Laser Systems Engineering
While there are a number of courses on the design of lasers, this course emphasizes an overview of the design and engineering of optical systems which incorporate these unique sources of light. Starting with
a summary of the various types of lasers and their selection, it reviews common laser specifications (peak power, spatial coherence, etc.), Gaussian beam characteristics and propagation, laser system
optics, beam control and scanning, radiometry and power budgets, detectors specific to laser systems,and the integration of these topics for developing a complete laser system. The emphasis is on realworld
design problems, as well as the commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components used to solve them.

LEARNING OUTCOMES
This course will enable the student to:
• Describe laser types, properties, and selection, including semiconductor, solid-state, fiber, and gas lasers

• Identify laser specifications such as average power, peak power, linewidth, pulse repetition frequency, etc. that are unique to specific applications such as directed energy, laser radar, laser
communications, manufacturing, biomedical systems, laser displays, and so on

• Quantify Gaussian beam characteristics, propagation, and imaging; compare beam quality metrics [M2, beam-parameter product (BPP), and Strehl ratio]

• Select laser system optics (windows, focusing lenses, beam expanders, collimators, beamshapers and homogenizers) and identify critical specifications for their use, including beam
truncation, aberrations, surface figure, surface ripple, surface roughness, surface quality, material absorption, back-reflections, optical coatings, and laser damage threshold (LDT)

• Distinguish between hardware elements available for beam control, including galvanometers, polygon scanners, MEMS scanners, and f-theta lenses

• Develop radiometric estimates of performance for point and extended objects

• Select detectors appropriate for laser systems, including PIN photodiodes, avalanche photodiodes (APDs), and photomultiplier tubes (PMTs)

INTENDED AUDIENCE
Intended for engineers (laser, systems, optical, mechanical, and electrical), scientists, technicians, and managers who are developing, specifying, or purchasing laser systems.

INSTRUCTOR
Keith J. Kasunic has more than 35 years of experience developing optical, electro-optical, infrared, and laser systems. He holds a Ph.D. in Optical Sciences from the University of Arizona, an MS in Mechanical
Engineering from Stanford University, and a BS in Mechanical Engineering from MIT. He has worked for or been a consultant to a number of organizations, including Lockheed Martin, Ball Aerospace, Sandia
National Labs, and Nortel Networks; he is currently the Technical Director of Optical Systems Group, LLC. He is also an Adjunct Professor and Instructor at Univ. of North Carolina – Charlotte (UNCC), as well as
an Affiliate Instructor with Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI), and an Instructor for the Optical Engineering Certificate Program at Univ. of California – Irvine (UCI). This course is based on his textbook
Laser Systems Engineering, published by SPIE Press in 2016.