2023-2024 Academic Catalog

Electro-Optics


Andrew Sarangan, Department Chairperson


The interdisciplinary programs of study leading to the Master of Science (M.S.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in electro-optics are administered by the School of Engineering with the cooperative support of the College of Arts and Sciences.
 

Doctor of Philosophy in Electro-Optics (EOP)

To be considered for admission to the Ph.D. program in Electro-Optics and Photonics, a student must have received a M.S. degree in EOP or equivalent.  Only the most promising students with a graduate GPA of 3.5 out of 4, or higher, or equivalent, may be admitted.

The minimum semester-hour requirement for the doctoral degree is 90 semester hours beyond the bachelor's degree (which must include the EOP core or its equivalent), or 60 semester hours beyond the EOP M.S. degree or equivalent.  Doctoral candidates are required to register for two semester hours of dissertation during the semester in which the dissertation is defended.

Students generally take the candidacy examination when all EOP core courses (EOP 501 through 506) have been completed. The exam will include two parts: (1) a written examination covering the EOP core courses; and (2) an oral examination on the dissertation proposal. Part 1 is offered twice a year, at the beginning of the fall and spring semesters. Passing grade is 70% with at least 50% on each question. Students receiving an overall score of 60-70%, or less than 50% in any area, will be given an oral exam based on the written exam. Part 2 of the candidacy exam must be completed within six months of passing Part 1, and before registering for their 13th dissertation hour.

At least one journal paper based on the dissertation, with the candidate as lead author, must be accepted in a recognized refereed journal in the area of the candidate's research by the date of the defense.

The Plan of Study of a student seeking the Ph.D. in Electro-Optics must successfully complete a minimum of 90 semester hours beyond the bachelor's degree which must include the following:

1.  Core courses as given in the EO Master's program or equivalent

2.  Twelve semester hours of approved 600-level Electro-Optics courses.

3.  Six semester hours of approved graduate mathematics courses.

4.  Twelve semester hours of Technical Electives. 

4.  Thirty semester hours of Ph.D. dissertation credits in Electro-Optics.

See also the Doctoral Degree Requirements in School of Engineering section in the bulletin and consult with the director of the electro-optics program.

Master of Science in Electro-Optics (EOP)

The program of study in electro-optics leading to an M.S. degree must include a minimum of 30 semester hours including 18 semester hours of EOP core courses (EOP 501 through EOP 506) and three laboratory courses (EOP 541L, 542L and 543L). Students pursuing a thesis will take 6 semester hours of thesis credits and 3 more semester hours of technical electives. Non-thesis MS students will take EOP 598 (non-thesis project) and 9 semester hours of technical electives. Students have the option of substituting one of the latter two laboratory courses (EOP 542L or EOP 543L) with a summer short course. 

The program of study in electro-optics leading to an M.S. degree must include a minimum of 30 semester hours consisting of the following:

EGR 500Academic Integrity and Responsible Conduct of Research for Engineers0
EOP 500Introduction to Research in Electro-Optics0
EOP 501Fundamentals of Optical Design3
EOP 502Light and Matter Interaction3
EOP 503Optical Information Processing3
EOP 504Guided-Wave Optics3
EOP 505Introduction to Lasers3
EOP 506Photonic Devices & Systems3
EOP 510Contemporary Topics in Electro-Optics and Photonics0
EOP 541LGeometric & Physical Optics Laboratory1
EOP 542LElectro-Optic System Laboratory1
EOP 543LAdvanced Electro-Optics Laboratory1
Technical Elective3
EOP 599Thesis6
OR
EOP 598Non-thesis Research Project 10
Plus 6 approved additional credits of technical electives
Total Hours30

See also Master's Degree Requirements in School of Engineering section in the catalog and consult with the Chair of Electro-Optics and Photonics.

1. Non-Thesis option must include EOP 598 Non-Thesis Project AND six additional, approved technical elective courses.

Courses

EOP 500. Introduction to Research in Electro-Optics. 0 Hours

Introduction to research methods, laboratory safety, ethics, proposal writing, technical presentations.

