1. Glossary
This glossary is split into five sections: Symbology, General, Chemistry, Optics, Electronics.
In addition, the Optics section provides subsections on NLOs and Melles Griot optics codes.
Please use your browser to search for an item, or else scroll down through the sections.
1a Symbology
Greek alphabet and other symbols used on this website:
α alpha - radiation; flash lamp critical damping factor
β beta - radiation; electrical current gain (hFE)
δ delta - (lower case) math: change/difference
∆ delta - (upper case) math: change/difference
ε epsilon - math: number approaching zero (ε→0)
ζ zeta - math
η eta - math
γ gamma - radiation
θ theta - angle (non-linear optic) (also Θ)
λ lambda - wavelength in nanometres
µ mu - micro; one millionth
ξ xi - math
Ξ ksi - approximately equal to
π pi - math: constant (also ∏)
ρ ro - density; resistivity
Σ sigma - math: summation (also ς)
τ tau - math: arbitrary
φ phi - phase (non-linear optic) (also written with lh top arm open: Wix fonts incompatible)
ψ psi - math
ω omega - (lower case) math
Ω omega - (upper case) ohms
Ø - diameter
║ - parallel to
// - in parallel with
± - plus or minus
< - less than
<< - significantly less than
≤ - less than or equal to
> - greater than
>> - significantly greater than
≥ - greater than or equal to
√ - square root (also SQRT)
∫ - math: integral
∂ - math: derivative
$ - currency: US dollar unless stated otherwise
£ - currency: British pound sterling
€ - currency: Euro
∞ - infinity
∝ - proportional to
~ - approximately equal to
→ - approaching (a value)
^ - math: power (e.g. 10^4 = 10 raised to the power 4 = 10,000)
∴ - therefore / thus
° - degree
' - arcminute; feet
" - arcsecond; inches; the word 'ditto'
1b General
Abbrev. - Abbreviation
AG - AktienGesellschaft - German company; Aktien (shares), Gesellschaft (corporation)
ACGIH - American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists
AFAIK - As Far As I Know
aka - also known as
alt. - alternatively
ANSI - American National Standards Institute
AQM - Air Quality Monitor
asap - as soon as possible
assy - assembly (typically a mechanical structure)
atm - atmosphere (scientific unit of pressure)
AU - Arbitrary Unit (often the vertical scale in atomic plasma intensity curves)
avg - average
AWG - American Wire Gauge
BBC - British Broadcasting Corporation
BIN - Buy It Now (e.g. eBay auction)
BIOS - Basic I/O System (the lowest level of operating system software)
BMR - Body Metabolic Rate
BOM - Bill Of Materials (a list of parts, typically for electronic equipment)
BP - Boiling Point
Brexit - British exit from the European Union
B.Sc - Bachelor of Science (UK degree qualification)
BTU - British Thermal Unit (heat to raise the temperature of one pound of water by 1°F)
CAS No. - aka CASRN (number assigned by Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) to every chemical substance)
CERN - Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire (European Organisation for Nuclear Research)
CFM - Cubic Feet per Minute (e.g. air flow rate)
ch/chan - channel (abbreviation)
char - character (abbreviation)
CORD - Center For Occupational Research and Development (CORD) in Waco, Texas, USA
combo - combination
cSt - CentiStoke (kinematic viscosity measurement unit. 1 centistoke = 1 cSt = 1 mm²/s)
CW - ClockWise (also see Optics: CW Continuous Wave)
CCW - Counter ClockWise
DHA - Docosahexaenoic acid (contributes to the maintenance of normal vision and brain function)
dimer - a molecule or molecular complex consisting of two identical molecules linked together
divs - divisions
DIY - Do It Yourself (homebuilt)
DLL - Dynamic Link Library file
DOD - Department Of Defense (USA)
DOM - Date Of Manufacture
EBay - Echo Bay (California, USA) auction site
ECU - Engine Control Unit
EFDA - European Fusion Development Agreement
EDX - Energy-Dispersive X-ray spectroscopy
EPA - Eicosapentaenoic acid (DHA and EPA together contribute to the normal function of the heart)
EPR - Electron Paramagnetic Resonance
Est. - Estimated
EU - European Union
FAT - File Access Table (PC file handler)
FEC - Farnell Electronic Components Ltd
FOCI - Fisheries Oceanography Coordinated Investigations
FP - Front Panel
fps - frames per second (e.g. high speed camera, or video)
GID - Glow In Dark
GIF - Graphics Interchange Format (animated image, MS Windows 3-char filename extension)
gph - gallons per hour
GP - General Purpose
GPS - Global Positioning System
GUI - Graphical User Interface (e.g. coded from Visual C programming language)
hadron - Any particle made from quarks, anti-quarks and gluons
HLP - Windows 3-char filename extension for MS standardised help file
hp - horsepower (1hp = 550 foot-pound/second ~746W imperial, ~735.5W metric)
HPI - Hire Purchase Information (vehicle history check)
HPLC - High Pressure Liquid Chromatography
hr - hour
HGTTG - Douglas Adams' 1978 radio comedy 'The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy'
HSPH - Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (USA)
ID - Inner Diameter
IMO - In My Opinion
I/P - InPut
IPSA - Independent Parliament Standards Authority (UK)
IOW - In Other Words
ISBN - International Standard Book Number
ISS - International Space Station
IT - Information Technology
JAMA - Journal of the American Medical Association
