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Communications Dictionary Terms

integrated optics
A thin-film device containing miniature optical components connected via optical waveguides on a transparent dielectric...
modem
Modulator/demodulator. An electronic device that modulates and demodulates signals transmitted over communications lines.
heterodyning
In optical communications, the translation of optical signals into radio signals, lowering their frequency in detection from...
phase mask
In optics and photolithography, a phase mask refers to a device that modifies the phase of light waves passing through it....
optoelectronics
Optoelectronics is a branch of electronics that focuses on the study and application of devices and systems that use light...
clock
A signal, generated by an oscillator, that provides the means of synchronization of operations in a data communications...
frequency comb
A frequency comb is a precise and regular series of equally spaced spectral lines, or frequencies, that are generated with...
infrared
Infrared (IR) refers to the region of the electromagnetic spectrum with wavelengths longer than those of visible light, but...
microcomb
A microcomb, short for microresonator frequency comb, is a novel photonic device that generates a precise series of evenly...
metalens
A metalens, short for "metasurface lens," is a type of optical lens that uses nanostructured materials to manipulate light...
phase
In optics and photonics, "phase" refers to a property of electromagnetic waves, such as light, that describes the position...
reflection grating
A reflection grating is an optical component that consists of a series of closely spaced, parallel reflecting surfaces or...
III-V material
In semiconductor physics and materials science, the term "III-V materials" refers to compounds composed of elements from...
link
In data communications, the instrumentation connecting two stations: transmitters, receivers and the cable that runs between...
modified chemical vapor deposition
Modified chemical vapor deposition (MCVD) is a technique used in the fabrication of optical fibers. It is a specialized form...
distributed feedback laser
A distributed feedback laser (DFB laser) is a type of semiconductor laser diode designed to emit coherent, narrow-bandwidth...
data bus
A system incorporated into fiber optic data communications characterized by several spatially distributed terminals that are...
optical communications
The transmission and reception of information by optical devices and sensors.
electroholography
A technology that uses electrically activated holograms stored within specially developed crystals to route information in...
Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine
Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) is an international standard for medical imaging created by both the...
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...
local oscillator laser
In coherent optical communications systems, a laser used at the receiving end to produce a steady wave that is combined with...
laser drift
Laser drift typically refers to a phenomenon where the frequency or wavelength of a laser source gradually changes over...
optical repeater
In an optical fiber or waveguide communications system, an optoelectronic device or module that receives an optical signal,...
subscriber loop
That portion of the telecommunications network that runs from a local central telephone to the subscriber premises.
magneto-optics
Magneto-optics refers to the study and manipulation of the interaction between magnetic fields and light (electromagnetic...
optical fiber
Optical fiber is a thin, flexible, transparent strand or filament made of glass or plastic used for transmitting light...
quantum noise
Noise generated within an optical communications system link that has both internal (dark current) and external (background...
impurity level
In the context of optical materials, the term "impurity level" refers to the presence of foreign atoms or molecules within...
transmitter
In fiber optic communications, a light source whose beam can be modulated and sent along an optical fiber, and the...
optical switching
Optical switching refers to the process of controlling the routing or transmission of optical signals within a network using...
supercontinuum
Supercontinuum refers to a broad spectrum of light that spans a wide range of wavelengths, typically from the visible to the...
microelectromechanical systems
Refers to micron-size complex machines that have physical dimensions suitable for the fabrication of optical switches for...
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...
GaN distributed feedback lasers
GaN (Gallium Nitride) distributed feedback (DFB) lasers refer to a specific type of semiconductor laser based on Gallium...
noise
The unwanted and unpredictable fluctuations that distort a received signal and hence tend to obscure the desired message....
polarization
Polarization refers to the orientation of oscillations in a transverse wave, such as light waves, radio waves, or other...
local area network
Data communications network in a clearly defined geographical location, and extending no more than a few miles in length. It...
photonic integrated circuit
A photonic integrated circuit (PIC) is a compact and integrated device that incorporates multiple photonic components and...
trunk
In a fiber optic communications network, a circuit that connects two switching centers and does not branch off to terminal...
laser
A laser, which stands for "light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation," is a device that produces coherent and...
COMINT
An acronym for communications intelligence, referring to the collection of communications signals in the VHF and UHF...
mode-locked lasers
Mode-locking is a technique used in lasers to produce ultrashort pulses of light with durations on the order of picoseconds,...
laser communications
data link
The communications network between nodes of a data transmission system.
nonlinear optics
Nonlinear optics is a branch of optics that studies the optical phenomena that occur when intense light interacts with a...
optoisolator
An optical coupling device that uses light to bridge the gap between incompatible wire communications systems. It contains...
averaged threshold receiver
A receiver for optical communications systems consisting of a symmetric binary, pulse-code-modulated transmitter, a...
duplex
In data communications, the simultaneous operation of a circuit in both directions is known as full duplex; if only one...
optical gate
An optical gate typically refers to a device or system that controls the transmission of light, allowing it to pass through...
