Excerpts

Preface The purpose of this book is to present the rapidly growing field of electro-optics in an applications-oriented manner. This presentation has been kept at an introductory level. To do this effectively, two major areas of scientific study must be considered. These areas are optics and electronics. The book deals with the fundamental principles in optics, semiconductor electronics, and electromagnetics. Optoelectronic devices such as LEDs, diode lasers, and photodiodes are studied in detail. The integration of these devices into useful electronic circuits is also covered in detail. This book is intended as a text for people with diverse backgrounds. It should be useful to freshman and sophomore college students for a course in electro-optics and to practicing engineers, scientists, or managers who have little or no knowledge of electro-optics. Anyone working in the field of electronics may find this book very useful since most electronic devices now use optoelectronic components. Areas where electro-optical systems are used include the biomedical field, communications, remote sensing, imaging, test and measurement, and surveillance. It is assumed that the reader has a basic knowledge of electronics that includes operational amplifiers. A short tutorial on the basics of operational amplifiers is given in Appendix B for those who need help in this area. Part I of this book provides the necessary background in optics. Numerous examples with full solutions are given. Many of these examples are taken from practical situations. In later chapters, practical circuit examples are given using manufacturers' data sheets for the optoelectronic components specified. In the last chapter, the electro-optical portion of the compact disc (CD) player is considered in detail. The presentation here relies upon many of the optical and electrical examples presented previously. Even though electro-optical systems tend to be very complex, we can understand their operation by considering some basic things that they hold in common. For example, the vast majority of receivers used in electro-optical systems rely upon only a few circuit techniques to convert the input optical signal into a useable electrical signal. This electrical signal then undergoes signal conditioning with the help of conventional electronics. This book discusses, in great detail, the most common circuit techniques used to convert the optical signal into an electrical signal. In this way, the reader can use one of these techniques in a particular application. Unfortunately, it would be impossible to consider all of the electronic signal conditioning circuits. But, many common electronic amplifier techniques are discussed in detail. Excerpted from Applied Electro Optics by Louis Desmarais All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.