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materials Dictionary Terms

light-emitting diode
An LED, or light emitting diode, is a semiconductor device that emits light when an electric current passes through it. LEDs...
second-harmonic generation
Second-harmonic generation (SHG) is a nonlinear optical process that occurs when two photons with the same frequency combine...
fiber optic preform
A fiber optic preform is a cylindrical glass rod or tube used as the starting material for manufacturing optical fibers. It...
radiography
A photographic process using x-ray radiation or the g-rays of radioactive materials.
chromatic aberration
Chromatic aberration is an optical phenomenon that occurs when different wavelengths (colors) of light are refracted by a...
two-six
Referring to compound semiconductor materials combining one element with two valence electrons and one or more with six....
near-infrared spectrometer
A near-infrared (NIR) spectrometer is an analytical instrument used to measure the absorption, transmission, or reflection...
annealing
The process of heating and slowly cooling a solid material, like glass or metal, to stabilize its thermal, electrical or...
optical phase distortion
Optical phase distortion refers to a phenomenon where the phase of an optical wavefront is altered as it propagates through...
conduction welding
A type of laser welding of thin materials using a defocused or low-power carbon dioxide laser beam. The energy is absorbed...
Faraday rotation
The effect discovered by Faraday in 1845 whereby nonoptically active materials or substances become capable of rotating the...
color center
A color center, in the context of materials science and condensed matter physics, refers to a specific type of...
custom lapping and polishing services
Custom lapping and polishing services involve specialized processes used to improve the surface finish and dimensional...
material scattering
The total scattering attributable to the intrinsic properties of the materials through which an optical wave is propagating.
dielectric
Exhibiting the characteristic of materials that are electrical insulators or in which an electric field can be sustained...
photonic crystals
Photonic crystals are artificial structures or materials designed to manipulate and control the flow of light in a manner...
extreme ultraviolet
Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) refers to a specific range of electromagnetic radiation in the ultraviolet part of the spectrum....
diffuse reflectance spectroscopy
Diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) is a nondestructive analytical technique used to investigate the optical properties...
hydrogel
A hydrogel is a three-dimensional network of polymer chains that are hydrophilic, meaning they have a strong affinity for...
reflective spectroscopy
Reflectance spectroscopy is a technique used to analyze the reflective properties of materials across various wavelengths of...
second-order nonlinear optical properties
Second-order nonlinear optical properties refer to a class of phenomena exhibited by certain materials in response to...
gallium nitride
Gallium nitride (GaN) is a compound made up of gallium (Ga) and nitrogen (N). It is a wide-bandgap semiconductor material...
detector array
A detector array refers to a collection of individual detector elements arranged in a two-dimensional grid or matrix format....
rare earth dopants
Rare earth dopants refer to elements from the lanthanide series, also known as rare earth elements, that are intentionally...
optoelectronics
Optoelectronics is a branch of electronics that focuses on the study and application of devices and systems that use light...
long-pass filter
A long-pass filter is an optical filter that allows longer wavelengths of light to pass through while blocking or...
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...
brightfield
Brightfield refers to a type of microscopy and imaging technique in which the specimen is illuminated with a white light...
micro-robotics
Micro-robotics refers to the field of robotics that involves the design, development, and application of miniature robotic...
GRIN lens
A GRIN (gradient index) lens is a type of optical lens that utilizes a gradient in refractive index across its volume rather...
hybrid optical integrated circuit
Device in which the various circuit elements are fabricated in different substrate materials and then appropriately joined...
guided wave
A wave in which energy is focused near a boundary separating materials having different properties. Propagation of the wave...
optical emission spectroscopy
In dry etching, a method of characterizing the composition of solid materials such as metal. Atoms in the OES technique are...
sensitometry
Primarily the measurement of photographic sensitivity of certain materials such as photographic film. It refers to the...
indium phosphide
Indium phosphide (InP) is a compound semiconductor material composed of indium (In) and phosphorus (P). It belongs to the...
lens blank
A lens blank is a piece of optical material in a raw, unfinished state, typically in the form of a disk or block, from which...
Rockwell hardness
Rockwell hardness (Rc) refers to a method for measuring the hardness of a material, primarily metals, using an indentation...
linear plastic
A term for thermoplastic optical materials; that is, those in which the polymer chains remain linear after heating and...
quantum confinement
Quantum confinement refers to the phenomenon in quantum mechanics where the motion of charge carriers, such as electrons or...
linear positioning stage
A linear positioning stage, also known as a linear stage or translation stage, is a precision mechanical device used to...
wafer
In the context of electronics and semiconductor manufacturing, a wafer refers to a thin, flat disk or substrate made of a...
polymerization
Process of synthesizing long molecular chain materials (polymers) by reaction of many small molecules (usually thousands)...
ferroelectric materials
Ferroelectric materials are a type of dielectric materials that exhibit spontaneous electric polarization, meaning they...
circular dichroism
Circular dichroism (CD) is a spectroscopic technique used to study the structural characteristics of chiral (asymmetric)...
nondestructive testing
Any testing method for materials and components that does not damage or destroy the test sample. Some of the methods used...
die bonding
Die bonding is a critical process in semiconductor manufacturing and microelectronics assembly, where a semiconductor die or...