JAN - Joint Army Navy (as in JAN-spec components)
JPG - Joint Photographic experts Group aka JPEG (image, MS Windows 3-char filename extension)
KA - Keine Angabe (German: Not Specified)
LHC - Large Hadron Collider ( Little Hadrian Collider )
lhs - Left Hand Side (also lh)
LIDAR - LIght Detection And Ranging (pulsed laser measurement of variable distances to the Earth)
LLLT - Low-Level Laser (light) Therapy
lph - litres per hour
manf - Manufacturer
max - maximum
MDF - Medium Density Fibreboard
MGO - Methylglyoxal (a natural compound found in New Zealand Manuka honey) see also UMF, NPA
mil-spec - Military Specification (a high quality standard of production for components and equipment)
min - minimum (e.g. VIHmin)
MIT - Massachusetts Institute of Technology
MOD - Ministry Of Defence (UK)
MP - Member of Parliament (UK)
mpg - miles per gallon
MPG - Motion Picture experts Group aka MPEG (video, MS Windows 3-char filename extension)
mrad - milliradian
MS - MicroSoft Corporation
MSDS - Material Safety Data Sheet
NASA - (US) National Aeronauticcs and Space Administration
NB - Nota Bene (Latin: note well)
NIST - National Institute of Standards and Technology (USA)
NOAA - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
NOL - US Naval Ordnance Laboratory (e.g. NOL TR - Technical Report)
NPA - Non-Peroxide Activity (New Zealand Manuka honey) see also MGO, UMF
N/S - Non-Serviceable (faulty)
NSAID - Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug
NTP - Normal Temperature and Pressure
NV - Dutch phrase Naamloze Vennootschap, meaning Public Company.
OD - Outer Diameter
OEM - Original Equipment Manufacturer
OE - Optical Emission
OES - Optical Emission Spectroscopy
OHG - German acronym for Offene HandelsGesellschaft, meaning Open Trading Company
OND - Ordinary National Diploma (UK 1970s A-level equivalent, post-school qualification)
OSHA - The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (USA)
OTOH - On The Other Hand (colloquially: alternatively)
OTT - Over The Top (ridiculously excessive)
Oz - Australia
PASC - Point And Shoot camera (a modern digital camera with built-in lens & storage / video out)
PBM - Photobiomodulation
pcd - pitch circle diameter
PCM - Plasma Chemistry Monitor
PDF - Portable Document Format (Acrobat Acrobat, Windows 3-char filename extension)
PM - Prime Minister
POTUS - President Of The United States (of America)
POW - Prisoner Of War
ppm - parts per million
psi - pounds per square inch
psia - pounds per square inch absolute
psig - pounds per square inch gauge
Qty - Quantity
RDA - Recommended Dietary Allowance
rhs - Right Hand Side (also rh)
RI - Refractive Index
RMS - Royal Microscopy Society (RMS thread on microscope objectives)
ROI - Region Of Interest
RTF - Rich Text Format (Windows 3-char filename extension)
rTMS - Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation
RTV - Room Temperature Vulcanising (e.g. silicone rubber adhesive)
[sic] - sic erat scriptum, Latin: 'thus it had been written', meaning the text is as it was found
SI - The International System of Units, from French: Système International (d'unités)
[sp?] - Spelling may be incorrect
spec. - specification
SQRT - SQuare RooT
SRM - Standard Reference Material
STP - Standard Temperature and Pressure
SXGA - Super eXtended Graphics Adaptor (native PC screen resolution of 1280 x 1024)
tbc - to be confirmed
tbd - to be determined
tbs - tablespoon (my own 3-letter variant of tbsp)
TCR - Thermal Coefficient of Resistance (ppm/°C)
TDS - Total Dissolved Solids (e.g. Extech EC400 TDS meter)
TDS - Technical Data Sheet
TENS - Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation
thk - abbreviation of thick (e.g. when specifying the thickness of an optical component)
TIM - Thermal Interface Material
tpi - threads per inch
TR - Technical Report
tsb - teaspoon
TSR - Terminate Stay Resident (a program that runs in the background after you think it's closed)
TV - TeleVision
UMF - Unique Manuka Factor (New Zealand Manuka honey) see also MGO, NPA
URL - Uniform Resource Locator (an internet web address)
UK - United Kingdom (Great Britain)
UPF - Ultra Processed Food
US - USA
USB - Universal Serial Bus
var - variable (a variable used in an equation)
VB - Verhandlungsbasis (German, literally: Basis for Negotiation, usage: '[price] negotiable')
VGA - Video Graphics Adaptor / 640 wide x 480 high in pixels, standardised PC screen resolution
vs. - versus (compared to)
WHO - World Health Organization
WIP - Work In Progress
WVGA - Wide VGA / 1024 wide x 600 high in pixels, standardised PC screen resolution
wrt - with respect to
xtal - crystal
X axis - horizontal (left/right)
Y axis - vertical (up/down)
Z axis - 90 degrees to horizontal and vertical (forward/backward)
1c Chemistry
ABS - Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (plastic)
CDQ - Cerium Doped Quartz (see also SDQ)
CFQ - Clear Fused Quartz
CIGS - Copper Indium Gallium Selenium dimer [Cu(In,Ga)Se2] thin film e.g. solar cells
CTH - Chromium Thulium Holmium (aka THC / Tm Ho Cr) (laser)
D2 - Deuterium
DNA - DeoxyriboNucleic Acid encodes life for gene growth, reproduction, mutation and recombination
EGW - Ethylene, Glycol, Water (anti-freeze mix - see also PGW)
FC - FluoroCarbon aka PerFluoroCarbon, PFC
FEP - Fluorinated Ethylene Propylene (plastic)
GaAs - Gallium Arsenide
H2O - Water!
