The fast growth of the photonics industry in the past several years has lead to great demand on professionals in the field of optical science and engineering. In response to this market demand, many universities have enhanced, to a certain degree, their photonics related programs in an effort to produce graduates with some degree of knowledge of photonics. A few universities in the US and Europe have gone even further creating new program specifically in photonics/optical science or engineering. However, we have not seen this type of programs being created in Canada so far. At Wilfrid Laurier University (WLU), we have conducted research on the photonics related programs in Canada, USA, and Europe. We have found that the Department of Physics and Computing at WLU has a unique position and a great opportunity to create the first Canadian Honours B.Sc. Degree Program in Photonics Science. We feel that dual nature of physics and computing of our Department offers the best combination for such a program. In this paper, we discuss the following items: (1) The curriculum of the Honour B.Sc. degree program at WLU. (2) Is a degree in photonics too narrow? (3) Issues related to enrolment, graduates, and potential jobs opportunities.
In this paper we present a novel optoelectronic device, called a photonic transistor, and we investigate its properties as they pertain to digital electronic applications. The photonic transistor design is based on a heterojunction configuration similar to a semiconductor optical amplifier, and can be used to construct either N-nary digital logic gates or binary Boolean logic gates. The properties of the photonic transistor are investigated using computer simulations, and the numerical results indicate that such a device can be successfully used in digital optoelectronic applications.
This paper presents a wideband optical semiconductor Photonic Transistor (PT) and computer simulation results. The PT can be used to construct either N-valued digital photonic logic gates or binary Boolean logic gates. Digital photonic circuits can then be built using these logic gates. We used a buried stripe wave guide heterojunction microstructure for the PT. The objective of this paper is to report the results of computer simulations with different active region dimensions for the same design. Numerical experiments have shown that the same logic function can be achieved with different sizes of the PT, by setting the appropriate signal powers. However, smaller size designs have the advantage of higher speeds and low power consumptions.
Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM) passive optical network represents the most promising solution for future access networks. Wavelength sharing is an important issue in DWDM based optical access networks(OAN), since it can maximize the resource utilization and in return reduce the cost of the system. In this paper we propose a neighbor-sharing dynamic wavelength assignment algorithm for a DWDM-based virtual start optical network. The wavelength assignment algorithm is realized through a centralized scheduler, which is at central office. When the scheduler receives the request, it assigns a wavelength to the corresponding premise according to the algorithm. Two level scheduling scheme of control signal is proposed. The evaluation and analysis of the performance of the wavelength assignment algorithm are conducted by using computer simulations and are presented at the end of this paper.
Optical bandpass filters with ripple-free spectral response are highly desirable for dense wavelength-division-multiplexed (DWDM) systems. We study and analyze the transmission characteristics of an optical bandpass filter, based on a three-mirror Gires-Tournois resonator (GTR) in a Michelson interferometer (MI). The three-mirror GTR (R1, R2, R3) is actually an all-pass filter with the reflectivity of the end mirror R3 being unity. In this paper, we present an analytical expression for the optimum design which has a ripple-free spectral response. The results show that flattop spectra can be obtained by suitably choosing the reflectivities R1, R2 of the two mirrors. Whereas a two-mirror GTR-based bandpass filter has only one unique optimum reflectivity, a three-mirror GTR-based filter has many sets of optimum values, making it easier to be designed to give much better performance. The effects of the reflective coefficients of the mirrors on the optical performance were also discussed.
After the introduction in 2001 of community college programs at the Photonics Technician/Technologist levels, the need to cover the photonics educational space at the undergraduate level was addressed. In the last year, three very different new undergraduate degrees in photonics have started to develop in Ontario. These programs are presented in this paper.
The Honours B.Sc. in Photonics at Wilfrid Laurier University (Waterloo) will develop a strong understanding of the theory and application of photonics, with practical hands-on exposure to optics, fibre optics, and lasers. This program benefits from the particularity that the department offering it combines both Physics and Computer Science.
At McMaster University, the Engineering Physics program will provide students with a broad background in basic Engineering, Mathematics, Electronics, and Semiconductors, as well as an opportunity to pursue Photonics in greater depth and to have that fact recognized in the program designation.
The Niagara and Algonquin College Bachelor of Applied Technology in Photonics program is co-op and joint between the two institutions. Emphasis is placed on the applied aspect of the field, with the more hands-on experimental learning taking precedence in the first years and the more advanced theoretical subjects following in the latter years.
In the last year, three very different new undergraduate degrees in photonics have started to develop in Ontario where none was available before. One is an Honours B.Sc. in Photonics, one is a Photonics Engineering degree and another is a Bachelor of Applied Technology in Photonics. This paper presents these programs.
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