Laurent polarimeter
A Laurent polarimeter is an instrument used in optics for measuring the rotation of plane-polarized light caused by...
surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy
Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is an analytical technique that combines the principles of Raman spectroscopy...
etaloning
Etaloning is an optical phenomenon that occurs in imaging systems, particularly in devices such as spectrometers,...
phase mask
In optics and photolithography, a phase mask refers to a device that modifies the phase of light waves passing through it....
Fresnel reflection
Fresnel reflection refers to the reflection of light at the interface between two different media with different refractive...
attenuated total reflectance spectroscopy
Attenuated total reflectance (ATR) spectroscopy is a technique used in analytical chemistry to obtain IR spectra of samples....
plastic optics
The integration of plastic materials into optical applications. When the materials are refined into lenses, prisms and...
piezoelectric motion systems
Piezoelectric motion systems are mechanical systems that utilize piezoelectric materials to generate controlled motion or...
radioactivity detector
An instrument used to detect radioactive materials: alpha particles or helium nuclei; beta particles or free electrons; and...
functional material
Functional materials refer to materials that possess specific properties or functionalities that make them suitable for...
nonlinear optics
Nonlinear optics is a branch of optics that studies the optical phenomena that occur when intense light interacts with a...
cathode radiant sensitivity
Cathode radiant sensitivity refers to the ability of a photocathode to convert incident radiant energy, typically in the...
color aging test
A test used to measure the degree of fading of different colored materials, especially those involving organic dyes, which...
quantum-ehanced metrology
Quantum-enhanced metrology refers to the use of quantum mechanics principles and techniques to enhance the precision and...
lock-in amplifier
A lock-in amplifier is a specialized electronic instrument used to extract and measure small signals embedded in noise or...
photoconductivity
The conductivity increase exhibited by some nonmetallic materials, resulting from the free carriers generated when photon...
beta fluorography
The use of a short-duration electron beam to record high-speed events that occur in microscopic objects made of materials...
optical testing instrument
An optical testing instrument is a device or system used to evaluate and measure the performance, quality, and...
laser sintering
Laser sintering is an additive manufacturing (AM) or 3D printing technology that involves using a laser to selectively fuse...
molecular motor
A molecular motor refers to a nano-sized device composed of organic molecules or other small-scale components that can...
hydrophobic
Hydrophobic is a term used to describe substances or materials that repel or do not readily interact with water. The word...
germanium crystal
Germanium crystal refers to a crystalline form of the element germanium (Ge), which is a metalloid and semiconductor...
broadband dielectric mirrors
Broadband dielectric mirrors, also known as broadband mirrors, are optical coatings designed to efficiently reflect or...
polarizing coating
A coating made up of particular birefringent materials having polarizing properties. It may be used, in some cases, to...
amphoteric materials
Substances that exhibit the characteristics of both acids and bases and are capable of both P- and N-type conductivity.
InGaAs photodiode
An InGaAs photodiode refers to a photodetector device that is constructed using a semiconductor material composed of a...
corrected lens
A compound lens, the dimensions and materials of which have been so chosen that the lens is appreciably free of aberrations.
optofluidics
Optofluidics is an interdisciplinary field that combines principles from optics and fluidics to create devices and systems...
bandgap
In semiconductor physics, the term bandgap refers to the energy range in a material where no electronic states are allowed....
blackbody source
A blackbody source, often simply referred to as a blackbody, is a theoretical or practical physical object that absorbs all...
Weissenberg method
The Weissenberg method, named after the German physicist Karl Weissenberg, is a technique used in x-ray crystallography for...
cleanroom
An area in which airborne particulates can be monitored and controlled so that given size particles do not exceed a...
absorption peak
An absorption peak refers to a sharp increase or spike in the absorption of electromagnetic radiation at a particular...
band-to-band photoluminescence
The emission of a photon by the return of an excited carrier from the conduction band to the valence band of a semiconductor...
nanoparticle photonic resonator absorption microscopy
Nanoparticle photonic resonator absorption microscopy is a microscopy technique that combines the principles of photonic...
planform bonding
A manufacturing process used to construct substrates for large optical components. Used with IR materials, planform bonding...
photovoltaic cell
A photovoltaic cell, commonly known as a solar cell, is a semiconductor device that directly converts light energy into...
scanning electron microscopy
Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) is an advanced imaging technique used in microscopy to obtain high-resolution,...
cylindrical lens
A cylindrical lens is an optical component that has different curvatures along its two orthogonal axes, resulting in a shape...
quantum dot light-emitting diode
QLED stands for quantum dot light-emitting diode. QLED is a display technology that utilizes quantum dots, which are...
