OPTI 510R

Photonics (3 units). Fundamentals of fiber and waveguide optics and applications to optical components and systems for fiber communication technology. Prerequisites: OPTI501, OPTI505R, OPTI507, OPTI511R.

Meeting Times:
MW 9-10:15 | Room 305

This course has been designed to give an introduction to photonics at the graduate level. From the Photonics Dictionary at photonics.com, Photonics is defined as

The technology of generating and harnessing light and other forms of radiant energy whose quantum unit is the photon. The science includes light emission, transmission, deflection, amplification and detection by optical components and instruments, lasers and other light sources, fiber optics, electro-optical instrumentation, related hardware and electronics, and sophisticated systems. The range of applications of photonics extends from energy generation to detection to communications and information processing.
This course is designed to be device oriented, with many practical examples of photonics components. The students will learn how the devices are made, designed and operated. The course can be broadly divided into two parts.

The first part covers fundamentals such as theories of dispersion, absorption and birefringence. Thorough understanding of these concepts is required for the rest of the course. This review will be followed immediately by studies of passive components such as gratings, Fabry Perot filters and Bragg mirrors. We then move to wave propagation in planar geometries, specifically different kinds of integrated optics devices. There will be a midterm exam, which will provide students with enough feedback on their performance in order to drop the class if they are doing poorly.

The second part of the class covers wave propagation in optical fiber with applications to optical networks, telecommunications, and optical interconnects. Different type of fiber-based devices are examined. We will study various types of fiber amplifers, specialty fiber and nonlinear effects in fibers that impact optical network performance. Many practical aspects of fiber-based devices will be covered including their design, fabrication and packaging; relevant reliability standards will also be introduced.

Finally, we will examine different kinds of active lightwave devices including optical interconnects, LEDs, laser diodes and photodetectors; many of these devices will play a role in emerging data center and super computer architectures.

Course Outline

Lecture 1: Maxwell Equations, Wave Equations, Dielectric Media, Constitutive Relations, Anisotropic Media

Lecture 2: Electromagnetic Waves, Absorption and Dispersion

Lecture 3: Resonant Medium, Pulse Propagation

Lecture 4: Optics of Anisotropic Media, Optical Activity and Magneto-Optics, Beam Splitter, Waveplates, Optical Isolator

Lecture 5: Dispersion, Grating and Wavelength Separation, Wavelength Switches

Lecture 6: Fabry Perot Filters and Bragg Mirrors

Lecture 7: Mirror and Dielectric Waveguides,

Lecture 8: 2D Waveguides, Optical Coupling in Waveguides

Lecture 9: Mode Dispersion, Phase & Group Velocity, Waveguide Loss

Lecture 10: Waveguide Materials and Fabrication

Lecture 11: Arrayed Waveguide Gratings and Thermo-optic Devices

Lecture 12: Compact Photonics, Microring Resonator, Photonic Bandgap Devices

Lecture 13: Electro-optic Waveguide Modulators, Exam Review

Lecture 14: Exam 1

Lecture 15: Fiber: Rays and Waves

Lecture 16: Field Distribution, Modes, Polarization, and V number

Lecture 17: Attenuation and Dispersion, Holey Fiber

Lecture 18: Fiber-based Devices, Gratings, Splitters, Sensors, Filters, Dispersion Compensators

Lecture 19: Practical Aspects of Fiber Optics: Manufacturing, Coupling, Splicing, Connectorizing, Testing, Telcordia Standards

Lecture 20: Nonlinear Effects in Optical Fiber and Their Effects on Optical Networks

Lecture 21: EDFA, SOA and Raman Amplifiers

Lecture 22: Fiber Optical Components in Fiber Communication Systems

Lecture 23: Optical Interconnects, OEO vs. OOO, Wavelength Switches, Time Domain Switches

Lecture 24: LEDs, pn-Junctions

Lecture 25: Laser Diodes

Lecture 26: More Laser Diodes, VCSEL, Applications

Lecture 27: Photodetectors and Photoconductors

Lecture 28: Photodiodes and Avalanche Photodiodes

Lecture 29: Array Detectors, Noise in Photodetectors

Lecture 30: Exam 2

Each lecture is 1 hour 15 minutes and will be available online to Distance Learning students. All class materials will be available online for download to Distance Learning students.

Course Grading: Homework 40% | Exams 60%

Required Textbook:
Saleh, B.E.A. and Teich, M.C. (2007). Fundamentals of Photonics (2nd ed.). John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 9780471358329