EOP 501. Fundamentals of Optical Design. 3 Hours

Foundation of geometrical optics, Gaussian optics, paraxial raytracing, aperture stops and pupils, first-order optical design of basic optical instruments, optical materials, chromatic aberrations, third-order monochromatic aberrations, introduction to computer-based ray tracing, optical design of elementary optical components. Prerequisites: ECE 332 or equivalent, or admission into the EOP department, or permission of the instructor/department chair.

EOP 502. Light and Matter Interaction. 3 Hours

Classical and quantum mechanical description of light-matter interaction; electromagnetic waves; polarization; dipole radiation; interaction of radiation with electrons; crystal optics; electro-optic effect; Fermi’s golden rule; absorption and dispersion. Prerequisites: ECE 333 or equivalent, or admission into the EOP department, or permission of the instructor/department chair.

EOP 503. Optical Information Processing. 3 Hours

2D linear systems and Fourier transforms; analysis of diffraction using transfer function, impulse response and transport of intensity; optical elements for imaging and Fourier transformation; transfer functions of coherent and incoherent systems, design of complex spatial filters and holograms; optical information processing; 3D imaging. Prerequisites: ECE 333 or equivalent, or admission into the EOP department, or permission of the instructor/department chair.

EOP 504. Guided-Wave Optics. 3 Hours

Light propagation in slab and cylindrical wave guides; signal degradation in optical fibers; optical sources, detectors, and receivers; coupling; transmission link analysis; fiber fabrication and cabling; fiber sensor system. Prerequisites: ECE 333 or equivalent, or admission into the EOP department, or permission of the instructor/department chair.

EOP 505. Introduction to Lasers. 3 Hours

Laser theory; coherence; Gaussian beams; optical resonators; properties of atomic and molecular radiation; laser oscillation and amplification; methods of excitation of lasers; characteristics of common lasers; laser applications. Prerequisites: ECE 333 or equivalent, or admission into the EOP department, or permission of the instructor/department chair.

EOP 506. Photonic Devices & Systems. 3 Hours

Solid state theory of optoelectronic devices; semiconductor photoemitters: LEDs, optical amplifiers and semiconductor lasers; photodetectors: PIN, APD, photocells, PMT, detection and noise; solar cells; cameras and displays; electro-optic and magneto-optic devices; integration and application of electro-optical components in systems of various types. Prerequisites: ECE 304 or equivalent, or admission into the EOP department, or permission of the instructor/department chair.

EOP 510. Contemporary Topics in Electro-Optics and Photonics. 0 Hours

Discussion, inquiry and feedback of research progress towards a thesis in electro-optics and photonics; discussion of background research literature; discussion of experimental or computation methods and results; presentation of research progress reports; review of laboratory safety protocols; participation in technical conferences and professional workshops and/or Stander Symposium.

EOP 532. Optical Thin Film Design. 3 Hours

Fundamental principles of optical thin film design and interference filters including: single-layer and multi-layer anti-reflection designs; high-reflection multi-layer designs; broad band reflectors; high-pass & low-pass filters; line filters; bandpass filters; metal film designs; design methods for oblique incidence; thin film beam splitters; numerical methods and optimization; thin-film manufacturing methods. Prerequisites: EOP 502, or equivalent, or instructor permission.

EOP 533. Principles of Nanofabrication. 3 Hours

Basic principles of processes used in microelectronic and photonic device fabrication: vacuum systems, plasma processes, physical and chemical vapor deposition, properties of silicon and other substrate materials, photolithography and non-optical lithography, wet chemical and plasma etching, thermal oxidation of silicon, semiconductor doping, ion implantation, metallization, electrical contacts and micro-metrology.

EOP 541L. Geometric & Physical Optics Laboratory. 1 Hour

Geometric optics; characterization of optical elements; diffraction; interference; birefringence and polarization. Prerequisite(s): EOP 501 or permission of program director.

