Optical Communications: introduction, definitions, waveguides, step and graded index fibers, polarization, maintaining fibers, dispersion, attenuations, fibre amplifiers, modulation schemes, communication systems. Fibre Optic Sensors: active and passive sensors, fibre optic interferometers, specific examples. Semiconductor Optics: physics of semiconductors: band theory, electrons/holes, effective mass, direct/indirect band gaps, Si, GaAS; recombinant processes, optoelectronic materials and growth, MOCVD, MBE: semiconductor junctions: pn junctions, p-I-n junction, heterojunction; quantum wells. Optoelectronic Devices: (a) emitters: light emiting 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. (b) detectors: 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.

Note: This course may also be offered via distance education.