attenuation
Attenuation refers to the gradual loss or reduction of intensity, force, or magnitude of a particular property as it...
microphotonics
The technology of manipulating light on a micro scale. In optical communications, this is usually accomplished using two or...
phase-shift keying
A method of coding information in a communications system where the shift in the phase of an electromagnetic wave represents...
time domain
The time domain is a concept used in signal processing and analysis to describe signals in terms of their behavior over...
optical microphone
Laser-powered telephone device for analog communications that employs a vibrating plastic membrane as a transmitter to...
optical filter
An optical filter is a device that selectively transmits or blocks specific wavelengths, or colors, of light. Optical...
receiver
A detector and signal demodulator used in optical communications systems to receive a signal and often to translate it into...
adaptive optics
Adaptive optics (AO) is a technology used to improve the performance of optical systems by reducing the effects of...
diffraction efficiency
Diffraction efficiency is a measure of how effectively a diffractive optical element (DOE) or diffraction grating directs...
InGaAs photodiode
An InGaAs photodiode refers to a photodetector device that is constructed using a semiconductor material composed of a...
phase distrortion
Phase distortion refers to a change in the phase relationships between different frequency components of a signal. In the...
diode-pumped solid-state laser
A diode-pumped solid-state laser (DPSSL) is a type of laser system that uses semiconductor diode lasers to pump energy into...
diamond turning
Diamond turning, also known as diamond machining or diamond cutting, is a precision machining process used to produce...
micro-optics
Micro-optics refers to the design, fabrication, and application of optical components and systems at a microscale level....
Bragg grating
A filter that separates light into many colors via Bragg's law. Generally refers to a fiber Bragg grating used in optical...
photonic crystals
Photonic crystals are artificial structures or materials designed to manipulate and control the flow of light in a manner...
second-order nonlinear optical properties
Second-order nonlinear optical properties refer to a class of phenomena exhibited by certain materials in response to...
synchronous optical network
A standard for fiber optic telecommunications interfaces, with a 1300-nm data link operating over single-mode fiber at data...
error correcting code
The addition to the information signal in communications of redundant bits that enable the originally encoded message to be...
digital signal processing
Digital signal processing (DSP) refers to the manipulation and analysis of signals, which are representations of physical...
photonics
The technology of generating and harnessing light and other forms of radiant energy whose quantum unit is the photon. The...
nanophotonics
Nanophotonics is a branch of science and technology that explores the behavior of light on the nanometer scale, typically at...
long-wavelength system
In fiber optic communications systems, generally one that operates between 1000 and 1700 nm.
dispersion-shifted fiber
A dispersion-shifted fiber (DSF) refers to a type of optical fiber designed to minimize the effects of chromatic dispersion,...
chalcogenide
Chalcogenide refers to a class of compounds containing elements from group 16 of the periodic table, which includes sulfur...
coherent communications
A fiber optic communications system that works on the principles of homodyning or heterodyning. The transmitting laser...
gain-switching
Gain-switching is a technique used in lasers to generate short pulses of light by modulating the gain of the laser medium....
optics
Optics is the branch of physics that studies the behavior and properties of light, including its interactions with matter...
half duplex
A communications system that can transmit in only a single direction at a time. See duplex.
plasmonics
Plasmonics is a field of science and technology that focuses on the interaction between electromagnetic radiation and free...
atomic clock
An atomic clock is a highly precise timekeeping device that uses the vibrations or oscillations of atoms as a reference for...
frequency domain
The frequency domain is a concept used in signal processing and analysis to represent signals and data in terms of their...
high-loss fiber
Optical fiber in which the attenuation exceeds the normally acceptable level for long-haul or data communications use.
optical time-domain reflectometer
An optical time-domain reflectometer (OTDR) is a specialized instrument used in optical fiber communications to characterize...
isolator
In the context of electronics and optics, an isolator refers to a device that allows the transmission of signals in one...
mutual coherent function
A function that quantifies the performance degradation of coherent communications systems, imaging systems and all systems...
low-loss fiber
Optical fiber that transmits a greater percentage of input light than does high-loss step-index fiber. Low-loss fiber...
light-emitting diode
An LED, or light emitting diode, is a semiconductor device that emits light when an electric current passes through it. LEDs...
node
In a communications network, a point at which data are received or from which they are sent. Though the term often is used...
optical link
Any optical transmission channel used in telecommunications designed to connect two end terminals or to be connected in...
broadband filter
A broadband filter is an electronic or electromagnetic device designed to pass a range of frequencies or signals within a...
indium phosphide
Indium phosphide (InP) is a compound semiconductor material composed of indium (In) and phosphorus (P). It belongs to the...
self-phase modulation
Self-phase modulation (SPM) is a nonlinear optical phenomenon that occurs when an intense laser beam passes through a...
metrology
Metrology is the science and practice of measurement. It encompasses the theoretical and practical aspects of measurement,...
integrated services digital network
A set of international standards by which a single telecommunications channel is used to transmit voice and data...
quantum key distribution
Quantum key distribution (QKD) is a method of secure communication that utilizes principles from quantum mechanics to...

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