Graduate level course offerings: Physics & Optical
Engineering
Physics
PH 405 Semiconductor Materials and Devices
I 3R-3L-4C F
Prerequisite: PH 113 or PH 255 or PH 265
Material structure electronic levels and energy bands;
semiconductor doping; optical and electronic material
characteristics; p-n junction and diode characteristics; bipolar
junction transistor; basics of device fabrication. Laboratories on
X-ray and Scanning Electron Microscope investigations, device
characteristics and a three-week design project on production and
testing of thin films.
PH 406 Semiconductor Materials and Devices
II 3R-3L-4C W
Prerequisite: PH 405 or ECE 250
Metal-semiconductor interfaces; photoresist and photolithography;
thin film deposition; design and fabrication of semiconductor
diodes; characterization of process diodes and transistors;
MOSFETS; optoelectronic devices and lasers. Laboratory is a design
project, the production and characterization of a diode, bipolar
transistor and MOSFET. The project is a team exercise.
PH 407 Solid State Physics 4R-0L-4C S (even
years)
Prerequisite: PH 255 or PH 265
Selected topics in the field are discussed in detail; e.g., crystal
structures, lattice vibrations and electronic band structure;
electrical, optical and thermal properties of solids and
semi-conductors; and the properties of materials at very low
temperatures.
PH 408 Microsensors 3R-3L-4C S
Prerequisite: JR or SR standing, and consent of
instructor
Introduction to solid state materials and conventional silicon
processing. Measurement of signals from resistance- and
capacitance-based transducers; sensor characteristics, calibration
and reliability. Examples of microsensors: thermal, radiation,
mechanical, chemical, optical fibers, and biological.
PH 410 Introduction to MEMS: Fabrication and
Applications 3R-3L-4C S
Prerequisite: JR or SR standing
Properties of silicon wafers, wafer-level processes, surface and
bulk micromachining, thin-film deposition, dry and wet etching,
photolithography, process integration, simple actuators.
Introduction to microfluidic systems. MEMS applications: capacitive
accelerometer, cantilever and pressure sensor.
PH 411 Advanced MEMS: Modeling and Packaging 3R-
3L- 4C F
Prerequisite: PH 410 or equivalent
Design process, modeling; analytical and numerical. Actuators;
dynamics and thermal issues. Use of software for layout and
simulation. Characterization and reliability of MEMS devices.
Electrical interfacing and packaging of MEMS. Microsensors,
microfluidic systems, applications in engineering, biology, and
physics.
PH 425 Advanced Physics Laboratory II 0R-8L-4C
W
Prerequisite: PH 325
Selected experiments in various areas of physics, with primary
emphasis on nuclear physics and a significant independent student
project.
PH 437/ECE 480 Introduction to Image
Processing 3R-3L-4C S
Prerequisite: MA 222, and JR/SR or Graduate standing
Basic techniques of image processing. Discrete and continuous two
dimensional transforms such as Fourier and Hotelling. image
enhancement through filtering and histogram modification. Image
restoration through inverse filtering. Image segmentation including
edge detection and thresholding. Introduction to image encoding.
Integral laboratory.
PH 440 X-rays and Crystalline Materials 2R-6L-4C
S
Prerequisite: PH 255 or PH 265
X-ray emission, absorption, fluorescence, and diffraction. Methods
of analyzing crystalline solid materials. Applications in
solid-state physics, materials science, chemistry, metallurgy, and
biology.
PH 460 Directed Study Credit
arranged
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor
Permits study in an area of physics not available in regular course
offerings. Maximum of 4 credits per term.
PH 470 Special Topics in Physics 2-4
Credits
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor Lectures on special
topics in physics.
PH 490 Directed Research Credit
arranged
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor
Research for junior and senior students under the direction of a
physics and optical engineering faculty member. May earn a maximum
of 8 credits between PH 290 and PH 490 for meeting graduation
requirements. Maximum of 4 credits per term. The student must make
arrangements with a physics and optical engineering faculty member
for the research project prior to registering for this course.