electro-optic modulator
An electro-optic modulator (EOM) is a device used to modulate the amplitude, phase, or polarization of light waves using an...
petrographic microscope
A microscope equipped with a polarizer, an analyzer and a Bertrand lens to focus on the upper focal plane of the objective....
microphotofabrication
The formation of microimages for microreduction. The technique is used, for example, in the production of precision reticles...
metalens
A metalens, short for "metasurface lens," is a type of optical lens that uses nanostructured materials to manipulate light...
photomultiplier tube
A photomultiplier tube (PMT) is a highly sensitive vacuum tube that detects and amplifies low levels of light. It is widely...
image intensifier
An image intensifier, also known as an image intensification tube or image intensification device, is a specialized...
attosecond-pump attosecond-probe spectroscopy
Attosecond-pump attosecond-probe spectroscopy (APAP) is an advanced technique in ultrafast spectroscopy that allows...
infrared optic
Infrared optics refer to optical components and systems designed to manipulate and control infrared (IR) light, which lies...
evaporation coating
Coating carried out in a sealed chamber evacuated by a mechanical pump in series with an oil diffusion pump to a pressure...
idiochromatic
Pertaining to the possession of photoelectric characteristics as a result of the properties of the true crystal and not of...
electrophotography
The photographic recording of an image formed by the alteration in electrical properties of the sensitive materials and...
photovoltaic
Photovoltaic (PV) refers to a technology that converts sunlight directly into electricity using semiconductors. The term...
solid-state laser
A solid-state laser is a type of laser that uses a solid gain medium (as opposed to a liquid or gas) to produce coherent...
whispering gallery mode
Whispering gallery mode (WGM) refers to a phenomenon in wave physics, particularly in optics, where waves, such as light or...
orange peel
In the context of imaging, particularly digital imaging and printing, "orange peel" refers to a texture or visual distortion...
quantum well
A quantum well is a structure in quantum mechanics that confines particles, such as electrons or holes, in one spatial...
harmonic generation
Harmonic generation refers to a nonlinear optical process in which incoming photons interact with a material and produce new...
microphotonics
The technology of manipulating light on a micro scale. In optical communications, this is usually accomplished using two or...
gallium arsenide phosphide
Gallium arsenide phosphide (GaAsP) is a semiconductor alloy composed of gallium (Ga), arsenic (As), and phosphorus (P). It...
anisotropy
Anisotropy refers to the property of exhibiting different values or characteristics when measured in different directions....
infrared optical material
The range of materials that, unlike glass, may be used in the infrared. Water-soluble salts, such as cesium iodide, and...
phase matching
Phase matching is a crucial concept in the field of optics, particularly in nonlinear optics and the generation of coherent...
glass-melting furnace
A furnace used to heat glass materials. It may be a small laboratory-type furnace for small-scale experiments or large...
dewetting
Dewetting is a phenomenon in materials science and physics where a thin film or coating spontaneously undergoes a process of...
birefringence
Birefringence is an optical property of certain materials that causes them to exhibit different refractive indices for light...
anisotropic
Anisotropic is a term used to describe a material or substance that exhibits different properties or behaviors in different...
etalon
An etalon is an optical device that consists of two parallel reflecting surfaces separated by a precise and known distance....
coated optics
Optical elements that have been coated with one or more layers of dielectric, or metallic material. These coatings serve to...
blue diode laser
A blue diode laser is a type of semiconductor laser that emits light in the blue wavelength range of the electromagnetic...
doping
In the context of materials science and semiconductor physics, doping refers to the intentional introduction of impurities...
infrared spectrophotometer
A spectrophotometer having a prism or, more frequently, a grating for the study and recording of infrared spectra. It...
advanced photon source
An accelerator at the Argonne National Laboratory, providing powerful x-ray beams for materials research applications.
nanotechnology
The use of atoms, molecules and molecular-scale structures to enhance existing technology and develop new materials and...
lens
A lens is a transparent optical device that focuses or diverges light, allowing it to pass through and form an image. Lenses...
polariscope
A combination of a polarizer and an analyzer that is used to detect birefringence or rotation of the plane of polarization...
didymium glass
Glass tinted with mixed oxides of neodymium and praseodymium that, unlike most solid materials, have absorption bands that...
magnon
A magnon is a quasiparticle representing a quantized spin wave in a magnetic material. In other words, it is a collective...
quantum dots
A quantum dot is a nanoscale semiconductor structure, typically composed of materials like cadmium selenide or indium...
ferromagnetism
The properties of certain materials that cause them to have relative permeabilities that exceed unity. This permeability...
ellipsometry
Ellipsometry is an optical technique used to characterize the properties of thin films and surfaces. It is based on the...
nonlinear optical materials
Nonlinear optical materials are substances that exhibit optical properties that are not linearly proportional to the...
near-infrared camera
A near-infrared (NIR) camera is an imaging device designed to capture images in the near-infrared region of the...
nanostructured glass
A unique glass made up of nano-structured materials to create millimeter sized monolithic glass space-variant polarization...
