IntermediateTopic 55 of 100Materials & Chemical
Optical and photonic materials
Control transmission, absorption and emission of light.
In depth
Optical materials control light: glasses and crystals for lenses, fibres (low-loss silica), photonic crystals, lasers gain media, LEDs, photodetectors, nonlinear crystals, anti-reflective coatings and metamaterials. Properties: refractive index, absorption, dispersion, bandgap.
Key points
- Total internal reflection
- Rare-earth doped fibres
- Photonics integration
ExampleOptical fibre loses only about 0.2 dB/km at 1550 nm.
Optical and photonic materials guide, emit and modulate light, which underpins fibre communication, displays and lasers.
What is Optical and photonic materials?
Control transmission, absorption and emission of light.
Why is it important to understand optical and photonic materials?
Optical and photonic materials guide, emit and modulate light, which underpins fibre communication, displays and lasers.
What do optical materials need?
Low absorption at the wavelength used, the right refractive index, and enough stability for the operating environment.
How does an optical fibre guide light?
Total internal reflection at the core and cladding boundary keeps light inside the fibre.
How is Optical and photonic materials used in practice?
Typical applications include using optical fibre to carry data over long distances, choosing a material for a window that transmits infrared light and making an LED display from a compound semiconductor.
What should I learn before Optical and photonic materials?
Study "Superconductors" first (topic 54 of 100 in Materials & Chemical). It covers the groundwork this topic builds on.
What are the key points of Optical and photonic materials?
Total internal reflection. Rare-earth doped fibres. Photonics integration.
Can you give an example of Optical and photonic materials?
Optical fibre loses only about 0.2 dB/km at 1550 nm.
What comes after Optical and photonic materials?
The next topic is "Nanomaterials", which builds directly on this one.
How difficult is Optical and photonic materials?
It is classed as Intermediate in Materials & Chemical (topic 55 of 100). It is an intermediate topic. Work through the beginner topics in Materials & Chemical first.