ELEN 680 Fundamentals of Photonics
The field of Photonics describes the use of light to perform functions such as computing, and communications and sensing. Silicon Photonics allows the integration of optical and electronic devices on the same integrated microchip. This course covers fundamental concepts that are needed for designing passive building blocks for photonic integrated circuits (PICs). Ray and wave optics are introduced along with electromagnetic wave propagation in isotropic media. Planar and two-dimensional dielectric waveguides are then explored, as well as an introduction to photonic crystals. The theory of optical interferometers, is discussed.