additive manufacturing
Additive manufacturing (AM), also known as 3D printing, is a manufacturing process that involves creating three-dimensional...
microbubble resonator
A microbubble resonator is a device used in photonics and optical physics for the precise manipulation of light waves. It...
infrared reflector
An optical component coated to reflect infrared radiation. Gold, silver and aluminum are typical coating materials.
computer-generated holographic scanner
A phase reflection scanner that eliminates the need for a complex translation device while maintaining a high-energy-density...
refractive index contrast
A measure of the relative difference in refractive index between two optical materials. Most commonly used in fiber optics...
solar simulation
The simulation of solar radiation in the infrared and ultraviolet spectrum for the analysis of extraterrestrial sunlight and...
monochromator
A monochromator is an optical instrument used to isolate and select a narrow range of wavelengths from a broader spectrum of...
laser texturing
Laser texturing is a manufacturing process that involves using a laser beam to selectively modify the surface of a material,...
sclerometer
An instrument used to test the hardness of various materials. It measures the pressure on a standard point that is necessary...
beam-addressable technology
The application of reversible writing with a laser beam on particular storage materials. In one method, an amorphous film is...
photodetector
A photodetector, also known as a photosensor or photodiode, is a device that detects and converts light into an electrical...
topological photonics
Topological photonics is a branch of physics and optics that explores the application of topological concepts to the...
chalcogenide
Chalcogenide refers to a class of compounds containing elements from group 16 of the periodic table, which includes sulfur...
electromagnon
An electromagnon is a quasiparticle excitation that combines aspects of both magnetism and electric polarization in a...
microchannel plate
A microchannel plate (MCP) is a specialized electron multiplier device used in various applications such as particle...
nanopositioning
Nanopositioning refers to the precise and controlled movement or manipulation of objects or components at the nanometer...
spectrosensitometer
A sensitometer having a continuously controlled monochromator to measure spectral sensitivity and contrast of photographic...
acetone
Optic surface cleaning liquid that may be applied to glass, crystal, dielectric and metal surfaces; however, may not be...
luminescence
Luminescence is the emission of light that occurs without the involved substance undergoing a significant increase in...
substrate
A substrate refers to a material or surface upon which another material or process is applied or deposited. In various...
holographic camera
A holographic camera, also known as a holographic imaging system or holographic recorder, is a specialized device used to...
carrier injection
Carrier injection refers to the process of introducing charge carriers (either electrons or holes) into a semiconductor...
retroreflection
Retroreflection is a phenomenon in optics where light is reflected back toward its source, typically in a direction nearly...
laser optics
Laser optics refers to a broad category of optical components and systems designed for manipulating and controlling laser...
resistance heater
A crucible made of electrically resistive material through which a current is passed to heat the material inside, which then...
volumetric imaging
Volumetric imaging refers to the capture, visualization, and analysis of three-dimensional (3D) information from a volume of...
slurry
The name of the mixture of liquid and grinding or polishing compounds used in processing optical materials.
fluorescence lifetime
Fluorescence lifetime refers to the average time it takes for a fluorophore, a molecule that absorbs light at one wavelength...
nanoLED
An LED (light-emitting diode) is a semiconductor device that emits light when an electric current passes through it. LEDs...
superresolution
Superresolution refers to the enhancement or improvement of the spatial resolution beyond the conventional limits imposed by...
hermetic bonding
The total fusion and sealing of materials, or usually an enclosure, to ensure that they are airtight.
arc flash
An arc flash is a sudden release of electrical energy due to an electric arc — a continuous, high-current discharge of...
Nernst glower
A Nernst glower, also known simply as a Nernst lamp or Nernst filament, is a type of incandescent lamp or radiant heater...
lab-on-a-chip
A lab-on-a-chip (LOC) is a miniaturized device that integrates various laboratory functions and capabilities onto a single,...
carbonization
Carbonization is a process in which organic materials are heated in the absence of air, leading to the decomposition of the...
dichroism
Dichroism refers to the property of certain materials to exhibit different colors or absorbance of light depending on the...
phase conjugation
The use of a reflective device, which can be fashioned from a variety of materials including gases, solids, dyes, aerosols,...
spectral signature
A spectral signature, in the context of remote sensing and spectroscopy, refers to the unique pattern or characteristic...
phonon
A phonon is a quantum of vibrational energy associated with the periodic motion of atoms or molecules in a crystalline...
differential interference contrast microscopy
Differential interference contrast (DIC) microscopy, also known as Nomarski interference contrast microscopy, is an optical...
optical materials
Optical materials refer to substances or compounds specifically chosen for their optical properties and used in the...
microheterogeneous systems
Extremely small organic and inorganic systems of molecules within a substance. In general, systems are colloidal size in...
electron-beam evaporation
A method of thin-film deposition in which electrons boiled off a heated cathode are used to melt the coating material. If a...
sol-gel
A gelatinous fluid that can be used as a porous thin-film coating for optical components, including laser beam collimators,...
piezoresistance
Piezoresistance is a phenomenon in materials science and physics where the electrical resistance of a material changes in...
dispersion
Dispersion refers to the phenomenon where different wavelengths (colors) of light travel at different speeds when passing...
reflective
The term reflective is an adjective that describes the ability of a surface or material to reflect light or other forms of...
fluorescence microscopy
Fluorescence microscopy is a specialized optical imaging technique used in biology, chemistry, and materials science to...
fused quartz and silica
Fused quartz and silica are closely related materials, both composed primarily of silicon dioxide (SiO2), but they are...
metamaterial
Metamaterials are artificial materials engineered to have properties not found in naturally occurring substances. These...
