Photonics is a transversal enabling technology, able to allow scientific and technological developments in many applications, from environmental monitoring to telecommunications, from security to biomedicine, from agribusiness to aerospace. The course will start from basic principles of propagation and transport of light waves in ordered structures such as waveguides, optical fibers, optical resonators or photonic crystals to deal with more complex systems such as disordered systems.
T. Tamir, Integrated Optics, Springer Verlag, 1982.
H. Nishihara, M. Haruna, T. Suhara, Optical Integrated Circuits, McGraw Hill, 1989.
A.B. Matsko, Practical Applications of Microresonators in Optics and Photonics, CRC Press, 2009.
F. Mitschke, “Fiber Optics-Physics and Technology”, Springer (2010), ISBN 978-3-642-03702-3, http://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-642-03703-0/page/1
K. Thyagarajan, Ajoy Ghatak, “Fiber Optics Essentials”,Wiley (2007), ISBN 978-0-470-09742-7, http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/book/10.1002/9780470152560
Learning Objectives
The course aims to provide the essential elements to the understanding of physical phenomena and of the technologies that underlie, in particular, modern fiber-optic communication systems and many devices for sensing.
The lectures will be complemented by laboratory exercises.
Skills acquired:
Knowledge of main optical materials.
Knowledge of fiber optics and micro-optical and fiber optic components.
Basics of integrated optics.
Knowledge of optical micro-Resonators, optical amplifiers and lasers in rare earth-activated vitreous materials. Knowledge of major optoelectronic sensors and their applications. The main methods of fabrication and characterization of optical components object of course.
Skills acquired at the end of the course:
Ability to use ion-exchange technology for fabrication of integrated optical guides.
Ability to carry out the optical characterization of an optical fiber and planar waveguide.
Prerequisites
Basic knowledge of electromagnetism and optics.
The course content is linked to “Optics”, “Quantum Electronics”, “Quantum Optics” and “Photonics” courses.
Teaching Methods
The teaching of the course does not rely solely on lectures, but also laboratory sessions will be given, during which students will be able to have a hands-on experience with some simple fabrication and characterization techniques of optical microstructures.
Also, during the year, students will be involved in the preparation of short seminars on topics of their choice. The seminars precede a common discussion about the topic to obtain a more in-depth interactive insight together with their teachers and their fellow students.
Type of Assessment
Learning will be verified by oral examination.
Also the quality of interaction in the classroom and quality of the short seminar will be part of the elements for the evaluation.
Course program
The course will focus on to the applications of optical devices to Telecommunications, solar energy, Imaging, Sensing.
Optics and Photonics: enabling technologies.
References to fundamentals of Optics.
Elements of guided optical propagation.
Integrated Optics: materials and technologies.
Glasses; diffusion processes [Lab]/thin films.
Characterization methods of optical waveguides and devices [Lab]
Optoelectronic components for Telecommunications and Sensing.
Optical fibers and fiber components (Bragg gratings).
Integrated optical components and devices (integrated optical amplifiers and lasers based on glasses doped with rare earths, electrooptical modulators).
Whispering gallery micro-resonators (spherical, toroidal, disk resonators) [Lab]; microlaser and biosensors.
Disordered and complex photonic materials.
Random lasers.