HFE - metHoxy-nonaFluorobutanE
IPA - IsoPropyl Alcohol
LN2 - Liquid Nitrogen
MGO - Methylglyoxal (e.g. in New Zealand Manuka honey) see also NPA, UMF
NNA - Non-Nitrosomine (associated with some smoked food carcinogens)
PAH - Polycyclic Acromatic Hydrocarbon (associated with some smoked food carcinogens)
PAO - PolyAlphaOlefin aka poly-a-olefin, a polymer; oil
PEEK - PolyEtherEtherKetone (plastic)
PET - C10H8O4 PolyEthylene-Terephthalate (e.g. plastic capacitor film)
PFC - PerFluoroCarbon (e.g. 3M FC-77)
PFIB - PerFluoroIsoButylene
PGW - Propylene, Glycol, Water (anti-freeze mix - see also EGW)
POM - PolyOxyMethylene, aka acetal, polyacetal, polyformaldehyde (thermoplastic)
PTFE - PolyTetraFluoroEthylene aka teflon (plastic)
PU - PolyUrethane (plastic foam)
PVC - PolyVinylChloride (plastic)
SDQ - Samarium Doped Quartz (see also CDQ)
SFQ - Synthetic Fused Quartz
SS - Stainless Steel
UVGSFS - UV Grade Synthetic Fused Silica aka glass (CVI Melles Griot)
YAG - Yttrium Aluminium Garnet (laser)
YIG - Yttrium Iron Garnet (laser)
YLF - Yttrium Lanthanum Fluoride (laser)
Proprietary
Delrin - PolyOxyMethylene aka acetal, polyformaldehyde (thermoplastic)
Freon - composed in the US in 1932 from Fre(eze) + -on used as an arbitrary suffix ('freezer spray')
Kapton - a polyimide film stable from −269°C to +400°C (−452°F to 752°F; 4K to 673K)
Sugru - (Formerol) adhesive putty that sets as silicone rubber https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugru
1d Optics
111 - YAG rods are grown with the cylindrical axes along the [111] (long) direction
AOI - Angle Of Incidence (the angle at which a beam hits an optical part e.g. mirror)
AOM - Acousto-Optic Modulator: acoustic waves (ultrasound) alters refraction
AR - Anti-Reflective (coating) - matches optics to wavelength to reduce power loss
AT - Angle Tuned (NLO) aka A/T
BB - Broad Band
BBAR - Broad Band Anti-Reflective (coating)
BPP - Beam Parameter Product
BRF - Bi-Refringent Filter (typically used to tune Alexandrite & Ti:Sapphire lasers)
c-axis - Along the length of a rod <---o======o--->
CTD - Cemented (lens doublets etc)
CW - Continuous Wave (dc) (also see General: ClockWise)
DBAR - Dual Band Anti-Reflective coating
DCR - Diffraction Coupled Resonator (see also GCR) [O59 page 18]
DFG - Difference Frequency Generation (output is difference between two other frequencies)
DMRS - Dual Magnetron Reactive Sputtering (e.g. for HE interference filter).