Casimir force
The Casimir force is a quantum phenomenon that results in an attractive force between two closely spaced uncharged...
GaN distributed feedback lasers
GaN (Gallium Nitride) distributed feedback (DFB) lasers refer to a specific type of semiconductor laser based on Gallium...
backscatter
Backscatter refers to the phenomenon in which radiation or waves are scattered backward, opposite to the direction of the...
epitaxy
A well controlled thin films technique for growing films with good crystal structure in ultra high vacuum environments at...
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...
silicon carbide light-emitting diodes
Silicon carbide (SiC) light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are semiconductor devices that emit light when an electric current is...
depletion region
The region at the PN junction in a semiconductor radiation detector where the potential energies of the two materials create...
exciton
An exciton is a quasiparticle that represents the bound state of an electron and a hole in a solid-state material, typically...
polymer
Polymers are large molecules composed of repeating structural units called monomers. These monomers are chemically bonded...
hydrophilic
Hydrophilic is a term used to describe substances or materials that have an affinity for water. The word hydrophilic comes...
nanoimprint lithography
Nanoimprint lithography (NIL) is a nanolithography technique used for fabricating nanoscale patterns on a substrate. It is a...
ultraviolet reflectance
Ultraviolet reflectance refers to the ability of a material or surface to reflect UV light. Ultraviolet light is...
microscopy
Microscopy is a scientific technique that involves the use of microscopes to observe and study objects that are too small to...
micro-optics
Micro-optics refers to the design, fabrication, and application of optical components and systems at a microscale level....
optics
Optics is the branch of physics that studies the behavior and properties of light, including its interactions with matter...
hyperspectral imaging camera
A hyperspectral imaging camera is a sophisticated imaging device capable of capturing and processing data across a wide...
fiber optic spectrometer
A fiber optic spectrometer is a device used for measuring the spectral content of light. It utilizes optical fibers to...
epitaxial deposition
Epitaxial deposition is a process used in semiconductor manufacturing and materials science to grow a thin crystalline...
Grittington test
A method of determining the abrasion resistance of very hard materials by passing a weighted wiper blade across them in a...
polarimeter
A polariscope with a half-shade device and an angular scale generally attached to the analyzer. It is used to measure the...
adhesive
An intermolecular substance that serves to hold materials together. Two types are used in the optical industry: one, which...
laser diode module
A laser diode module is a compact device that incorporates a laser diode, optics, and often other components into a single...
modified chemical vapor deposition
Modified chemical vapor deposition (MCVD) is a technique used in the fabrication of optical fibers. It is a specialized form...
endoscope
An endoscope is a medical device used for visualizing and examining the interior of hollow organs, body cavities, or...
excimer laser
An excimer laser is a type of ultraviolet laser that emits short pulses of light in the ultraviolet spectrum. The term...
cord
A threadlike inclusion within a blank of optical glass. Rarely found in quality optical materials.
PN junction
The transition boundary between P-type and N-type materials in a semiconductor.
ultraviolet fiber optics
Ultraviolet (UV) fiber optics refers to optical fibers that are designed and optimized for the transmission of ultraviolet...
masks for evaporation/deposition
In the context of thin film deposition processes such as evaporation or sputtering, masks are used to selectively deposit...
laser cavity
A laser cavity, also known as an optical cavity or resonator, is a fundamental component of a laser system. It is a confined...
Brillouin scattering
Brillouin scattering is a phenomenon in physics where an incident electromagnetic wave (usually light) interacts with...
optical gate
An optical gate typically refers to a device or system that controls the transmission of light, allowing it to pass through...
photoelasticity
The process of determining, with the aid of plane-polarized light, the stress distribution in materials under complex...
optical coatings
Optical coatings are thin layers of materials applied to optical components, such as lenses, mirrors, filters, and prisms,...
aspheric lens
An aspheric lens is a type of lens whose surface profiles deviate from the traditional spherical shape. Unlike spherical...
thermal interface materials
Thermal interface materials (TIMs) are substances or compounds used to enhance the thermal conductivity between two surfaces...
ion-beam sputtering
Ion-beam sputtering (IBS) is a physical vapor deposition (PVD) technique used for depositing thin films onto substrates. It...
transparent electrophotographic films
Imaging materials that generally consist of a polyester base, a transparent electrically conductive layer and an organic...
