Syllabi
of Courses Offered
GRADUATE CERTIFICATE IN
PHOTONICS
Core Courses
PHYS9710
Lasers and Applications
Introduction, short history, theory, interaction between light and
matter, population inversion, rate equations, practical methods
of inversion, laser resonators, stable, unstable resonators, line
widths, cavity eigenmodes, mode selection, Q-switching, mode locking,
ultra-short pulse generation. Specific laser systems, including
gas lasers, solid state lasers, semiconductor lasers, dye lasers.
Examples of applications, including communications, manufacturing,
medicine, holography, interference methods, frequency standards,
etc. Additional readings on special topics, seminar.
PHYS9720
Optoelectronics
Optical communications, including definitions, waveguides, step
and graded index fibres, polarisation maintaining fibres, dispersion,
attenuations, fibre amplifiers, modulation schemes, communications
systems. Fibre optic sensors, including active and passive sensors,
fibre optic interferometers, specific examples. Semiconductor optics,
including physics of semiconductors, band-theory, electrons/holes,
effective mass, direct/indirect band-gaps, Si, GaAs; recombination
processes, optoelectronic materials and growth, MOCVD, MBE. Semiconductor
junctions, including pn junctions, p-i-n junction, heterojuction;
quantum wells. Optoelectronic devices, including light emitting
diodes, physics of lasers, laser diodes, heterostructure lasers,
types of diode lasers including gain guiding, index guiding, stripe
geometry lasers, quantum well lasers, distributed feedback lasers,
VCSEL's. Detectors including definitions, noise, figures of merit,
thermal detectors, photon detectors, photoconductors, PMT, photodiodes,
p-i-n diodes, avalanche photodiodes, CCD's. QWIP's . Additional
research on topics of current interest, literature search, seminar.
Elective
Courses
PHYS9761
and PHYS9762 Optoelectronics Lab I and II
Individualised experiments involving techniques and instruments
employed in optical communications and laser technology, including
the measurement of fibre parameters, coupling, attenuation, numerical
aperture, wavelength division multiplexing, OTDR, acousto- optics.
Construction, operation and characterisation of some laser types,
including diodes lasers, Nd:YAG, HeNe lasers. Holography, Fourier
transform spectroscopy, spectroscopy of semiconductor quantum wells,
computerised ray tracing, atmospheric optics.
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