DP - Double Pulse (laser), alt. SP single Pulse
DPSS - Diode Pulsed Solid State
DUV - Deep UV (10n - 200nn aka vacuum ultraviolet) [T12]
E||a - Electric field E is parallel with axis a
E||c - Polarisation between Electric field and c axis = <--0====0--> along a rod
EDX - X-Ray Dispersive analysis
Echelle - A Spectrometer with 3-dimensional measurement (French échelle: stairs, ladder)
EOM - Electro-Optic Modulator: electric field alters refraction (e.g. pockels cell Q-Switch)
Excimer - Excited Dimer laser (a dimer is a combination of two molecules)
FAC - Fast Access Collimator lens (e.g. tiny long & thin on C-mount laser lasing end)
FAHM - Full Angle at Half Maximum (NLO acceptance angle)
FAP - Fibre Array Package (a laser diode module that couples to a fibre optic)
FI - Faraday Isolator
FL - Focal Length (aka 'optical diode')
FL - Fluorescence Lifetime (e.g. xenon flashlamp)
FO - Fibre Optic
FPA - Focal Plane Array (e.g. spectrometer linear array detector)
FR - Faraday Rotator
FSR - Free Spectral Range (interferometer: space between two successive optical maxima or minima)
FTIR - Fourier-Transform InfraRed
FWHM - Full Width at Half Maximum (width of waveform at 50% magnitude)
GCR - Gaussian Coupled Resonator (see also DCR) [O59 page 18]
GLM - Green Laser Microchip (twin xtal combination Nd:YVO4 808nm -> 1064nm + KTP -> 532nm)
GRIN - GRaded INdex lens (for optical fibre)
HCL - aka HKL Hollow Cathode Lamp, i.e. hollow cathode element Lamp
HE - High Energy
HG - Harmonic Generator See [NLO FREQUENCY MIXING PROCESSES] below
HR - Highly Reflective (e.g. rear HR end mirror in laser resonator) aka IC
HSURIA - Half Symmetric Unstable Resonator with Intracavity Axicon
HT - Highly Transmissive
HWP - Half Wave Plate
IBS - Ion Beam Sputtering (optics AR coating)
IC - Input Coupler rear end mirror in laser resonator cavity aka HR
ICSHG - Intra-Cavity SHG
IPL - Intense Pulsed Light
IR - InfraRed See Table T12
LASER - Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation
LA-ICP-MS - Laser Ablation, Inductively Coupled Plasma, Mass Spectrometry
LD - Laser Diode
LEOT - Laser Electro-Optics Technology (LEOT) curriculum materials from CORD
LIAS - Laser Induced Abrasion Spectroscopy
LIBS - Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (aka LIPS)
LIDT - Laser Induced Damage Threshold (Melles Griot) = minimum power causing permanent damage
LIPS - Laser Induced Plasma Spectroscopy (aka LIBS)
LP - Laser Pointer [my own invented acronym]
LPG - Long Period Grating
MCA - Multi-Channel analyser (radiation)
MCP - Micro Channel Plate (multi-channel image intensifier)
MISER - Monolithic Isolated Single-Mode End-pumped Ring (aka NPRO) [internal reflection resonator]
MOPA - Master Oscillator Power Amplifier (e.g. for Ruby laser)
MOPO - Master Oscillator / Power Oscillator ([N30] power oscillator seeded from master oscillator)
NA - Numerical Aperture - the higher the value, the greater the acceptance angle of i/p light
NCPM - Non-Critical Phase Matching
NIR - Near InfraRed
NOPA - Non colinearly phase-matched Optical Parametric Amplifier
NPRO - Non-Planar Ring Oscillator (later acronym for MISER) [internal reflection xtal resonator]
NLC - NonLinear Crystal
NLO - NonLinear Optic
OC - Output Coupler / front mirror (partial reflector on output end of laser resonator cavity)
OD - Optical Density - logarithmic scale of transmittance i.e. OD1=10^1=10%, OD2=1%, OD3=0.1%
OG - Opto-Galvanic
OGE - Opto-Galvanic Effect (e.g. laser ionization of plasma in an HCL element Lamp)
OH - Hydroxyl fibre optic chemistry (High OH for UV-VIS, [very] Low OH for VIS-NIR)
OMA - Optical Multi-channel Analyser (e.g. spectrograph xy detector)
OPA - Operational Parametric Amplifier: converts one frequency to two lower ones via NLO
OPG - Operational Parametric Generator: a high gain self-amplifying OPA
OPO - Operational Parametric Oscillator: an OPA inside a resonator
PBS - Polarising Beam Splitter (e.g. cube)
PD - PhotoDiode
PDA - PD Array
PE - PyroElectric
PEW - Peak Emission Wavelength
PI - Population Inversion - redistribution of atomic energy levels that results in laser action
PIN diode - P-region / Intrinsic-region (undoped) / Negative-region construction high speed diode
Plane - A plane mirror ia a straight one. A ROC mirror is one with curvature, often concave.
