LaserTech Optical Devices OER

Program Description

Pasadena City College's Laser Technology program offers a two-year Associates in Science degree and a Certificate of Achievement in Laser Technology. The program exposes students to the scientific principles of optics, fiber-optics, and lasers. Students are instructed on the processes and equipment incorporating these devices in electronic and electro-optics systems. This training will prepare students to become technicians who work on products or devices in manufacturing, communications, defense, homeland security, medical, information technology, energy, environmental monitoring, lighting, displays, and entertainment. After the program, students will be able to pursue entry level employment as a photonics or photonics-related technician. 

Course Description

This Canvas course and open educational resource (OER), from Pasadena City College, explores the principal tools that are used when working with light, such as lasers and other light sources, cameras, and sensors. Optical hardware and its constituent components are studied, including the fundamentals of lasers to gain media, pump sources, and mirror cavities; investigation of camera components; and essential chemistry. Students gain hands-on experience with industrial hardware and tools in the laboratory. Several course materials, particularly lecture slides, were created by Dr. Brian Monacelli.

Course Contents

Course materials are included in a Canvas .imscc file. The course syllabus is available to view as a sample file. The course is arranged according to the following sections: Administrivia and Resources, Optical Sources, Midterm Exam, Optical Displays, Optical Fibers, Optical Detectors and Cameras, and Final Exam.

The Administrivia and Resources section is composed of lecture slides, a syllabus, learning modules, and other documents about laser technologies. The lecture slides provide an academic overview. The syllabus is for the Spring 2022 semester and provides laboratory information, student learning outcomes, and a course outline. The learning modules are composed of a 361-page publication titled "Fundamentals of Light and Lasers" and five documents from OP-TEC that explore the following topics: the principles of lasers; operational characteristics of lasers; optical detectors and human vision; the principles of fiber optic communication; and photonic devices for imaging, storage, and display. Other documents explore LiDAR technologies, LEOT laser technology, diagnostic applications of lasers, and more.

The Optical Sources section is composed of lecture slides, labs, and videos. Lecture slides cover the following topics: laser safety, optical sources, source spectra, laser extinction, laser gain media, laser oscillators, laser beam parameters, laser beam metrics, and laser datasheets and applications. Labs cover the following topics: irradiance distributions, spontaneous emission, optical cavity alignment, external laser cavity alignment, spatial filtering, laser beam divergence, and laser irradiance distribution. Most labs provide workplace scenarios, theory, hardware setup, the experimental procedure and data acquisition, and data reduction and analysis information. Lab datasheets are also provided. YouTube videos cover the following topics: ruby laser design, decoration lasers, lasers and temperature, and the danger of eBay laser pointers. 

The Midterm Exam section is composed of a document with questions for the midterm exam.

The Optical Displays section is composed of lecture slides and a lab. Lecture slides cover the following topics: optical display types, optical display parameters, and digital color representation. The lab covers display calculations.

The Optical Fibers section is composed of lecture slides, a lab, and videos. Lecture slides cover the following topics: optical fiber operation and parameters, optical fiber telecommunication, optical fiber fabrication, and optical fiber devices. The lab covers fiber numerical aperture and attenuation and provides a workplace scenario; theory; hardware setup; the experimental procedure; and data acquisition, reduction, and analysis information. YouTube videos explore fiber versus copper and TOSLINK. 

The Optical Detectors and Cameras section is composed of lecture slides and labs. Lecture slides cover the following topics: photon detectors, thermal detectors, detection parameters, detector noise, cameras, and radiometry. Labs cover detector noise-equivalent power and optical detector circuits. Labs provide workplace scenarios; theory; hardware setup; the experimental procedure; and data acquisition, reduction, and analysis information.

The Final Exam section is composed of a document with questions for the final exams and a document on the final exam lab.

Below is a list of the folders, files, and links contained within the .imscc file. Content is arranged according to course section. Files are listed with their file name and size in parenthesis.

