Lasers | Photonics.com

LASERS DICTIONARY TERMS

gallium aluminum arsenide (GaAlAs or AlGaAs)A crystalline semiconductor alloy used as the light confinement layer in both single- and double-heterostructure diode lasers.

injection lockingThe use of two lasers as a master-slave pair in order to control frequency and prevent chirp. When light from the master is...

micro-opticsTiny (less than 2 mm in diameter) lenses, beamsplitters and other optical components used, for example, in endoscopes or...

uniformly redundant array (URA)Array used in coded-aperture imaging experiments with two-beam CO2 lasers that provide an artifact-free process, faithful...

scribingThe process of perforating a silicon or ceramic substrate with a series of tiny holes along which it will break. Nd:YAG or...

Fresnel numberIn a lens, the square of the radius of its aperture divided by the product of the focal length and the wavelength. It...

optical nonlinearityThe phenomenon that makes nonlinear the mathematical expression for the electrical polarization of a medium through which...

picosecond pulseA pulse having extremely short duration, about 10-13 to 10-10 s, that is produced by mode locking of wide-bandwidth lasers,...

tissue opticsThe study of the optical properties of living tissue. Increased understanding of the behavior of light in this varied,...

transverse modeA mode that has a field vector normal to the direction of propagation. In a transverse electric (TE) mode, the electric...

photonicsThe technology of generating and harnessing light and other forms of radiant energy whose quantum unit is the photon. The...

dBmDecibels referenced to one milliwatt; often used to specify power ratings for semiconductor diode lasers.

Fabry-Perot cavityAn optical resonator in which feedback is accomplished by two parallel planes. In diode lasers, the planes are obtained by...

axial gradient technologyA method of designing lasers whereby the laser rod is cut into elliptical discs and cooled by running water over the disc...

diode-pumped solid-state laserA compact solid-state laser, referred to as DPSSL, created when a laser diode pumps light into either the sides or end of...

photonic computerA type of computer in which the electronic circuits, which process data serially, are replaced by photonic circuits capable...

gallium nitride (GaN)A semiconductor compound used in photonic devices such as lasers and LEDs.

laserstrobeA stroboscopelike apparatus that uses a copper vapor laser to illuminate an object for very short time periods (about 30 ns).

photodynamic therapy (PDT)A medical technology that uses lasers or other light sources in combination with photosensitizing drugs to treat cancerous...

Fabry-Perot laserA laser oscillator in which two mirrors are separated by an amplifying medium with an inverted population, making a...

solid-state laserA laser using a transparent substance (crystalline or glass) as the active medium, doped to provide the energy states...

pyroelectric infrared detectorUnlike the thermocouple or bolometer, the pyroelectric infrared detector is a current source with an output proportional to...

excitation1. The process by which an atom acquires energy sufficient to raise it to a quantum state higher than its ground state. 2....

color center laserCertain color centers in the alkali halides have been optically pumped to produce efficient tunable pulsed and...

multiple laser sequenceAlso known as gatling gun laser. A system that has an array of lasers sharing a common central axis on a rotating Fabry...

pyroelectric pulse detectorA current-source thermal detector used to detect and study the pulses obtained from particular lasers.

quantum cascade laserA Quantum Cascade Laser (QCL) is a type of semiconductor laser that emits light in the mid- to far-infrared portion of the...

frequency summing (FSK)A technique used in holography that involves the mixing of lasers of different wavelengths to produce a beam of shorter...

stereolithographyA method of creating real three-dimensional models by using lasers driven by CAD software. In contrast to the normal...

laserA device which operates under the processes of absorption and stimulated emission and by the condition that gain exceeds...

time-averaged holographyAlthough low in sensitivity (approximately 10-7 m for helium-neon lasers), this holographic technique permits quantitative...

xenon flashtubeA high-intensity source of incoherent white light in which a capacitor is discharged through a tube of xenon gas; often used...

