Technical Notes

Technical Notes

Essentials of Laser Safety

Learn about laser classifications and the controls and protective equipment required to stay safe.

Technical Notes

Incoherent Light Source Physics

The incoherent light sources discussed here share several characteristics that distinguish them from lasers. Incoherent light gives rise to radiation, which is emitted from the source …

Technical Notes

Radiometric Measurement

Radiometry is the measurement of energy or power in electromagnetic radiation fields or light. The average output power is the most common radiometric measurement since many light sources, …

Technical Notes

Photoreceiver Characteristics

The characteristics of such high-speed photoreceivers as well as their associated applications are the subjects of this technical note.

Technical Notes

Types of Photoreceivers

The main types of photoreceivers are those that can detect optical signals with fast temporal responses or those containing high frequency components.

Technical Notes

Laser Beam Profile Measurement

Given the different types of laser beam spatial distributions and their evolution as they propagate in free space and through optical elements, measurement of the beam profile is critical …

Technical Notes

Laser Pulse Characterization

Accurate temporal characterization of pulsed sources is as critical as accurately estimating the pulse energy and spatial and spectral profiles.

Technical Notes

Optical Mirror Physics

Optical mirrors consist of metallic or dielectric films deposited directly on a substrate such as glass, differing from common mirrors, which are coated on the back surface of the …

Technical Notes

Diffraction Grating Physics

A diffraction grating is essentially a multi-slit surface. It provides angular dispersion, i.e., the ability to separate wavelengths based on the angle that they emerge from the gr …

Technical Notes

Optical Coatings

Optical coatings typically consist of thin films made up of single or multiple layers of either metallic or dielectric materials. When properly designed and fabricated, these coatings …

Technical Notes

Optical Filter Characteristics

In addition to being deposited on the surface of an optical component, optical coatings can also be incorporated into a single element through deposition on one or many substrates followed …

Technical Notes

Optical Lens Physics

Lenses are essentially light-controlling elements and so are exploited for light gathering and image formation.

Technical Notes

Fiber Optic Physics

This technical note discusses the fundamental physics of optical fibers, their practical implementation, and the various types of optical fibers.

Technical Notes

Motion Control Systems

In this technical note, motion devices are discussed first in the context of manual positioning. This discussion is equally applicable to automated positioning and motorized drivers …

Technical Notes

Fundamentals of Vibration Control

This technical note describes the fundamentals of vibration and how these concepts relate to measurable parameters such as compliance and maximum relative motion.

Technical Notes

Optical Table System Design

The term optical table system typically refers to a vibration-isolation system, that is, the tabletop plus the support system.

Technical Notes

Fundamentals of Motion Control

Details regarding the various factors that impact the motion of these devices and how to characterize their positioning precision and accuracy are the subjects of this technical no …

Technical Notes

Laser Diode Production Burn-In

High temperature burn-in screening is used in laser diode manufacturing to screen out devices that are likely to have unacceptably short lives and to ensure that the remaining population …

Technical Notes

Laser Diode Life Testing

Life test studies are used to collect laser diode lifetime data under carefully controlled operating conditions. These data are then used to develop statistical models that can predict …

Technical Notes

Laser Diode Characterization

Laser diodes are characterized by their inherent physical properties within five distinct categories, including: electrical, spatial, spectral, optical, and dynamic properties.

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