Optoelectronics refers to the study on the interaction of photons with semiconductor materials. This course is intended for learning different aspects of optoelectronic devices. The is a first-year-graduate course level, requires only a basic familiarity with electromagnetic waves, and the ability to solve differential equations with boundary conditions.  Six major topics will be covered:

1. Fundamental principles of optical wave propagation
2. Optical waveguides (excluding fibers), reviewing coupling and numerical analysis of waveguides
3. Optical and electronic properties of semiconductors
4. Photodetectors and image sensors
5. Optical emission and lasers
6. Modulators and sensors.

The emphasis is slightly heavier into optical waveguides as well as device modeling and simulation. The syllabus is given in the following, but the order and the content may vary slightly each year.

Syllabus

• Introduction to optical propagation
• Optical waveguides
  • The planar slab waveguides
  • Attenuation and nonlinear effects in waveguides
  • Coupling and numeric analysis
• Introduction to semiconductors
  • Electronic and optical properties of semiconductors
  • Photon generation and recombination process
  • Heat generation and dissipation
• Optical light emitting diodes
  • Principles and structures
  • Quantum Well High Intensity LEDs
  • LED Efficiencies and Luminous Flux    
  • Organic LEDs
• Optical amplifiers and lasers
  • Semiconductor optical amplifiers
  • Edge-emitting lasers
  • Vertical-cavity laser
• Photodetectors and Image Sensors
  • Principles, Quantum Efficiency and Responsivity
  • PIN, APD and heterogenous photodiodes
  • Schottky Junction Photodetector
  • Phototransistors
  • Image sensors: CMOS and Charge-Coupled Devices
• Optical modulators
  • Birefringent Optical Devices
  • Nonlinear and electro-optic effects
  • Franz-Keldysh Effect
  • Electrooptic and acoustooptic modulators
  • Electro-absorption modulators
  • Integrated Optical Modulators (MZI, Coupled WG)
• Introduction to organic optoelectronics