Physics Undergraduate/Graduate Courses
PH 505 Semiconductor Materials and Devices
I 3R-3L-4C F
Prerequisite: PH 113 or PH 255 or PH 265 and SR or GR
standing
Material structure electronic levels and energy bands;
semiconductor doping; optical and electronic material
characteristics; p-n junction and diode characteristics; bipolar
junction transistor; basics of device fabrication. Laboratories on
X-ray and Scanning Electron Microscope investigations, device
characteristics and a three-week design project on production and
testing of thin films. Students must do additional project work on
a topic selected by the instructor.
PH 506 Semiconductor Materials and Devices
II 3R-3L-4C W
Prerequisite: PH 405 or ECE 250
Metal-semiconductor interfaces; photoresist and photolithography;
thin film deposition; design and fabrication of semiconductor
diodes; characterization of process diodes and transistors;
MOSFETS; optoelectronic devises and lasers. Laboratory is a design
project, the production and characterization of a diode, bipolar
transistor and MOSFET. The project is a team exercise. Students
must do additional project work on a topic selected by the
instructor.
PH 508 Microsensors 3R-3L-4C S
Prerequisite: JR, SR, or GR standing, and consent of
instructor
Introduction to solid state materials and conventional silicon
processing. Measurement of signals from resistance- and
capacitance-based transducers; sensor characteristics, calibration
and reliability. Examples of microsensors: thermal, radiation,
mechanical, chemical, optical fibers, and biological. Students must
do additional project work on a topic selected by the
instructor.
PH 510 Introduction to MEMS: Fabrication and
Applications 3R-3L-4C S
Prerequisite: JR or SR standing
Properties of silicon wafers, wafer-level processes, surface and
bulk micromachining, thin-film deposition, dry and wet etching,
photolithography, process integration, simple actuators.
Introduction to microfluidic systems. MEMS applications: capacitive
accelerometer, cantilever and pressure sensor. Students must do
additional project work on a topic selected by the instructor.
PH 511, ME 519, ECE 519, CHE 519, BE 519, CHEM 411
Advanced MEMS: Modeling and Packaging 3R- 3L- 4C
F
Prerequisite: PH 410 or equivalent
Design process, modeling; analytical and numerical. Actuators;
dynamics and thermal issues. Use of software for layout and
simulation. Characterization and reliability of MEMS devices.
Electrical interfacing and packaging of MEMS. Microsensors,
microfluidic systems, applications in engineering, biology, and
physics. Students must do additional project work on a topic
selected by the instructor.
PH 512 Methods of Mathematical Physics 4R-0L-4C
Arranged
Ordinary and partial differential equations, linear vector spaces,
matrices, tensors. Strum-Liouville theory and eigenvalue problems,
special functions, function of a complex variable, theory of
groups, linear integral equations.
PH 514 Quantum Mechanics 4R-0L-4C
Arranged
Development of quantum mechanical theory to the present time.
Examples from spectroscopy, chemistry, nuclear physics.
PH 530 Advanced Acoustics 4R-0L-4C
Arranged
Prerequisite: PH 404
Waves in solids, electrodynamics and piezoelectric sound
transducers, ultrasonics. Architectural acoustics. Underwater
sound.
PH 537/ECE 582 Advanced Image
Processing 3R-3L-4C
Prerequisite: CSSE 220 or ME 323 or ECE 380 or consent of
instructor; MA 221
Introduction to color image processing and image recognition.
Morphological methods, feature extraction, advanced segmentation,
detection, recognition and interpretation. Integral
laboratory. Same as ECE 582.
PH 538 Introduction to Neural Networks 3R-3L-4C
Arranged
Prerequisite: SR or GR standing
Classifiers, linear separability. Supervised and unsupervised
learning. Perceptrons. Back-propagation. Feedback networks.
Hopfield networks. Associative memories. Fuzzy neural networks.
Integral laboratory. Same as ECE 538.
