Optical Engineering

Optical Engineering Option

The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering administers the accredited undergraduate degree option in optical engineering. This program prepares students for careers in opto-electronics, including the design and application of systems for optical fiber communications, optical instrumentation, holography, image forming and processing, lasers and optical detection, as well as areas such as optical testing.

Program Educational Objectives

Objective 1: Graduate individuals with analytical and technical abilities to work effectively in optical engineering or related fields.
Objective 2: Graduate individuals capable of advancing successfully in optical engineering or related fields.
Objective 3: Graduate individuals who are ethical and responsible engineers.
Objective 4: Graduate individuals who contribute to the economy of the region and the nation.
Objective 5: Graduate individuals prepared for both team and leadership roles in optical engineering or related fields.

Optical Engineering Option Semester Hours

Additional Basic Sciences

• PH 113 - General Physics with Calculus III - 3
• PH 116 - General Physics Laboratory III - 1

Engineering Core for Optical Engineering

• CPE 112 - Introduction to Computer Programming - 3
• EE 213 - Electrical Circuit Analysis I - 3
• ISE 321 - Engineering Economy - 3
• EE 310 - Solid State Fundamentals - 3

Optical Engineering Core (excluding Engineering Core)

• EE 307 - Electricity and Magnetism - 3
• EE 313 - Electrical Circuits II - 3
• EE 447 - Electromagnetic Engineering - 3
• OPE 451 - Optoelectronics - 3
• OPE 453 - Laser Systems - 3
• OPE 456 - Photonics Laboratory - 3
• OPE 459 - Optical Engineering Design I - 3
• OPE 460 - Optical Engineering Design II - 3
• OPT 341 - Geometrical Optics - 3
• OPT 342 - Physical Optics - 3

Electrical Engineering Requirements

• EE 100 – Fundamentals of Computer, Electrical, and Optical Engineering - 3
• EE 202 - Introduction to Digital Logic Design - 3
• EE 203 - Digital Logic Design - 1
• EE 214 - Electronic Measurement Laboratory - 1
• EE 305 - Electronics Devices and Design Laboratory - 1
• EE 315 - Introduction to Electronic Analysis and Design - 3
• EE 382 - Analytical Methods for Continuous Time Systems - 3
• EE 383 - Anal. Methods for Multivariable and Discrete Time Systems - 3
• EE 384 - Digital Signal Processing Laboratory - 1
• EE 420 - Random Signals and Noise - 3
• OPE 454 - Optical Fiber Communications - 3
• OPE Elective* - 3

* Courses at 300 level or above, approved by optical engineering advisor

Undergraduate Optical Engineering Courses (OPE)

441 Optical Systems Design (3 hrs)
Intermediate geometrical optics, first-order optics, linear transformations, paraxial optics, reflection and transmission at an interface, polarized light, Jones and Mueller calculi, matrix methods, ray tracing, apertures and stops, third-order optics and aberrations. Prerequisite: OPT 342. (Same as EE 461, and PH/OPT 441.)

442 Interference and Diffraction (3 hrs)
Two beam interference. Multiple beam interference. Optical testing. Fraunhofer diffraction. Fresnel diffraction. The Fourier transform. Fourier methods in optics. Coherence. Holography. Prerequisite: OPE 441. (Same as EE 462 and PH/ OPT 442.)

451 Optoelectronics (3 hrs)
Basic concepts for understanding electro-optic devices and systems. Blackbody radiation; light sources; quantum and thermal detectors, noise in detectors; optical heterodyning; acousto-optic, magneto-optic, and electro-optic modulation. Prerequisite or parallel: EE 307, 315. (Same as EE 451.)

453 Laser Systems (3 hrs)
Spontaneous and stimulated emission, population inversion, optical resonators, three and four-level systems, Q-switching and mode-locking, semiconductor lasers, integrated optic waveguides and couplers, scanning systems, high-power industrial application. Prerequisite: EE 307. (Same as EE 453)

454 Optical Fiber Communications (3 hrs)
Introduction to optical fibers and their transmission characteristics, optical fiber measurements, sources and detectors, noise considerations for digital and analog communications, optical fiber systems. Prerequisite: EE 307 or PH 432. (Same as EE 454)

456 Photonics Laboratory (3 hrs)
Photonic devices, wave nature of light, diffraction, spectral measurements, refractive index, single mode and multimode optical fibers, simple optical communication systems, fiber optic sensors, case study. Prerequisite: OPE 451.

459 Optical Engineering Design I (3 hrs)
Identification, documentation, and presentation of proposed senior design project, followed by initial project design, analysis, and development, including the consideration of legal, economic, and ethical issues. Prerequisite: ISE 321. Prerequisite or concurrent: OPE 456.

460 Optical Engineering Design II (3 hrs)
Continuation of design project begun in OPE 459 to include prototype testing of the design optical or opto-electronic system. Prerequisite: OPE 459.