ppKTP - periodically poled KTP
PRM - Electron Paramagnetic Resonance
PSS - Pulsed Solid State
QWP - Quarter Wave Plate
R<=nnnn - Reflects wavelength nnnn and less (as in beamsplitter)
RAP - Right Angle Prism
RELIBS - Resonance Enhanced Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy
RELIPS - Resonance Enhanced Laser Induced Plasma Spectroscopy
ROC - Radius Of Curvature
SBW - Spectral BandWidth
SESAM - SEmiconductor Saturable Absorber Mirror
SFM - Sum Frequency Mix, e.g. 1/(1/266nm + 1/700nm) or 1/(1/2074nm + 1/213nm) = 193nm
SLD - Continuum SureLite Second HG (532nm) (SL3D-1 = Type I, SL3D-2 = Type II; 3 may be length)
SLT - Continuum SureLite Third HG (355nm)
SLF - Continuum SureLite Fourth HG (266nm)
SLR - Satellite Laser Ranging (measures the round trip time of ultrashort pulses of light)
SMA - Sub-Miniature version A (a small screw FO connector or an electrical coaxial RF connector)
SP - Single Pulse (laser) alt. DP Double Pulse
SPECB - Spectrosil B aka Spectrosil 2000 - UV transmitting fused silica glass
SS - Solid State (laser) meaning lasing through a rod rather than a gas
TE - Transverse Electric (polarized light electric field is perpendicular to plane of incidence)
TEA - Transverse Excited Atmosphere lasers with very high gas pressure e.g. CO2, Excimer
TEM - Transverse Electromagnetic Mode (TEM00 = best focus gaussian spot, TEM01 = 2 spots)
TEPS - Townsend Effect Plasma Spectroscopy (dual pulse Nd:YAG 1064nm + CO2 10640nm LIBS system)
TIR - Total Internal Reflection
TM - Transverse Magnetic (polarized light magnetic field is perpendicular to plane of incidence)
TT - Temperature Tuned (NLO) aka T/T
TYPE I - NLO phase matching Type I: the input beams polarisation is parallel with each other ||
TYPE II - NLO phase matching Type II: the input beams polarisation is perpendicular to each other |_
Tnnnn - Transmits wavelength nnnn (as in beamsplitter)
UV - UltraViolet (100nm - 400nm) [T12]
VPH - Volume Phase Holographic (grating)
VIS - VISible wavelength; visible to humans (400nm - 700nm) See Table T12
NLO FREQUENCY MIXING PROCESSES
FND - FuNDamental (source of harmonics)
2HG - (SHG) Second Harmonic Generation:
Generation of light with a doubled frequency (half the wavelength),
2 photons are destroyed creating a single photon at two times the frequency.
3HG - (THG) Third Harmonic Generation:
Generation of light with a tripled frequency (one-third the wavelength),
3 photons are destroyed creating a single photon at three times the frequency.
4HG - (FHG) Fourth Harmonic Generation
5HG - Fifth Harmonic Generation
HHG - High Harmonic Generation:
Generation of light with frequencies much greater than the original
(typ 100 - 1000 times greater)
SFG - Sum Frequency Generation / SFM - Sum Frequency Mixing:
SFM Generation of light with a frequency that is the sum of two other frequencies
(2HG is a special case of this)
DFG - Difference Frequency Generation:
Generation of light with a frequency that is the difference between two other frequencies OPA - Optical Parametric Amplification:
Amplification of a signal input in the presence of a higher-frequency pump wave, at the same time generating an idler wave (can be considered as DFG)
OPO - Optical Parametric Oscillation:
Generation of a signal and idler wave using a parametric amplifier in a resonator
(with no signal input)
OPG - Optical Parametric Generation:
Like parametric oscillation without a resonator, using a very high gain instead
SPDC - Spontaneous Parametric Down Conversion:
Amplification of Vacuum fluctuations in the low gain regime
OR - Optical Rectification:
Generation of quasi-static electric fields.
NLO ORIENTATION PARAMETERS
θ theta - NLO orientation angle, e.g. 58.0°, 71.0°, 29.2°, 44.3°
φ phi - NLO beam phase match, e.g. 0°, 45°, 90°
MELLES GRIOT OPTICS TYPE CODES
LLC - Limited Liability Company NOT A LENS TYPE! eg Melles Griot LLC
