The theme of the course is on materials for optics and photonics covering relevant material properties and technologies. Photonics has fundamentally influenced the way we live, with a wide range of applications examples of which include lighting, displays, optical communications, sensing, security, biology and health-care, and renewable energy (to name a few). However compared to electronics, in particular Si-technology, the scenario is rather complex with photonics. Owing to the variety of wavelength specific applications - from deep UV to far-infra red - as commonly identified in “photonics”, it is nearly impossible to identify one or even limited number of materials/technology with photonics. More often than not, a given requirement/need implies specific physical properties and hence the associated “material” and the “material specific” technologies. Besides new concepts such as photonic crystals, metal optics, meta-materials, and nanostructured optical media have emerged together with advances in nanofabrication. Thus a reasonable appreciation of optics and photonics requires a good understanding of materials (“Materials Matter”) - their optical properties and the fabrication technologies. Keeping this in view the course aims to cover relevant photonic materials and process technologies. A detailed and in-depth description of each of the materials is virtually impossible in a single course, but for some selected topics there are separate courses in the program.
Photonic glasses, optical fibres and speciality fibres, meta-materials, nanostructured materials including photonic crystals, non-linear materials, magneto-optical materials, low-dimensional semiconductors, state-of-the-art processing techniques, esp. nano and micro-fabrication, optoelectronic device technology, planar light wave circuits, technology for metal optics, organic materials, emerging photonic integration –materials and technologies.