Drexel University, College of Engineering

ECE T480/T580, Modern Photonics, Spring 2019-20

1. Credits: 3.00 Contact Hours: 3 hours of lecture per week

2. Instructor Information
Instructor Name: Bahram Nabet
Office: Bossone 502 Office Hours: TBA
Phone: 215-895-6761 E-mail: nabetb@drexel.edu
Teaching Assistants: TBA
3. Student Learning Information
a. Brief description of the content of the course (Course Catalog Description):
This course will teach students the principles that underline the interaction of light
and matter, leading to the understanding of the basis of operation of photonic
devices such as lasers, LEDs, solar cells, and photodetectors. The course starts
with how understanding of light spectrum that is generated due to heat started the
development of the field of quantum mechanics by Max Planck. This is then
expanded by Einstein to include a quantum theory of light, on which basis
absorption, stimulated and spontaneous emission are explained. Building on that
work, we analyze light interaction with semiconductors and show how lasers,
LEDs and photodetectors work, and how modern photonics is able to solve great
challenges of humanity, such as lighting which currently consumes 25% of world
energy, or optical data communication without which there would be no
information age.
b. Pre-requisites or Co-requisites: (ECE E 302 is a prerequisite )
Course Purpose within a Program of Study: This course is either stand alone or part of a
three-course sequence in optoelectronic devices. The first course in the sequence, E520,
covers solid state physics, the second course (E521) covers modern transistors, and the
third, this course, covers optoelectronic devices.

Statement of Expected Learning: This course consists of three hours of lectures.

Course Outcomes: Upon completion of this course, students will be able to
1. Understand how light interacts with atoms
2. Understand physics of the interaction of light with semiconductors
3. How light is absorbed and emitted
4. How LEDs work
5. How Lasers work
6. How photodetectors work.

The curriculum will be enriched by the students designing and analyzing a double
heterojunction laser that emits light at wavelengths used in fiber optic communications. In
addition to homework problems and this design problem, students will conduct
independent research on an optoelectronic device of their choice and will present it to their
peers in a written assignment and a 20 minute oral presentation.

ECE T480/T580 Syllabus – Page 1 of 5

 Drexel University, College of Engineering
ECE T480/T580, Modern Photonics, Spring 2019-20

Student Outcomes:
1. An ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems, such as
producing a light source for optical communication by applying principles of
engineering, science, and mathematics.
2. An ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs
with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural,
social, environmental, and economic factors
3. An ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences
4. An ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning
strategies
Drexel Student Learning Priorities:
Creative and Critical Thinking: Uses divergent (e.g., generation of novel ideas, thinking
out of the box, brainstorming) and convergent thinking (e.g., critical thinking, evaluation of
ideas, quantitative and qualitative analysis, scientific reasoning) to generate novel and
relevant ideas, strategies, approaches or products.
Technology Use: Make appropriate use of technologies to communicate, collaborate, solve
problems, make decisions, and conduct research, as well as foster creativity and life-long
learning.
4. Course Materials
The required textbook for this course is: “Semiconductor Optoelectronic Devices,” P.
Bhattacharya, 2nd Edition, Prentice Hall, 1997.
Other textbook resources:
1. Kaertner, Franz, 6.974 Fundamentals of Photonics: Quantum Electronics, Spring 2006.
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology: MIT OpenCourseWare), http://ocw.mit.edu.
License: Creative Commons BY-NC-SA
2. “Quantum Theory of Optical and Electronic Properties of Semiconductors-fifth Edition”
H. Haug and S. W. Koch, World Scientific, 2009.
3. “Fundamentals of Photonics,” Saleh and Teich, Wiley Interscience, 1991.
4. “Physics of Photonic Devices,” 2nd Ed. S. L. Chuang, Wiley InterScience, 2009.
5. “Photodetectors: Materials, Devices, and Applications” B. Nabet, Woodhead
Publishsing/Elsevier, Cambridge UK, 2016.

5. Course Schedule
The following outlines the course coverage by term week:

 Weeks 1, 2. Black Body Radiation Spectrum by Max Planck

ECE T480/T580 Syllabus – Page 2 of 5

 Drexel University, College of Engineering
ECE T480/T580, Modern Photonics, Spring 2019-20

Quantum Theory of Radiation by Albert Einstein

Source: a) Max Planck, “On the Theory of Energy Distribution Law of the Normal
Spectrum” 1900.
b) Albert Einstein, “Quantum Theory of Radiation” Physikalische Zeitschrift, 18
(1917), pp 121-128

 Week 3: Photons and Atoms

Source: E. Fermi, “Quantum Theory of Radiation” Review of Modern Physics, vol. 4,
1932.

Topics: Hamiltonian in presence of Electro-Magnetic waves. Absorption and emission of

radiation. Einstein coefficients. Perturbation Hamiltonian, Scattering Theory, Fermi Golden
Rule. Optical Transition Rates and Selection Rules.