ABS - cemented continually variable beamsplitter eg ABS-12.7-1064 (1J/cm²)
ABSO - air spaced ABS eg ABSO-12.7-1064 (5J/cm²)
BFPL - bestform positive lens eg BFPL-12.7-38.1-UV-532.0
BICC - bi-concave eg BICC-25.4-26.1-UV-755
BICX - bi-convex eg BICX-38.1-49.3-C-1064 BICX-UV
BSR - harmonic beamsplitter eg BSR-51-0525 (HE 12.7dia R532 T1064 45AOI)
ELW - elliptical window eg ELW-25.4-6.35-UV
EUV - Excimer (DUV) UV FS (213nm and below) eg PLCX-15.0-103.0-EUV
LW3 - Large wedge window eg LW3-1037 UV (LW3=3deg,1037-1"dia)
PBS - laser line polarising beam splitter eg PBS-1064-040 (1J/cm² cemented, 040=10mm)
PLCC - plano concave eg PLCC-10.0-10.3-UV-532 (10.0mm dia, ROC 10.3mm)
PLCX - plano convex eg PLCX-25.4-51.5-C-1319 (25.4mm dia, ROC 51.5mm)
PLCR - Polarcor polariser Lens eg PLCR-8.0-800 971576
PR - partial reflecting mirror eg PR1-1064-50-1025 (50% 6.35mm thk 25mm dia)
PM - plain round mirror blank eg PM-1025-C
QWPM - quartz wave plate multi-order eg QWPM-1064-05-2 (10J/cm² 05=0.5 inch, 2= ½ wave)
QWPO - quartz wave plate zero order eg QWPO-532-10-4 (10J/cm² 10=1.0 inch, 4= ¼ wave)
RCX - rectangular convex lens for line to spot eg RXC-10.0-9.8-203.4-UV-355 (10.0x9.8mm)
SMCC - concave spherical mirror blank eg SMCC-0525-1.00
SMCCUV - concave spherical mirror blank FS eg SMCC-0525-1.00-UV
TLM - tunable laser line mirror eg TLM1-800-0-0537-5.00CC-C
TFP - thin film Brewster plate polariser 20J/cm eg TFP-1064-RW-28.6 14.3-3.2 (28.6x14.3x3.2mm thk)
eg TFP-1064-PW-0508-UV (0.5" dia x 0.08" = 2mm thk)
W1 - anti-reflection one surface coated window eg W1-PW-0725-UV-1064-0
W2 - anti-reflection two surfaces coated window eg W2-PW-0725-UV-1064-0
Wn-IF - interference flat window eg W2-IF-1012-UV-670-1064-45UNP
OLDER CVI OPTICS TYPE CODES
0508 - 0.5" (12.7mm) dia x 0.080" (2.032mm) thick
0525 - 0.5" (12.7mm) dia x 0.250" (6.350mm) thick
1025 - 1.0" (25.4mm) dia x 0.250" (6.350mm) thick
1525 - 1.5" (38.1mm) dia x 0.250" (6.350mm) thick
2037 - 2.0" (50.8mm) dia x 0.375" (9.525mm) thick
0924 - 25mm x 6mm
1940 - 50mm x 100mm thick
APM - Aplanatic Meniscus lens (shortens the combined FL without adding coma or spherical aberration)
ARF - Argon Fluoride i.e. 193nm
KRF - Krypton Fluoride i.e. 248nm
BS1 - beamsplitter
GLC - diode laser collimating & focusing lens
HM - dual wavelength HE mirror eg HM-0537-45 eg 1064 & 532
LAL - laser grade visible cemented achromat
LAN - visible laser achromat (negative)
LAO - standard cemented achromat
LAP - visible laser achromat (positive)
LAPQ - HE/UV laser achromat
LQF - FS plano convex lens eg 01-LQF-078/074 (074=300-500nm AR)
LQP - UVFS plano convex lens eg 01-LQP-007
LLS - flat field Laser Scan Lens eg 59-LLS-393 / 09-LLS-270
LM - line mirror (reflects a narrow width laser fundamental wavelength)
PBB - broadband polarising beam splitter cube eg 03-PBB-011 650-850nm (011=10mm,015=25.4mm)
PRT - right angle prism eg 01-PRT-011
UNP - unpolarised
Y1 - 1064nm single bandpass HE mirror eg Y1-2037-45-UNP line mirror
Y2 - 532nm
Y3 - 355nm
Y4 - 266nm
Y5 - 213nm
Y13 - 1319nm
YH - dual bandpass HE mirror eg YH-0737-45 eg 1064 & 532
LHP - Laser Head Power assembly eg 05-LHP-151 (05-LHP-151-249 has 249 PSU)
1e - Electronics
ADC - Analogue to Digital Converter
APD - Avalanche PhotoDiode
ATA - Advanced Technology Attachment (a computer peripheral bus)
AWB - Auto White Balance (electronic camera)
AWG - American Wire Gauge
AWG - Arbitrary Waveform Generator
BCD - Binary Coded Decimal base-10 (i.e. 0...9)
BIOS - Basic I/O System (e.g. the ROM-based firmware on a PC motherboard)
BNC - Bayonet Neill-Concelman coaxial connector (<500V, <4GHz)
Cal lab - Calibration laboratory
CC - Constant Current
CCD - Charge Coupled Device
CCL - Cold Cathode Lamp (typically used as an LCD backlight)
CMOS - Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (an electronics chip fabrication process)
