An Optoelectronics Laboratory for Undergraduates

这个项目向学生介绍光电子学，这是未来的一项关键技术。新设备将增强光电子学实验室，使学生能够在这个跨学科领域获得现代设备的实践经验。学习整合不同领域的知识对于有效参与现在和未来的工程界是至关重要的。该设备将被整合到面向电气工程师的初级电子学课程、电气工程选修课、光电材料和器件，以及面向工程学一年级学生和感兴趣的非工程学学生的探索工程。该设备是促进学生学习的重要实验室组成部分。学生使用光电子材料、设备和系统进行实验。让学生使用可用的组件创建自己的光学测量设置，为他们提供了开发工具来解决问题的宝贵经验。学生探索不同材料和温度对设备性能的影响。探索工程专业的学生将激光二极管和发光二极管(LED)在可见光和红外区域进行比较。电子学专业的学生对这些设备进行了更详细的描述。选修课的学生要做一些实验，包括材料特性和光源(气体激光器、激光二极管和LED)、探测器和调制器的特性。系统级的实验将实验室体验推向高潮。由于光纤通信是光电子学最重要的应用之一，系统实验室涉及到光纤。将光电设备耦合到光纤中，使学生了解将他们所研究的设备集成到实际系统中的复杂性。最先进的数据采集软件LabVIEW正在被集成到实验中。

This project introduces students to optoelectronics, a key technology for the future. The new equipment is enhancing an optoelectronics laboratory, allowing students to gain hands-on experience with modern equipment in this interdisciplinary field. Learning to integrate knowledge from a variety of fields is essential for effective participation in the present and future engineering community. The equipment is being incorporated into a junior-level Electronics class for Electrical Engineers, an elective Electrical Engineering course, Optoelectronic Materials and Devices, and Exploring Engineering for first-year engineering and interested non-engineering-students. The equipment contributes a vital laboratory component to enhance student learning. Students perform experiments with optoelectronic materials, devices, and systems. Having students create their own optical measurement setups using available components provides them with valuable experience in developing tools to solve problems. Students explore the effects of different materials and temperature on device performance. The Exploring Engineering students compare laser diodes and light-emitting diodes (LEDs) in the visible and infrared regimes. The Electronics students perform a more detailed characterization of these devices. The students in the elective perform several experiments including materials characterization and characterization of optical sources (gas lasers, laser diodes, and LEDs), detectors, and modulators. A system-level experiment culminates the laboratory experience. Since fiber optic communication is one of the most important applications of optoelectronics, system laboratories involve fiber optics. Coupling an optoelectronic device into an optical fiber introduces the students to the complexity of integrating the devices they have studied into actual systems. State-of-the-art data acquisition software, LabView, is being integrated into the experiments.