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...
drawing tower
A system for fabricating optical fiber, consisting of a furnace that heats the materials, a polymer coating stage, a...
diamond turning
Diamond turning, also known as diamond machining or diamond cutting, is a precision machining process used to produce...
Mohs hardness
Material hardness scale that is used to characterize the scratch resistance of various materials. This surface hardness...
infrared camera
An infrared camera, also known as a thermal imaging camera or IR camera, is a device that captures and visualizes the...
fluorescence
Fluorescence is a type of luminescence, which is the emission of light by a substance that has absorbed light or other...
dark box
A lightproof box used for storing photosensitive materials.
electron-beam recording
The recording of the information contained in a modulated electron beam onto photographic or silicon resin-coated materials....
laser lithotripter
A laser device intended for crushing urinary tract stones so they can be flushed from the body. Light is introduced via...
optical filter
An optical filter is a device that selectively transmits or blocks specific wavelengths, or colors, of light. Optical...
computer polarization holography
A technique used to store wavefront information on thin polarization information-recordable materials by controlling the...
epitaxial
Epitaxial refers to the growth of a crystalline layer on a crystalline substrate in such a way that the orientation of the...
Czochralski technique
Popular process for silicon and polycrystalline production that consists of an alteration of the original state of a...
plasmonics
Plasmonics is a field of science and technology that focuses on the interaction between electromagnetic radiation and free...
pitch polishing compound
Pitch for polishing mixed with other materials to give it the right viscosity so that it will follow the fine-ground lens...
graphene
Graphene is a two-dimensional allotrope of carbon consisting of a single layer of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal...
light diffusion
Light diffusion refers to the process by which light is scattered or spread out in various directions as it interacts with a...
femtosecond laser
A femtosecond laser is a type of laser that emits ultrashort pulses of light with durations on the order of femtoseconds,...
magneto-optics
Magneto-optics refers to the study and manipulation of the interaction between magnetic fields and light (electromagnetic...
metallographic polishing machine
A small optical polishing machine intended for polishing the surface of a metal specimen before etching for examination...
tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy
A spectroscopic technique that combines the high chemical specificity of Raman scattering and signal sensitivity provided by...
oleophobic
Oleophobic is a term used to describe substances or materials that repel or resist oils. The word oleophobic comes from the...
Kerr effect
The Kerr effect, named after the physicist John Kerr who first observed it in 1875, is a nonlinear optical phenomenon where...
holographic tomography
Holographic tomography is an advanced imaging technique that combines holography and tomography to provide three-dimensional...
laser damage threshold
The laser damage threshold refers to the maximum level of laser intensity that a material can withstand without experiencing...
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...
spectroscopy
Spectroscopy is a technique used in the study of interactions between matter and electromagnetic radiation. It involves...
laser crystal
A laser crystal, also known as an active medium or gain medium, is a solid-state material used in the construction of...
stress birefringence
Birefringence of materials that is induced or altered by stress fields.
adiabatic laser colorimetry
Method for studying absorption coefficients of low-loss materials, in which a sample is allowed to come to thermal...
infrared light-emitting diode
An infrared light-emitting diode (IR LED) is a semiconductor device that emits infrared light when an electric current...
laser powder bed fusion
Laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) is a type of additive manufacturing (AM) or 3D printing technology that uses a high-power...
polariton
A polariton is a quasiparticle resulting from the strong coupling between photons (light particles) and certain types of...
beta radiation
The high-speed electrons and positrons emitted by radioactive materials.
filovirus
Filoviruses are a family of viruses that are responsible for severe and often fatal hemorrhagic fevers in humans and...
perovskite
The term perovskite refers to a specific crystal structure commonly found in various materials. Perovskite structures have a...
synchrotron
A synchrotron is a type of particle accelerator that uses magnetic fields to steer charged particles, typically electrons or...
dichroic mirror
A dichroic mirror, also known as a dichroic beamsplitter or interference filter beamsplitter, is an optical device that...
Murty interferometer
A form of shearing interferometer that contains a simple wedged (plane-parallel) glass plate with a nonzero optical path...
organic light-emitting diode
An organic light-emitting diode (OLED) is a type of light-emitting diode (LED) technology that utilizes organic compounds to...
mid-wave infrared
MWIR stands for mid-wave infrared, referring to a specific range of wavelengths within the infrared spectrum. Infrared...
intrinsic detector
A photodetector composed of a photoconductive material that, when exposed to radiation, conducts without the aid of added...
nanophotonics
Nanophotonics is a branch of science and technology that explores the behavior of light on the nanometer scale, typically at...
terahertz radiation
Electromagnetic radiation with frequencies between 300 GHz and 10 THz, and existing between regions of the electromagnetic...
diamond-turned optic
Diamond turning refers to a precision machining process used to produce complex optical components, particularly lenses and...
well plate
A well plate, also known as a microplate or microtiter plate, is a flat plate with multiple small wells or depressions...