laser trimmingThe use of lasers in tailoring of such components as thin-film resistors. The process improves speed and accuracy.

vanadate laserLasers based on neodymium-doped yttrium or gadolinium vanadate crystals. These include yttrium vanadate (Nd:YVO4),...

pulsed-dye laser:A laser with a gain medium consisting of an organic dye, which is carbon-based. The dye is mixed with a solvent, allowing...

dye laserA laser using a dye solution as its active medium. Its output is a short pulse of broad spectral content and its achievable...

neodymium glassGlass containing small quantities of neodymium oxide that is used as a filter plate in color television or as a lasing...

free-space optics (FSO)A type of optical communications technology dealing with the use of lasers and other light sources to send telecommunication...

photoconductive antennaPhotoconductive antenna (PCA) is a semiconductor element that generates or detects high-frequency electromagnetic signals....

Brewster angle windowA parallel plate of glass in such a position that the refracted and reflected rays of incident parallel light are mutually...

isotopically selected laser spectroscopyA spectroscopic technique in which an excitation band absorbs laser energy resulting in an electronic transition. The...

mode sweepingA form of laser output noise that is caused by thermal, mechanical, or acoustical disturbances of the cavity length. Mode...

distributed feedback (DFB) laserA laser system in which feedback is used to make certain modes in the resonator oscillate more strongly than others. In...

divergence1. In optics, the bending of rays away from each other. 2. In lasers, the spreading of a laser beam with increased distance...

Pulsed-dye laserA laser with a gain medium consisting of an organic dye, which is carbon-based. The dye is mixed with a solvent, allowing...

temporal coherenceA characteristic of laser output, calculated by dividing the speed of light by the linewidth of the laser beam. The temporal...

aversion responseEye blink or head movement in response to bright light. Aversion responses such as blinking are sufficient protection from...

repetitively pulsed laserA pulsed laser that emits a recurring pulsed output. Frequency of the pulses emitted is known as pulsed recurrence frequency...

picosecond spectroscopyA method of measuring complex sequential photosynthetic reactions by varying the pulse time and wavelength of light...

integramA reflection hologram using multiple color lasers that integrates various graphical techniques to allow the display of...

indiumMetal used in components of the crystalline semiconductor alloys indium gallium arsenide (InGaAs), indium gallium arsenide...

gallium antimonide (GaSb)A binary semiconductor compound used as a substrate or active layer for diode lasers.

gas laserOne of the first lasers to find practical application. Generally, the pumping mechanism is an electric discharge, although...

recombination radiationThe radiation emitted in semiconductors when electrons in the conduction band recombine with holes in the valence band. If...

pulse compressionA means of achieving higher peak powers and more efficient harmonic generation by narrowing the pulse width and thus...

light sourceThe generic term applied to all sources of visible radiation from burning matter to ionized vapors and lasers, regardless of...

embedded laserThe laser inside an enclosed laser device. Usually, an embedded laser is a laser that exceeds its MPE but is classified as...

scintillation1. The variation in intensity of a light beam as it travels through the atmosphere. 2. In radiation physics, a light flash...

stibine gasThe purest gas source of antimony, which is used in the manufacture of compound semiconductors for IR sensors and...

transversely excited atmosphere carbon dioxide laserAbbreviated TEA CO2 laser. A gas laser that provides shorter pulses and higher peak powers than conventional CO2 lasers. The...

distributed Bragg reflector (DBR)A device similar to distributed feedback lasers in construction and operation, but in which the period grating that produces...

photobiomodulationA light therapy that utilizes nonionizing light sources, including lasers, LEDs, and broadband light, in the visible and...

metal vapor laserDevices in which the lasing medium is a vapor of metal atoms or ions, sometimes mixed with another gas. Metal vapor lasers...

laser spectroscopyThat part of the science involved in the study of the theory and interpretation of spectra that uses the unique...

laser controlled areaArea in which laser operation occurs and therefore safety requirements are met and regulations are implemented. Lasers...

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