• Administrivia and Resources
  • Academic Overview Lecture Slides (LaserTech Optical Devices - lecture00 (academic overview).pdf 1.45 MB)
  • LASR 230 Syllabus 2022 (LaserTech Optical Devices - PCC LASR230 syllabus 2022.docx 737 KB)
  • Fundamentals of Light and Lasers 3rd Edition Modules 1-6 (Fundamentals of Light and Lasers, OP-TEC course 1, 3rd edition 2018.pdf 14.6 MB)
  • OP-TEC Module 1-6, Principles of Lasers (OP-TEC module 1-6, Principles of Lasers.pdf 1.23 MB)
  • OP-TEC Module 2-1, Laser Characteristics (OP-TEC module 2-1, Laser Characteristics.pdf 1000 KB)
  • OP-TEC Module 2-3, Optical Detectors and Human Vision (OP-TEC module 2-3, Optical Detectors and Human Vision.pdf 794 KB)
  • OP-TEC Module 2-4, Principles of Fiber Optic Communication (OP-TEC module 2-4, Principles of Fiber Optic Communication.pdf 2.2 MB)
  • OP-TEC Module 2-5, Photonic Devices for Imaging (OP-TEC module 2-5, Photonic Devices for Imaging.pdf 2.67 MB)
  • LASER-TEC LiDAR Technologies (LASER-TEC LiDAR Technologies.pdf 4.43 MB)
  • OP-TEC LEOT Laser Technology (OP-TEC LEOT Laser Technology.pdf 9.52 MB)
  • OP-TEC Diagnostic Applications of Lasers (OP-TEC Diagnostic Applications of Lasers.pdf 658 KB)
  • OP-TEC Laser Material Removal (OP-TEC Laser Material Removal.pdf 466 KB)
  • OP-TEC Laser Welding and Surface Treatment (OP-TEC Laser Welding and Surface Treatment.pdf 2.26 MB)
  • OP-TEC Lasers in Optical Alignment (OP-TEC Lasers in Optical Alignment.pdf 451 KB)
  • OP-TEC Lasers in Interferometric Testing (OP-TEC Lasers in Interferometric Testing.pdf 362 KB)
  • OP-TEC Lasers in Forensics (OP-TEC Lasers in Forensics.pdf 2.64 MB)
• Optical Sources
  • Laser Safety Lecture Slides (LaserTech Optical Devices - lecture01 (laser safety).pdf 1.78 MB)
  • Optical Sources Lecture Slides (LaserTech Optical Devices - lecture02 (optical sources).pdf 1.58 MB)
  • Source Spectra Lecture Slides (LaserTech Optical Devices - lecture03 (source spectra).pdf 3.82 MB)
  • Lab 01: Irradiance Distributions (LaserTech Optical Devices - lab01 (irradiance distributions).docx 771 KB)
  • Laser Extinction Lecture Slides (LaserTech Optical Devices - lecture04 (laser excitation).pdf 705 KB)
  • Lab 02: Spontaneous Emission (LaserTech Optical Devices - lab02 (spontaneous emission).docx 741 KB)
  • Lab 02: Spontaneous Emission Data (LaserTech Optical Devices - lab02 (spontaneous emission).xlsx 20,680 KB)
  • Laser Gain Media Lecture Slides (LaserTech Optical Devices - lecture05 (laser gain media).pdf 1.82 MB)
  • Laser Oscillators Lecture Slides (LaserTech Optical Devices - leture06 (laser oscillators).pdf 698 KB)
  • Lab 03: Optical Cavity Alignment (LaserTech Optical Devices - lab03 (cavity alignment).docx 777 KB)
  • Laser Beam Parameters Lecture Slides (LaserTech Optical Devices - lecture07 (laser beam parameters).pdf 1.41 MB)
  • Lab 04: External Laser Cavity Alignment (LaserTech Optical Devices - lab04 (external laser cavity alignment).docx 1.5 MB)
  • Laser Beam Metrics Lecture Slides (LaserTech Optical Devices - lecture08 (laser beam metrics).pdf 728 KB)
  • Lab 05: Spatial Filtering (LaserTech Optical Devices - lab05 (spatial filtering).docx 753 KB)
