EE 5391 / 7391: Introduction to Optoelectronics

Term:

Fall 2005

Class Times:

MWF 1-1:50pm

Room:

125 Caruth

Instructor:

Dr. Marc Christensen

Textbook:

Fundamentals of Photonics, Saleh and Teich, Wiley Interscience.

Prerequisites:

Senior standing or permission of instructor

Course Objective:
To provide an introduction to the operating principles of optoelectronic devices
used in various current and future information processing and transmission systems. The
emphasis is on the generation (via lasers) and detection of optical signals. Previously
offered as EE 5390 in Spring 2003. Not to be repeated for credit.
Grading:

20% Homework, 40% Tests (2), 40% Final Exam

SYLLABUS:
Week 1:

Background: Review of basic principles from ray, wave and

electromagnetic optics, (Saleh, parts of Chapters 1, 2, 3,and 5).

Week 2:

Basic Principles
Interferometers.

Week 3:

Optical Resonators: Planar mirror resonators, modes of resonators,

spherical mirror resonators, confinement, Gaussian beams (Saleh,
Chapter 6, 9).

Weeks 4-5:

Photons and Matter: Energy levels, Interactions of photons and atoms,

spontaneous and stimulated emission (Saleh, parts of Chapters 11 and
12).

Weeks 6-7:

Lasers: gain mechanism, rate equations, laser oscillation theory, laser

types (Saleh, Chapters 13 and 14).

Week 8-9:

Photons in Semiconductors: Review of semiconductor theory, energy

band structure, materials, electrons and holes, junctions, interactions of
photons with electrons and holes (Saleh, Chapter 15).

Weeks 10-11:

Semiconductor Photon Sources: Light emitting diodes, Semiconducting

Laser Amplifiers, Injection Lasers (Saleh, Chapter 16).

Weeks 12-13:

Semiconductor Photon Detectors:

Properties of Photodetectors,
Photoconductors, Photodiodes, Avalanche Photodiodes, Noise
Mechanisms, Signal-to-noise analysis (Saleh, Chapter 17).

(continued)

Optical

wave

representation,

Week 14:

Modulators: Electro-optics Pockels and Kerr effects, Spatial Light

modulators, Acousto-optics devices (Saleh, Chapters 18 and 20)