PH540/BE540
Biothermodynamics 4R-0L-4C
Prerequisite: PH 113, MA 222 and JR, SR, or GR standing or
consent of instructor
Heat transfer in biological tissue; determination of thermodynamic
and transport properties of tissue; clinical applications of heat
transfer for diagnosis and therapy. Calculation of the rate of heat
production caused by direct absorption of laser light, calculation
of thermal damage, and calculation of ablation.
Optical Engineering
OE 435 Biomedical Optics 4R-0L-4C W
Prerequisite: PH 113, MA 222, and SR or GR standing
Optical techniques for biomedical applications and health care;
laser fundamentals, laser interaction with tissues, laser
diagnostics and therapy, laser surgery, endoscopy and applications;
fiber optics; fiber optic biosensors; microscopes; optics-based
clinical applications. Same as BE 435.
OE 450 Laser Systems and Applications 3R-3L-4C
S
Prerequisite: PH 292 and MA 222 or JR standing or consent of
instructor
Laser safety; Gaussian beam propagation; cavity design;
longitudinal and transverse modes; stimulated emission; population
inversion; rate equations; gain and threshold; Q-switching and
mode-locking; types of laser systems; laser applications in
communication; medicine, military, industry.
OE 470 Special Topics in Optical Engineering 2-4
Credits
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor
Lectures on special topics in optics.
OE 480 Lens Design and Aberrations 4R-0L-4C
F
Prerequisite: OE 280 Coreq: OE 360 or SR or GR standing
or consent of instructor
Chromatic and third order aberrations, exact ray tracing, y-y bar
diagrams as a design tool, methods for reducing aberrations in
initial designs, optimization. Design of simple lens systems.
Introduction to computer-aided design, design of optical systems
including camera lenses, mirror systems and catadioptic
systems.
OE 485 Electro-Optics and Applications 3R-3L-4C
W
Prerequisite: PH 292 and PH 316 or SR or GR standing or consent
of instructor
Optical wave propagation in anisotropic media; normal surface,
birefringence, index ellipsoid, optical activity, Faraday rotation,
Pockels and Kerr effects, electro-optic modulators, electro-optic
effect in liquid crystals, photorefractive effect, acousto-optic
effect and modulators, second-harmonic generation, optical
phase-conjugation and applications.
OE 490 Directed Research Credit
arranged
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor
Research for junior and senior students under the direction of a
physics and optical engineering faculty member. May earn a maximum
of 8 credits between PH/OE 290 and PH/OE 490 for meeting graduation
requirements. Maximum of 4 credits per term. The student must make
arrangements with the faculty member for the research project prior
to registering for this course.
OE 493 Fundamentals of Optical Fiber
Communications 3R-3L-4C F
Prerequisite: OE393, ECE310, graduate standing or consent of
the instructor
Analysis and design of common fiber optic communication systems and
optical networks. Transmission penalties: dispersion, attenuation.
Optical transmitters and receivers: fundamental operation and
noise. Intensity and phase modulation. Optical amplification: types
of amplifiers, noise and system integration. Point-to-point links:
power budget and rise-time analysis. Performance analysis: BER and
eye diagrams. WDM concepts and components: multiplexers, filters,
common network topologies. Soliton propagation. Relevant
laboratories.
OE 495 Optical Metrology 3R-3L-4C F
Prerequisite: PH 292 or SR or GR standing or consent of
instructor and Co-Req: OE 480
Optical testing: geometrical test methods (refractometers, knife
edge, Ronchi, Wire, Hartmann); review of interference and
coherence; fringe visibility; conventional interferometers (Newton,
Fizeau, Twyman-Green and shearing); fringe localization; phase
shifting, holographic, Moire, photoelastic and speckle
interferometry; emerging optical methods.
Optical Undergraduate/Graduate Courses
OE 520 Principles of Optics 2R-0L-2C
F
Prerequisite: OE 295, PH 292, PH 316 or SR or GR standing or
consent of instructor
Classical optics; exact ray tracing; aberrations, interference,
polarization, spatial and temporal coherence; lasers and Gaussian
beam propagation; diffraction; optical sources and detectors;
selected applications of optics.