EOP 542L. Electro-Optic System Laboratory. 1 Hour

Fiber optic principles and systems: numerical aperture, loss, dispersion, single and multimode fibers, communications and sensing systems. Project oriented investigations of electro-fiber-optic systems and devices in general: sources, detectors, image processing, sensor instrumentation and integration, electro-optic component, display technology, nonlinear optical devices and systems. Prerequisites: EOP 504 or permission of program director.

EOP 543L. Advanced Electro-Optics Laboratory. 1 Hour

Project-oriented investigations of laser characterization, interferometry, holography, optical pattern recognition and spectroscopy. Emphasis is on the applications of optics, electronics, and computer data acquisition and analysis to measurement problems. Prerequisite(s): EOP 541L or permission of program director.

EOP 595. Special Problems. 1-6 Hours

Special problems in Electro-Optics.

EOP 597. Capstone Project. 2 Hours

Design, build and demonstrate an independent project that falls within the scope of Electro-Optics and Photonics. The project must include elements that demonstrate a practical understanding of the course material contained in EOP 541L. Successful completion of this course also meets the requirements of EOP 598. Prerequisites: Permission of department chair.

EOP 598. Non-thesis Research Project. 0 Hours

Research project on a selected topic for non-thesis MS students; Review of relevant research literature; Preparation of a written project report and an oral presentation to the student exam committee. Prerequisite(s): EOP 500.

EOP 599. Thesis. 1-6 Hours

Thesis in Electro-Optics.

EOP 601. Optical Design. 3 Hours

Chromatic aberrations: doublet lens; telephoto, wide-angle, and normal lenses; triplet lens design and variations; optimization methods and computer lens design; optical transfer functions; telescopes and microscopes; two-mirror telescope design: aspheric surfaces; prism and folded optical systems, rangefinders; gratings and holographic optical elements; anamorphic optical systems; zoom systems. Prerequisite(s): EOP 501.

EOP 603. Optical Interferometry and Metrology. 3 Hours

Interference, diffraction and holography; classical interferometers; fringe analysis; holographic, phase-shifting, white-light and speckle interferometry; fiber-optic interferometers and gyros. Applications in metrology: nondestructive testing, LiDAR, bio-sensing and imaging, semiconductor processing, and astronomy. Prerequisites: EOP 502, EOP 503 or permission of the department chair.

EOP 604. Integrated Optics. 3 Hours

Review of electromagnetic principles; optical waveguides; coupled mode theory; waveguide gratings; numerical methods in integrated optics - FDTD, BPM, modesolving, TMM; integrated optical devices and systems. Prerequisites: EOP 504.

EOP 605. Silicon Photonics. 3 Hours

Photonic Integrated Circuits and Components on the silicon platform, Optical fiber coupling into single mode waveguides, Power Splitting Components, Polarization Manipulation Components, Integrated Photonic Thermo-Optic, and Electro-Optic Modulators, Photonic Circuit Modeling, Silicon Photonics Foundry Fabrication, Design Project with Ansys/Lumerical software. Prerequisites: ECE 333 or equivalent or Permission of Instructor.

EOP 606. Advanced Silicon Photonics. 3 Hours

Design of advanced silicon photonic devices. CAD layout and device tapeout for foundry fabrication, device testing. Mach-Zehnder and Ring modulator design, design of hybrid photonic devices, optical phased arrays and nanophotonic devices including photonic crystals and subwavelength devices. Nanophotonic light emitters for classical and quantum photonics. Mid-infrared and visible photonic devices and applications. Hybrid material integration to include ferroelectrics, electro-optic polymers, chalcogenides and other group IV and III-V materials. Prerequisites: EOP 605 or equivalent or permission of instructor.

EOP 610. Advanced Topics in Electro-Optics and Photonics. 0 Hours

Discussion, inquiry and feedback of research progress towards a dissertation in electro-optics and photonics; review of background research literature; discussion of experimental or computation methods and results; presentation of research progress reports; review of laboratory safety protocols; participation in technical conferences and professional workshops; preparation, submission and acceptance of a technical article, with student as lead author, in a peer-reviewed journal in Electro-Optics and Photonics.