CPR - Cycles Per Revolution (e.g. shaft encoder)
CRT - Cathode Ray Tube
CPU - Central Processing Unit
CV - Constant Voltage
CVR - Current Viewing Resistor
DAC - Digital to Analogue Converter
DAT - Digital Audio Transmission
dB - deciBel (one tenth of a Bel) [T13]
DIL/DIP - Dual In Line/ DIL Package (an electronic component with two parallel rows of pins)
DIN - Deutsches Institut für Normung e.V. (German Institute for Standardisation) [D32]
DIN_41612 - a DIN standard for electrical connectors widely used in rack based electrical systems [D33]
DRAM - Dynamic Random Access Memory
DTL - Diode Transistor Logic (circa 1962)
DMM - Digital MultiMeter
DOS - Disk Operating System
DPAK - Decawatt PAcKage, aka TO-252, an SMD semiconductor package developed by Motorola
DPO - Digital Phosphor Oscilloscope
DPCO - Dual Pole ChangeOver (a common switch / relay contacts configuration)
DPDT - Dual Pole Dual Throw (a common switch / relay contacts configuration)
DSO - Digital Storage Oscilloscope / Digital Sampling Oscilloscope
DVR - Digital Video Recorder
EAPROM - Electrically Alterable PROM (predecessor to EEPROM & Flash)
EDN - Electrical Design News (magazine) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EDN_(magazine)
EEPROM - Electrically Erasable PROM
EIA - Electronic Industries Association
E-IDE - Enhanced IDE (a computer peripheral bus)
EFT - Electrical Fast Transient
EHT - Extra High Tension (usually kilovolts)
EMC - Electro-Magnetic Compatibility (e.g. shielding from RF fields)
EMF - Electro-Motive Force (energy in volts provided per coulomb of charge)
EMI - Electro-Magnetic Interference aka RFI (e.g. RF fields)
EPROM - UV Erasable PROM
ESD - Electro-Static Discharge
ESR - Equivalent Series Resistance (of a capacitor)
ESU - Energy Storage Unit (such as a capacitor bank)
F - Female (e.g. connector socket)
FDD - Floppy Disc Drive (computer mass storage comprising a motorised flexible magnetic disc)
FET - Field Effect Transistor
FIFO - First In First Out (a specialised memory chip)
FWHM - Full Width at Half Maximum (width of waveform at 50% magnitude)
GPIB - General Purpose Interface Bus (a communications interface often used for instruments)
GPU - Graphical Processing Unit
HAD - Hole-Accumulation Diode (enhanced IR camera sensor e.g. Sony XC-75 Super HAD CCD camera)
HDD - Hard Disk Drive (a computer mass storage comprising a motorised solid magnetic disc)
HEX - Hexadecimal base-16 (i.e. 0..9,A,B,C,D,E,F)
HF - High Frequency
hFE - hybrid parameter Forward current gain, common Emitter (dc gain of a junction transistor)
HiPOT - High POTential (i.e. high voltage)
HV - High Voltage
IC - Integrated Circuit
ICE - In Circuit Emulator
ICP - In Circuit Programmer
IDE - Integrated Drive Electronics (a computer peripheral bus)
IFSM - Maximum forward surge current, (normally 10ms/50Hz, sometimes 8.3ms/60Hz half-sine-wave)
I/O - Input / Output (i.e. both)
I/P - Input
IP - Internet Protocol (set of rules defining data sent via the internet or a local network)
IPC - Institute for Printed Circuits ( later: Institute for Interconnecting and Packaging)
ISA - Industry Standard Architecture (PC peripheral bus)
IT - Information Technology
JEDEC - Joint Electron Tube Engineering Council (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JEDEC)
KVD - Kelvin-Varley Divider (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kelvin%E2%80%93Varley_divider)
LA - Logic Analyser
LCD - Liquid Crystal Display
LCR - Inductor, Capacitor, Resistor (e.g. LCR tester)
LDR - Light Dependent Resistor
LED - Light Emitting Diode
LF - Low Frequency
LV - Low Voltage
M - Male (e.g. connector plug or pin)
MCP - Micro-Channel Plate (typically, CRT, PDA and CCD image enhancer)
MCU - MicroController Unit (also abbrev. µC)
MHV - Miniature High Voltage (5kV 3A BNC connector)
MLC - Multi-Layer Ceramic capacitor often <<1µF for decoupling HF noise from power supplies.
