Laser Systems Engineering Class

July 26, 2023 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM (MDT)

Description

LASER SYSTEMS ENGINEERING CLASS

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 real world design problems, as well as the commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components used to solve them. 

This class is based on Dr. Kasunic's textbook, Laser Systems Engineering, published by SPIE Press in 2016.

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, beam shapers 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)

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).