OE 535/BE 535 Biomedical Optics 4R-0L-4C
W
Prerequisite: PH 113, MA 222 or SR or GR standing or consent of
instructor
Optical techniques for biomedical applications and health care;
laser fundamentals, laser interaction with tissues, laser
diagnostics and therapy, laser surgery, endoscopy and applications;
fiber optics; fiber optic biosensors; microscopes; optics-based
clinical applications. For graduate credit, students must do
additional project work on a topic selected by the instructor.
OE 570 Special Topics in Optics 2 or 4C F, W,
S
Prerequisite: OE 295, PH 292, and PH 316 or SR or GR
standing
Lectures on special topics in optics such as: optical materials,
optics of thin films and infrared optics.
OE 580 Lens Design and Aberrations 4R-0L-4C
F
Prerequisite: OE 280 or SR or GR standing or consent of
instructor
Chromatic and third order aberrations, exact ray tracing, y y bar
diagrams as a design tool, methods for reducing aberrations in
initial designs, optimization. Design of simple lens systems.
Introduction to computer aided design, design of optical systems
including camera lenses, mirror systems and catadioptic systems.
Students must do additional project work on a topic selected by the
instructor.
OE 585 Electro Optics and Applications 3R-3L-4C
W
Prerequisite: PH 292 and PH 316 or SR or GR standing or consent
of instructor
Optical wave propagation in anisotropic media; normal surface,
birefringence, index ellipsoid, optical activity, Faraday rotation,
Pockels and Kerr effects, electro-optic modulators, electro-optic
effect in liquid crystals, photorefractive effect, acousto-optic
effect and modulators, second-harmonic generation, optical
phase-conjugation and applications. Students must do additional
project work on a topic selected by the instructor.
OE 592 Fourier Optics and Applications 3R-3L-4C
F
Prerequisite: SR or GR standing or consent of
instructor
Two-dimensional linear systems; diffraction theory (Fresnel &
Fraunhofer); imaging properties of lenses; frequency analysis of
optical imaging systems; spatial filtering; optical information
processing; Vander-Lugt filters; wavefront reconstruction;
holography; optical computing.
OE 593 Fundamentals of Optical Fiber
Communications 3R-3L-4C S
Prerequisite: OE 393 or SR or GR standing or consent of
instructor
Evolution of fiber optics links and networks: information rate,
evaluation of fiber optic systems, optical fiber transmission link.
Digital transmission systems: point-to-point links, line coding,
error correction. Analog systems: links, dynamic range, noise
figure, bandwidth, carrier-to-noise, multi-channel transmission,
cross talk. WDM concepts: operational principles, passive
components, system considerations. Optical networks: network
topologies, performance of linear bus, performance of star
architecture, SONET, WDM networks, wavelength-routed networks,
optical CDMA, ultra high capacity WDM networks, bit-interleaved
optical TDM, time-slotted optical TDM. Students enrolled in OE593
must do project work on a topic selected by the instructor.
OE 594 Guided-Wave Optics 3R-3L-4C S
Prerequisite: OE 485 or SR or GR standing or consent of
instructor
Theory of optical waveguides; waveguide modes; fabrication
techniques; input and output coupling techniques; waveguide losses;
waveguide gratings; electro-optic modulators; integrated optical
detectors; applications of integrated optics.
OE 595 Optical Metrology 3R-3L-4C F
Prerequisite: PH 292 or SR or GR standing or consent of
instructor and Co-Req: OE 480
Optical testing: geometrical test methods (refractometers, knife
edge, Ronchi, Wire, Hartmann); review of interference and
coherence; fringe visibility; conventional interferometers (Newton,
Fizeau, Twyman-Green and shearing); fringe localization; phase
shifting, holographic, Moire, photoelastic and speckle
interferometry; emerging optical methods. Students must do
additional project work on a topic selected by the instructor.
OE 599 Thesis Research Graduate students
only.
Credits as arranged; however not more than 12 credits will be
applied toward the requirements for the MS (OE) degree.
Department of Physics
& Optical Engineering Website