slab-dielectric waveguide
A waveguide with a rectangular cross section that is composed entirely of dielectric materials.
low-loss fiber
Optical fiber that transmits a greater percentage of input light than does high-loss step-index fiber. Low-loss fiber...
laser active elements
Laser active elements typically refers to the substances or materials within a laser system that play a critical role in the...
flexible display
A flexible display refers to a type of electronic visual display that is designed to be bendable, foldable, or rollable,...
selective laser melting
Selective laser melting (SLM) is an additive manufacturing (AM) or 3D printing technology that belongs to the powder bed...
radiation trapping
That process by which radiation spontaneously emitted by a volume of optical materials is resonantly reabsorbed within the...
laser annealing
Laser annealing is a process that involves using a laser beam to heat and modify the microstructure of a material, typically...
optical table
An optical table, also known as an optical bench or an optical breadboard, is a specialized platform used in optics...
flow chemistry
Flow chemistry, also known as continuous-flow chemistry, is a chemical manufacturing process where reactions take place in a...
reagent
A reagent is a substance or compound that is used in a chemical reaction to bring about a specific transformation or to...
fluorescence lifetime imaging
Fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM) is an advanced imaging technique that provides information about the lifetime of...
flash photographic density filter
A filter, partially opaque to near-ultraviolet, visible and infrared radiation, that may be made by exposing and processing...
liquid marble
Liquid marble refers to a unique form of microscale liquid encapsulation, where small droplets of liquid are coated with a...
long-wave infrared
Long-wave infrared (LWIR) refers to a specific range of the infrared spectrum. Infrared radiation is divided into three main...
tip-enhanced Raman scattering
Tip-enhanced Raman scattering (TERS) is a powerful technique that combines Raman spectroscopy with the enhanced spatial...
photomagnetic effect
The direct influence of light on the magnetic susceptibility of particular materials.
mechanical splice
A fiber splice accomplished by fixtures or materials, rather than by thermal fusion. Index matching material may be applied...
enhanced Faraday effect
The occurrence of very large rotations in transparent materials at weak magnetic fields as predicted in the classical...
spatially offset Raman spectroscopy
Spatially offset Raman spectroscopy (SORS) is a technique that extends traditional Raman spectroscopy by incorporating...
microring resonator
A microring resonator is a compact optical device that utilizes the resonant behavior of light within a small ring-shaped...
surface-enhanced Raman scattering
Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is a powerful analytical technique that enhances the Raman scattering signal of...
opaque projector
An opaque projector is a device used for enlarging and projecting images from opaque objects such as printed pages,...
optical cements and adhesive
Optical cements and adhesives are specialized materials used in the assembly and bonding of optical components in optical...
laser ablation
Laser ablation is a process that involves the removal or erosion of material from a target surface using laser energy. This...
quantum efficiency
Quantum efficiency (QE) is a measure of the effectiveness with which a device or system, typically in the context of...
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...
high-density storage
Extensive data storage in the form of bits, with the use of high-resolution photographic materials and optics, and generally...
optical ceramics
Transparent glassy and or crystalline structured materials engineered from inorganic, non-metallic materials via various...
grenz rays
The soft x-rays used in the industrial radiography of materials having too small a range of densities to produce an image...
translucent
Pertaining to materials having the property of reflecting a part and transmitting a part of the incident radiation.
3D printing
3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing (AM), is a manufacturing process that builds three-dimensional objects...
mesoscope
In the field of optics and imaging, a mesoscope refers to an optical instrument that is designed to observe and capture...
beam shaper
A beam shaper is an optical device or system designed to modify the spatial profile or intensity distribution of a laser or...
hyperspectral resolution
Hyperspectral resolution refers to the level of detail or granularity in the spectral information captured by a...
impurity level
In the context of optical materials, the term "impurity level" refers to the presence of foreign atoms or molecules within...
optical noise
Optical noise refers to undesirable fluctuations or disturbances in an optical signal that can affect the quality or...
particle acceleration
Particle acceleration refers to the process by which charged particles, such as electrons or protons, gain kinetic energy...
infrared detector
An infrared detector is a device that is used to detect and measure infrared radiation, which lies beyond the visible...
lattice
In photonics, a lattice refers to a periodic arrangement of optical elements or structures, often on a microscopic or...
Nd:YAG laser
Nd:YAG laser refers to a solid-state laser that utilizes neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (Nd:Y3Al5O12) as the gain...
Mie scattering
Mie scattering, named after the German physicist Gustav Mie, refers to the scattering of electromagnetic radiation (such as...
Verdet constant
A factor of an equation of the Faraday effect, which is the rotation of the plane of light polarization by transparent...