 Week 4, 5 : Photons and Semiconductors

Source: Ch. 3 of Semiconductor Optoelectronic Devices
Topics: Band theory of semiconductors. Kramers-Kronig relations. Radiative and non-
radiative recombination. Light absorption in semiconductors. Direct and indirect transitions.
Franz- Keldysh and Stark effects. Optical transition rates in semiconductors.

 Week 6, 7: Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs)

Source: Ch. 5 of Semiconductor Optoelectronic Devices
Topics: The electroluminescent process. Extraction efficiency, conversion efficiency and
loss. LED structures. Heterojunction LEDs. Surface emitting LEDs. Performance
characteristics.

 Week 8: Semiconductor Laser Operating Principles

Source: Ch. 6 of Semiconductor Optoelectronic Devices
Topics: Emission and absorption in two-level systems. The Einstein relations and population
inversion. lasing conditions and gain; Line shape function and line broadening mechanisms.
Lasing.

 Week 9: Structures and properties of Lasers

Source: Ch. 7 of Semiconductor Optoelectronic Devices
Topics:Threshold current; heterojunction lasers; distributed feedback lasers; quantum well
lasers; surface emitting lasers; rate equations for laser modulation; mode locking; long
wavelength semiconductor lasers.

 Week 10, 11: Photodetectors

Source: Chapters from B. Nabet “Photodetectors”, Woodhall Publishing 2016
Topics: Photoconductors; PIN and APDs; Schottky and MSM Photodetectors; efficiency,
sensitivity, gain, detectivity, noise, circuit models.

6. Grading Policy
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 Drexel University, College of Engineering
ECE T480/T580, Modern Photonics, Spring 2019-20

The grading in this course is based on homework, exams, design project, and research
presentation.
 Homework problems 20%
 Review Paper and Presentation 15%
 Double Heterojunction Laser Design 15%
 Midterm Exam 20%
 Final Exam 30%

7. Academic Policies
Course-Specific Policies
 Homework Assignment Policy: Homework is always to be submitted on or before the
date on which it is due. Homework submitted after the due date will not be accepted.
Homework must be submitted using Black Board Learn unless otherwise instructed.
Assignments must never be submitted via e-mail.

 Absentee Policy: Absence from examinations will be excused only under extraordinary
circumstances such as medical or family emergencies. A missed examination without
prior approval and without legitimate reason will be graded at zero points. An absence
will be excused only if the student is able to provide legitimate documentation (such as a
physician note). An absence from an examination with prior approval will require the
student to take an alternate exam at a later time. Special examinations will not be held
earlier or on later dates to accommodate, for example, flight schedules for overseas
vacations.
University Academic Policies
 Missed Classes: Absence from class will be based on the University’s absence policy.
Please review the link below.
o http://drexel.edu/provost/policies/absence/

 Academic Integrity, Plagiarism and Cheating Policy: Each student is expected to

complete all assignments independently unless otherwise explicitly instructed. It is
unacceptable to copy another student's work or solutions from any other source.
Submitted assignments will be checked for plagiarism using Stanford's MOSS plagiarism
detection system (https://theory.stanford.edu/~aiken/moss/). Violators of this policy will
be reported to the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards (SCCS).
Academic integrity violations could result in failure for the course or the assignment
among other sanctions determined by the instructor. A second violation of the academic
integrity policy will likely result in suspension. Please review the University's policy
regarding academic integrity at:
http://drexel.edu/provost/policies/academic-integrity/
http://drexel.edu/studentlife/community_standards/studentHandbook/
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 Drexel University, College of Engineering
ECE T480/T580, Modern Photonics, Spring 2019-20

o Office of Equality and Diversity - Disability Resources: Students requesting

accommodations due to a disability at Drexel University need to request a current
Accommodations Verification Letter (AVL) in the ClockWork database before
accommodations can be made. These requests are received by Disability Resources (DR),
who then issues the AVL to the appropriate contacts. For additional information, visit the DR
website at drexel.edu/oed/disabilityResources/overview/, or contact DR for more information
by phone at 215.895.1401, or by email at disability@drexel.edu.

o Course Drop Policy:

http://drexel.edu/provost/policies/course-add-drop/

o Course Withdrawal Policy:

http://drexel.edu/provost/policies/course-withdrawal/
o Course Change Policy: The instructor reserves the right to modify the course, as
necessary, during the term: including policies, evaluations, due dates, course content,
schedule, assignments or requirements. All changes will be communicated in lecture
and/or via the course DrexelLearn page.
o Weather, Emergencies and University Closing: University closing or delayed opening
information will be posted on www.drexel.edu. In the event of the need to close or delay
the daily opening of a campus, the University will provide notice via Web, telephone, and
the DrexelALERT system. Closing or delayed opening information will be announced at
215-895-MELT (6358). The University determines whether to close or delay opening due
to inclement weather, not the instructor. Therefore, please do not contact the instructor for
this information.

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