EOP 621. Statistical Optics. 3 Hours

Optical phenomena and techniques requiring statistical methods for practical understanding and application; relevant statistical techniques for the analysis of image processing systems and the design of laser radar systems; engineering applications of statistical techniques. Prerequisite(s): Completion of the core courses of the graduate electro-optics program or permission of program director.

EOP 624. Nonlinear Optics. 3 Hours

Introduction and overview nonlinear optical interactions, classical and harmonic oscillator model, symmetry properties of nonlinear susceptibility tensor, coupled-mode formalism, sum- and difference-frequency generation, parametric oscillators, four-wave mixing, phase conjugation, optical solutions, stimulated Brillouin and Raman scattering, photorefractive effect, and resonant nonlinearities. Prerequisite(s): EOP 502 or equivalent.

EOP 626. Quantum Electronics. 3 Hours

Principles of the quantum theory of electron and photon processes; interaction of electromagnetic radiation and matter; applications to solid state and semiconductor laser systems. Prerequisite(s): (ELE 506 or ELE 573 or EOP 506) or equivalent.

EOP 631. Nanophotonics. 3 Hours

The fundamentals of nanoscale light-matter interactions, basic linear and nonlinear optical properties of photonic crystals and metals; nanoscale effects in photonic devices; computational and modeling techniques used in nanophotonics; nanofabrication and design tools; nanoscale optical imaging; principles of nanocharacterization tools. Prerequisite(s): EOP 501, EOP 502, knowledge of electromagnetism and radiation-matter interactions or permission from instructor.

EOP 655. Optical Communications. 3 Hours

No description available.

EOP 656. Free Space Optical Communications. 3 Hours

Laser beam propagation, random processes, wave propagation in turbulence, turbulence spectra, structure function, coherence length, anisoplanatism, Strehl ratio, scintillation index, long-time and short-time spot size, and beam wander, bit-error rates, adaptive optics corrections, performance analysis. Prerequisites: EOP 503, EOP 502 or knowledge of electromagnetism and radiation-matter interactions or permission from instructor.

EOP 657. Principles of Atmospheric Optics and Applications. 3 Hours

The course will elaborate on a foundation for the physics of atmospheric optics effects by building bridges between meteorology, computational fluid dynamics, and statistical wave optics. It provides solid theoretical knowledge of optical wave propagation through the atmosphere, and practical computational tools for realistic characterization assessment and performance prediction of various optical systems operated in the atmosphere including: laser beam projection (directed energy), laser communications, ladars, long-range laser vibrometry, active and passive imaging systems. Prerequisites: EOP 501 and EOP 503 or permission of the course Director, BS in physics or electrical engineering.

EOP 658. Lidar Technology and Systems. 3 Hours

Survey of principals of direct detection and coherent detection ladar systems; ladar sources and receivers; effects of illumination path and object scattering; basic ladar range equation; elements of detection theory as applied to direct detection ladar systems. Prerequisites: EOP 501 and EOP 503.

EOP 665. Polarization of Light: Fundamentals & Applications. 3 Hours

The fundamentals and applications of the polarization properties of light; description of state of polarization; propagation of state of polarization; polarization devices; polarization in guided waves; polarization in multilayer thin films; ellipsometry and polarimetry; birefringent filters; spatially variant polarization; polarization in subwavelength structures. Prerequisite(s): EOP 502; basic knowledge of electromagnetism and linear algebra or permission of instructor.

EOP 690. Selected Readings in Electro-Optics. 1-3 Hours

Directed readings in electro-optics areas to be arranged and approved by the chair of the student's advisory committee and the program director.

EOP 695. Special Problems in Electro-Optics. 1-3 Hours

Special topics in electro-optics not covered in regular courses. Course sections arranged and approved by the chair of the student's advisory committee and program director.

EOP 699. PhD Dissertation. 1-15 Hours

Original research in electro-optics which makes a definite contribution to technical knowledge. Results must be of sufficient importance to merit publication.