ECE 4300

Lasers and Optoelectronics

Course Description

Course information provided by the Courses of Study 2022-2023.

Introduction to the operation, physics, and application of lasers. The course covers diffraction-limited optics, Gaussian beams, optical resonators, the interaction of radiation with matter, stimulated emission, rate equations, and laser design. Examples of coherent radiation to nonlinear optics, communication, and leading-edge research are frequently used.  Course concludes with a lab where students design and then build a laser.

When Offered Spring.

Prerequisites/Corequisites Recommended prerequisite: ECE 3030 or equivalent.

• Be able to analytically design and physically construct a functional laser with simple optics.
• Understand the general operating principles of laser systems, and be knowledgeable of specific systems (e.g. tunable, ultrafast, high power, fiber and semiconductor lasers).
• Understand how to design and the physics behind continuous wave operation, mode locking, Q-switching, and harmonic generation.
• Be able to design a laser optic system using mirrors, lenses and gain media based on Gaussian beam analysis.

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