM) is a device used to modulate the amplitude, phase, or polarization of light waves using an...
randomized fiber optic cable
Fiber optic cable in which the arrangement of fibers within the bundle has been made random so that output light will be...
fiber optic faceplate
A plate made up of thousands of glass fibers arranged parallel to one another, i.e., in a coherent bundle, and fused...
hair-trigger operation
Triggering a laser at a predetermined time by pumping it to a level just below its threshold and then using an auxiliary...

(370 results found)

Explore Our Content
News
Features
Latest Products
Webinars
White Papers
All Things Photonics Podcast
Videos
Our Summits & Conferences
Industry Events
Bookstore
Join Our Community
Subscribe
Advertise
Become a member
Sign in
Contribute a Feature
Suggest a Webinar
Submit a Press Release
Mobile Apps

About Us
Our Company
Our Publications
Contact Us
Career Opportunities
Teddi C. Laurin Scholarship

Terms & Conditions
Privacy Policy
California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA)



©2024 Photonics Media
100 West St.
Pittsfield, MA, 01201 USA
[email protected]
We use cookies to improve user experience and analyze our website traffic as stated in our Privacy Policy. By using this website, you agree to the use of cookies unless you have disabled them.