Glossary

A

Ablation

Laser ablation is the process of removing material from a solid substance. Many different laser types are used, and the technique can be applied to virtually any class of material – metals, semiconductors, glass, ceramics, polymers, wood, stone, tissue, and other biological materials.

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Astronomy Lasers

Lasers have become an essential tool for astronomers, enabling more precise observations of celestial objects. In particular, they make it possible to create better images of distant stars, galaxies, and other celestial objects than previously possible.

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F

Faraday Rotators and Faraday Isolators

A Faraday rotator is an optic that rotates the polarization orientation of light. It consists of magneto-optic crystal placed in a magnetic field. A Faraday rotator is often combined with other polarization components to make a Faraday isolator, which is essentially a one-way valve for light.

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Fiber Optic Gyroscope

Fiber optic gyroscopes (FOGs) are highly precise and accurate rotation sensors. They are used in navigation and guidance systems in aircraft, spacecraft, ships, and other vehicles. They sense rotation by measuring the interference of laser light traveling within a coil of optical fiber.

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Fiber Sensors

Fiber sensors are used to detect changes in physical, chemical, or biological parameters. Their unique combination of advantageous features has led to their use in fields as diverse as structural monitoring, oil and gas exploration, environmental monitoring, and medical diagnostics.

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Flow Cytometry

Flow cytometry uses lasers to count or sort different types of cells and other biological particles. For example, when you get a blood count from your doctor, the analysis is done via flow cytometry. It’s also used in research, pharmaceuticals, and even cattle farming.

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L

Laser

The word “laser” is an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. All lasers convert input energy into light through the process of stimulated emission.

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Laser Cooling

Laser cooling is a technique in atomic physics and quantum optics that can slow down and trap atomic and molecular particles. The method is based on the interaction between light and matter, and it exploits the way in which photons transfer momentum to atoms.

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Laser Gain Crystal

Laser Gain crystals are the components within solid-state lasers which enable the amplification of light through stimulated emission – the process which forms the basis of laser operation.

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Laser Optics

Laser optics are components specifically intended for manipulating laser light, which is typically coherent and monochromatic, frequently polarized, and sometimes of high intensity.

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Laser Pumping

Laser pumping refers to introducing energy into a laser system to produce a population inversion, where there are more atoms or molecules in an excited state than in the ground state. This increases the probability of stimulated emission of light and enables lasing to occur.

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Lens

A lens is an optical component made from a transparent material that has at least one curved surface. Its primary function is to refract (redirect) transmitted light rays, either converging them to a focus or diverging them to spread light out. The applications of lenses are extraordinarily diverse, spanning everything from eyeglasses, cameras, and automotive headlamps to laser systems, virtual reality goggles, and fiberoptic networks.

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Lithotripsy

Lasers have been used to treat kidney stones since the 1980s because they often deliver better patient outcomes than other methods. The Holmium laser is the current “gold standard” for this process, called laser lithotripsy. But technology continues to advance, and Thulium fiber lasers are now poised to gain acceptance.

Learn more about Laser Lithotripsy

N

NonLinear Crystals

Nonlinear crystals are specialized materials that interact with light in a way that changes its frequency (color), phase, polarization, and other properties. The magnitude of these effects is dependent upon the intensity of the input light.

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P

PCB Depaneling

PCB depaneling refers to the process of removing individual printed circuit boards (PCBs) from a larger panel that was used for simultaneous manufacturing. This process is a crucial step in PCB manufacturing, as PCBs are typically produced in a panel containing multiple boards for efficiency.

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Powell Lens

Powell lenses are optics used to generate a uniform-intensity laser line. They employ a unique cylindrical aspheric surface shape to accomplish this. Powell lenses are used in applications as diverse as machine vision and flow cytometry.

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Pulsed Laser Deposition

Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD) is used to deposit a wide variety of thin films onto a broad range of substrates. The high energy and short wavelengths of excimer lasers result in unmatched deposition rates and high-quality films with excellent stoichiometry.

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Y

Ytterbium Laser

Ytterbium lasers offer several advantages over those based on other gain materials. While sometimes created as slab or disk lasers, their main impact is as fiber lasers with ultrafast output for scientific and materials processing applications.

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