  • Lab 05: Objective Spot Size Calculator (LaserTech Optical Devices - lab05 (objective spotsize calculator).xlsx 10 KB)
  • Lab 06: Laser Beam Divergence (LaserTech Optical Devices - lab06 (laser beam divergence).docx 794 KB)
  • Lab 07: Laser Irradiance Distribution (LaserTech Optical Devices - lab07 (laser irradiance distribution).docx 757 KB)
  • Laser Datasheets and Applications Lecture Slides (LaserTech Optical Devices - lecture09 (laser datasheets+applications).pdf 1.02 MB)
  • Video: Ruby laser design process
  • Video: Decoration lasers are stronger than you think...
  • Video: Lasers drift with temperature!
  • Video: Don't use a green laser in the cold!
  • Video: eBay laser pointers are DANGEROUS!!!
• Midterm Exam
  • Midterm Exam (LaserTech Optical Devices - exam midterm.docx 825 KB)
• Optical Displays
  • Optical Display Types Lecture Slides (LaserTech Optical Devices - lecture10 (optical display types).pdf 3.67 MB)
  • Optical Display Parameters Lecture Slides (LaserTech Optical Devices - lecture11 (optical display parameters).pdf 3.56 MB)
  • Digital Color Representation Lecture Slides (LaserTech Optical Devices - lecture12 (digital color representation).pdf 1.26 MB)
  • Lab 08: Display Calculations (LaserTech Optical Devices - lab08 (display calculations).docx 757 KB)
• Optical Fibers
  • Optical Fiber Operation and Parameters Lecture Slides (LaserTech Optical Devices - lecture13 (optical fiber operation + parameters).pdf 1.87 MB)
  • Optical Fiber Telecommunication Lecture Slides (LaserTech Optical Devices - lecture14 (optical fiber telecommunication).pdf 507 KB)
  • Optical Fiber Fabrication Lecture Slides (LaserTech Optical Devices - lecture15 (optical fiber fabrication).pdf 1.8 MB)
  • Optical Fiber Devices Lecture Slides (LaserTech Optical Devices - lecture16 (optical fiber devices).pdf 1.24 MB)
  • Lab 09: Fiber Numerical Aperture (NA) and Attenuation (LaserTech Optical Devices - lab09 (fiber NA and attenuation).docx 755 KB)
  • Video: Fiber vs. Copper, What do we really need?
  • Video: TOSLINK, That one consumer fiber optic standard
• Optical Detectors and Cameras
  • Photon Detectors Lecture Slides (LaserTech Optical Devices - lecture17 (photon detectors).pdf 1.82 MB)
  • Thermal Detectors Lecture Slides (LaserTech Optical Devices - lecture18 (thermal detectors).pdf 523 KB)
  • Detection Parameters Lecture Slides (LaserTech Optical Devices - lecture19 (detection parameters).pdf 684 KB)
  • Lab 10: Detector NEP (LaserTech Optical Devices - lab10 (detector NEP).docx 758 KB)
  • Detector Noise Lecture Slides (LaserTech Optical Devices - lecture20 (detector noise).pdf 415 KB)
  • Cameras Lecture Slides (LaserTech Optical Devices - lecture21 (cameras).pdf 1.04 MB)
  • Lab 11: Optical Detector Circuits (LaserTech Optical Devices - lab11 (optical detector circuits).docx 775 KB)
  • Radiometry Lecture Slides (LaserTech Optical Devices - lecture22 (radiometry).pdf 356 KB)
• Final Exam
  • Final Exam (LaserTech Optical Devices - exam final.docx 778 KB)
  • Final Exam Lab (LaserTech Optical Devices - exam final lab.docx 748 KB)