III-V material
In semiconductor physics and materials science, the term "III-V materials" refers to compounds composed of elements from...
ultrasonic
Ultrasonic refers to sound waves with frequencies higher than the upper audible limit of human hearing, typically above...
phase contrast microscopy
Phase contrast microscopy is an optical microscopy technique that enhances the contrast of transparent and colorless...
free-electron laser
A free-electron laser (FEL) is a type of laser that generates coherent, high-intensity electromagnetic radiation by using a...
infrared lens
An infrared lens is an optical component specifically designed and optimized for transmitting, focusing, or manipulating...
ray tracing
Ray tracing is a rendering technique used in computer graphics to simulate the way light interacts with objects in a scene....
hyperspectral imaging
Hyperspectral imaging is an advanced imaging technique that captures and processes information from across the...
chemical vapor deposition equipment
Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) equipment refers to a class of specialized apparatus used in the process of chemical vapor...
incoherent bundle
A bundle of filaments of optical glass or other transparent materials that transmit only light, not optical images. The...
diffuser
An optical diffuser is an optical component or material designed to scatter or diffuse light that passes through it. It is...
mirror coating
One or more thin-film layers of optical material deposited on a mirror blank/substrate in order to enhance the way that...
fluorescent screen
A fluorescent screen refers to a phosphorescent or fluorescent-coated surface that emits visible light when exposed to other...
Lorentz oscillator model
The Lorentz oscillator model is a theoretical model used in physics to describe the response of a charged particle (such as...
multispectral imaging
Multispectral imaging is a technique that involves capturing and analyzing images at multiple discrete spectral bands within...
terahertz
Terahertz (THz) refers to a unit of frequency in the electromagnetic spectrum, denoting waves with frequencies between 0.1...
pulse video thermography
A noncontact, nondestructive method of measuring defects in thin composite materials, using a xenon flashtube to generate...
Peltier cooler
A Peltier cooler, also known as a thermoelectric cooler (TEC) or thermoelectric module, is a solid-state device that uses...
nanotube
A nanotube, also known as a nanotubule or simply a tube-like structure, is a nanoscale cylindrical structure composed of...
safelight
Filtered light to which photographic or other photosensitive materials are not responsive; used to illuminate darkrooms when...
short wavelength infrared
Short wavelength infrared (SWIR) refers to the portion of the infrared spectrum that encompasses wavelengths roughly between...
etching liquid
An acid used to etch the surfaces of particular materials. For glass, hydrofluoric acid is used either as a liquid or a...
diode laser
A diode laser is a type of laser that uses a semiconductor diode as the active medium to generate coherent light....
three-five
Referring to compound semiconductor materials combining one element that has three valence electrons with one or more that...
fiber optic cable assembly
A fiber optic cable assembly refers to a complete unit consisting of optical fibers, connectors, protective jackets, and...
light sectioning
Technique for measuring the volume bulk of materials as they move along a conveyor with an accuracy of better than 1...
microcomb
A microcomb, short for microresonator frequency comb, is a novel photonic device that generates a precise series of evenly...
polarization
Polarization refers to the orientation of oscillations in a transverse wave, such as light waves, radio waves, or other...
photonic cavity
A photonic cavity, also known as an optical cavity, is a structure that confines electromagnetic radiation within a certain...
axial gradient technology
A method of designing lasers whereby the laser rod is cut into elliptical discs and cooled by running water over the disc...
structural color
Structural color refers to coloration in materials that is not caused by pigments or dyes but is instead a result of the...
darkroom
A room that is light-tight, permitting total darkness or illumination with a safelight when working with photosensitive...
liquid crystal on silicon
Liquid crystal on silicon (LCoS) is a display technology that combines liquid crystal materials with silicon-based...
biophotonics
The technology that deals with the interaction of organic materials with light and other forms of radiant energy whose...
GaN-based LEDs
Gallium nitride-based light-emitting diodes (GaN-based LEDs) are semiconductor devices that emit light when an electric...
atomic force microscope
An atomic force microscope (AFM) is a high-resolution imaging and measurement instrument used in nanotechnology, materials...
isochromatic lines
1. Lines of the same color. 2. A term used in photoelastic stress analysis to refer to the interference fringes produced in...
laser peening
Laser peening is a surface enhancement technique used to improve the mechanical properties of materials, particularly...
astronomical mirror
An astronomical mirror, also known as a telescope mirror or primary mirror, is a key component of a reflecting telescope. It...
two-photon polymerization
Two-photon polymerization (TPP) is a technique used in additive manufacturing, specifically in the field of 3D printing. It...
triboluminescence
Luminescence that arises from friction and that usually occurs in crystalline materials.
GaAlAs laser
A GaAlAs laser is a type of semiconductor laser diode that emits light in the near-infrared region of the electromagnetic...
negative-refraction metamaterial
An artificial material, engineered to have a negative refractive index value, such that light or any other form of...
microfluidics
Microfluidics is a multidisciplinary field that involves the manipulation and control of very small fluid volumes, typically...
FTIR spectrometer
FTIR (Fourier transform infrared) spectrometer is a powerful analytical instrument used to obtain an infrared spectrum of...
quantum sensing
Quantum sensing refers to a class of sensing technologies that leverage principles from quantum mechanics to enhance the...

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