This course is designed to introduce lab techniques to handle optical components properly. The lecture part of the class focuses on explaining different types of optical components and the proper ways to handle them in order to avoid damages. Optical component assembly and characterization techniques will also be introduced in the class. There will be hand-on sections between topics such that students can have a chance to practice the techniques mentioned. No prior photonic background is required. This class is suitable for engineers and technical personnel who are required to handle optical components.
Topics to be covered:
Introduction to optical materials and their properties
Optical components overviews
Optical cleaning and handling techniques
Optical system assembly techniques and characterizations
Optical surface quality characterizations
Optical adhesives, optical solvents, and temperature effects
Optical fiber polishing and coupling
Tim Lei is an assistant professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering at the University of Colorado Denver. He is an expert in ultrafast lasers and nonlinear optical spectroscopic techniques. He is currently developing some optical diagnostic equipment to find cancers without biopsies. In the past, he has successfully traced molecular motions on metal surfaces with fast optical pulses and has studied potential inorganic molecules that can be used to generate hydrogen directly from sunlight with optical techniques. He teaches graduate level optics classes, such as optical engineering and bio-optics, regularly in UC-Denver.