Photonics and Optics
While 20th-century technology was defined by the growth of electronics, the 21st century belongs to photonics. LEDs will light households powered by photovoltaic panels and filled with displays and cameras communicating by optical fiber to distant owners wearing virtual reality glasses. Laser 3D printing will transform manufacturing. New microscopes and telescopes will peer into the depths of living cells and distant galaxies.
The MS-EE on Coursera's photonics curriculum provides a firm theoretical foundation on the generation, modulation, radiative or guided transmission, sensing, and detection of optical signals. It also covers optical telecommunications, medical instrumentation, photovoltaic power generation, information processing, optical instruments, and environmental sensing. While some of these industries are mature, photonics continues to grow into new industries such as LED lighting and on-chip silicon photonics for multi-core CPUs.
Looking for a specific course? Check out the Course List.
Specializations
Optical Engineering Specialization (Pathway) (3 credits)
Instructor: Robert McLeod, PhD, Professor
- ECEA 5600 First Order Optical System Design (1 credit)
- ECEA 5601 Optical Efficiency and Resolution (1 credit)
- ECEA 5602 Design of High-Performance Optical Systems (1 credit)
Active Optical Devices Specialization (3 credits)
Instructor: Juliet Gopinath, PhD, Professor
- ECEA 5605 Light Emitting Diodes and Semiconductors Lasers (1.2 credits)
- ECEA 5606 Nanophotonics and Detectors (1.2 credits)
- ECEA 5607 Displays (0.6 credits)
Quantum Mechanics for Engineers Specialization (3 credits)
Instructor: Wounjhang Park, PhD, Professor
- ECEA 5610 Foundations of Quantum Mechanics (1.4 credits)
- ECEA 5611 Theory of Angular Momentum (0.8 credits)
- ECEA 5612 Approximation Methods (0.8 credits)
Semiconductor Devices Specialization (Pathway) (3 credits)
Instructor: Wounjhang Park, PhD, Professor
- ECEA 5630 Semiconductor Physics (1 credit)
- ECEA 5631 Diode: pn Junction and Metal Semiconductor Contact (1 credit)
- ECEA 5632 Transistor: Field Effect Transistor and Bipolar Junction Transistor (1 credit)
Certificates
To complete a certificate, you must complete the following required specializations/courses.
Semiconductor Photonics Graduate Certificate (9 credits)
Required specializations:
- Optical Engineering Specialization
- Semiconductor Specialization
- Active Optical Devices Specialization
Watch Semiconductor Photonics Graduate Certificate webinar recording to learn more.