mobo - motherboard (abbrev.) the mainboard in a PC
MOV - Metal Oxide Varistor (a resistor whose value rapidly drops when a voltage is exceeded)
MSO - Mixed Signal Oscilloscope (typically analogue channels combined with digital LA)
NEMA - National Electrical Manufacturers Association (e.g. stepper motor sizes)
Nixie - Nixie was derived by Burroughs from abbrev. 'NIX I': 'Numeric Indicator eXperimental No. 1'
NMOSFET - Negatively doped Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor (vs PMOSFET)
N.O. - Normally open (e.g. relay contacts)
NTSC - National Television System Committee (American 60Hz analogue TV display system)
OCT - Octal base-8 (i.e. 0...7)
OCXO - Oven Controlled Xtal Oscillator
Oe. - Oersted (a unit of magnetic field strength similar to amperes/metre)
O/P - Output
PAL - Phase Alternate Line (UK 50Hz analogue TV display system)
PAL - Programmable Array Logic
PC - Personal Computer
PC/AT - PC Advanced Technology
PC/XT - PC eXtended Technology
PCB - Printed Circuit Board
PD - PhotoDiode
PDA - PhotoDiode Array (typically a long line of individual PDs, or a matrix of PDs)
PDP - Programmed Data Processor (a range of computers from Digital Equipment Corp., e.g. PDP-8)
PEF - Pulsed Electrical Field
Peltola - Push-in RF connector named after inventor http://w140.com/tekwiki/wiki/Peltola_connector
PFN - Pulse Forming Network
PIC - Peripheral Interface Controller (a microcontroller family from Microchip Technology Inc)
PIN diode - P-region / Intrinsic-region (undoped) / Negative-region (high speed diode construction)
PLL - Phase Locked Loop (a means of synchronising different pulse trains)
PMC - PIC Master Controller (LHC Project electronics)
PMSM - Permanent-Magnet Synchronous Motor
PMT - Photo-Multiplier Tube
pot - potentiometer (variable resistor)
PROM - Programmable Read Only Memory
PSC - PIC Slave Controller (LHC Project electronics)
PSU - Power Supply Unit
PT - Vacuum PhotoTube (e.g. Hamamatsu R1193U-02) aka VPT, VPD
PWM - Pulse Width Modulated
Radar - Created in 1940 by the United States Navy as an acronym for RAdio Detection And Ranging
RAM - Random Access Memory
RF - Radio Frequency (electro-magnetic waves between 3kHz - 300GHz)
RFI - RF Interference
RG - Radio Guide (e.g. RG402, a coaxial cable with a copper outer conductor [E49])
Rigol - Chinese manf of my DS1102CD 100MHz 0.4Gs/s 2-channel DSO with 16-bit Logic analyser
RLC - Resistor, Inductor, Capacitor
RMA - Rosin, Mildly Activated (rosin solder flux)
RMS - Root Mean Square
ROM - Read Only Memory
Rosin - A solid form of resin with many uses including soldering flux (origin: French for resin)
RS-232C - EIA RS-232-C serial communications physical interface standard (e.g. for PC serial port)
RTD - Resistance Temperature Detector
RTL - Resistor Transistor Logic (Fairchild 1961)
Rx - Receive (e.g. serial communications)
SA - Spectrum Analyser
Scope - Oscilloscope
SCSI - Small Computer Systems Interface (a computer bus)
SIL/SIP - Single In Line/SIL Package (an electronic component with a line of pins in series)
SHV - Safe High Voltage (e.g. 5kV 5A BNC connector - up to 20kV later models)
SMA - Sub-Miniature version A (a small screw coaxial RF connector or a fibre optic connector)
SMD - Surface Mount Device
SMPSU - Switch Mode PSU
SN - Semiconductor Network (Texas Instruments SN5400, SN6400, SN7400 logic IC series)
SOT - Small Outline Transistor
SOT-23 - A standardised plastic SMD package for electronic devices, typically 3 leads
SPAD - Single Photon Avalanche Device (e.g. APD: Avalanche Photo Diode)
SPDT - Single Pole Dual Throw (a common switch / relay contacts configuration)
SPI - Serial Peripheral Interface
SPICE - Simulation Program with Integrated Circuit Emphasis (an electronic circuit simulator)
SSD - Static Sensitive Device
SSD - Solid State Drive (a semiconductor-based computer mass storage device)
SOT - Small Outline Transistor (a surface mount device)
tant - tantalum capacitor
TCXO - Temperature Compensated Xtal oscillator
TD - Tunnel Diode / Transient Digitiser
TDR - Time Domain Reflectometer
TEC - ThermoElectric Cooler (aka Peltier cell)
Tf - signal / Pulse edge fall time
TG - Tracking Generator (typically for a Spectrum Analyser)
TO-92 - A standardised plastic leaded package for electronic devices, typically 3 leads
Tr - Signal / Pulse edge rise time
transzorb - Transient voltage absorber (aka xorb, TVS)
TV - TeleVision
TVS - Transient Voltage Suppressor (aka transzorb, xorb)
Tx - Transmit (e.g. serial communications)
TTL - Transistor Transistor Logic (Silvania 1963, Texas Instruments 5400 series 1964)
UART - Universal Asynchronous Receiver Transmitter (a basic electronic serial interface)
µC - Microcontroller (also MCU)
µP - Microprocessor
USB - Universal Serial Bus (a PC serial communications interface)
VF - Forward Voltage (e.g. diode, LED)
VIH - High level Input Voltage (i.e. logic '1')
VIL - Low level Input Voltage (i.e. logic '0')
VPT - Vacuum planar PhotoTube aka PT (e.g. Hamamatsu R1193U-02)
VPD - vacuum planar PhotoDiode aka PT (e.g. FEK-09 [O34])
VR - Reverse Voltage (e.g. diode, LED)
WB - Wide Band
xformer - Transformer
xorb - Transient voltage absorber (aka transzorb, or TVS)
XT - eXtended Technology (IBM PC XT aka PC/XT)
xtal - Crystal
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