Master Optical Design. Design high performance optical systems for a wide range of applications.

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294 ratings

Robert McLeod

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Part of the Master of Science in Electrical Engineering degree
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Optical Engineering SpecializationUniversity of Colorado Boulder

What you will learn

Specify an optical system and potential solutions to meet those specs
Transform layouts into optical designs including real optical components
Analyze you designs in an industry standard optical design code, OpticStudio by Zemax, to validate and optimize the design
be able to design, to first order, such optical systems with simple mathematical and graphical techniques

Skills you will gain

About this Specialization

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The courses in this specialization can also be taken for academic credit as ECEA 5600-5602, part of CU Boulder’s Master of Science in Electrical Engineering degree. Enroll here. Optical instruments are how we see the world, from corrective eyewear to medical endoscopes to cell phone cameras to orbiting telescopes. This course will teach you how to design such optical systems with simple graphical techniques, then transform those pencil and paper designs to include real optical components including lenses, diffraction gratings and prisms. You will learn how to enter these designs into an industry-standard design tool, OpticStudio by Zemax, to analyze and improve performance with powerful automatic optimization methods.

Applied Learning Project

In each course of this Specialization, you will design progressively more complicated optical systems, like those you will find in the real world. To do so, you will use both basic mathematical tools and the software application OpticStudio, made by Zemax for the final design.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online courses

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Coursera Labs

Includes hands on learning projects.

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Flexible Schedule

Set and maintain flexible deadlines.

Advanced Level

Approximately 4 months to complete

Suggested pace of 4 hours/week

English

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Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online courses

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Coursera Labs

Includes hands on learning projects.

Learn more about Coursera Labs

Flexible Schedule

Set and maintain flexible deadlines.

Advanced Level

Approximately 4 months to complete

Suggested pace of 4 hours/week

English

Could your company benefit from training employees on in-demand skills?

Try Coursera for Business

See how employees at top companies are mastering in-demand skills

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How the Specialization Works

Take Courses

A Coursera Specialization is a series of courses that helps you master a skill. To begin, enroll in the Specialization directly, or review its courses and choose the one you'd like to start with. When you subscribe to a course that is part of a Specialization, you’re automatically subscribed to the full Specialization. It’s okay to complete just one course — you can pause your learning or end your subscription at any time. Visit your learner dashboard to track your course enrollments and your progress.

Hands-on Project

Every Specialization includes a hands-on project. You'll need to successfully finish the project(s) to complete the Specialization and earn your certificate. If the Specialization includes a separate course for the hands-on project, you'll need to finish each of the other courses before you can start it.

Earn a Certificate

When you finish every course and complete the hands-on project, you'll earn a Certificate that you can share with prospective employers and your professional network.

There are 3 Courses in this Specialization

Course1

Course 1

First Order Optical System Design

4.3

stars

286 ratings

This course can also be taken for academic credit as ECEA 5600, part of CU Boulder’s Master of Science in Electrical Engineering degree.

Optical instruments are how we see the world, from corrective eyewear to medical endoscopes to cell phone cameras to orbiting telescopes. When you finish this course, you will be able to design, to first order, such optical systems with simple mathematical and graphical techniques. This first order design will allow you to develop the foundation needed to begin all optical design as well as the intuition needed to quickly address the feasibility of complicated designs during brainstorming meetings. You will learn how to enter these designs into an industry-standard design tool, OpticStudio by Zemax, to analyze and improve performance with powerful automatic optimization methods.

Course2

Course 2

Optical Efficiency and Resolution

4.1

stars

53 ratings

This course can also be taken for academic credit as ECEA 5601, part of CU Boulder’s Master of Science in Electrical Engineering degree.

Optical instruments are how we see the world, from corrective eyewear to medical endoscopes to cell phone cameras to orbiting telescopes. This course will teach you how to design such optical systems with simple mathematical and graphical techniques. The first order optical system design covered in the previous course is useful for the initial design of an optical imaging system but does not predict the energy and resolution of the system. This course discusses the propagation of intensity for Gaussian beams and incoherent sources. It also introduces the mathematical background required to design an optical system with the required field of view and resolution. You will also learn how to analyze these characteristics of your optical system using an industry-standard design tool, OpticStudio by Zemax.

Course3

Course 3

Design of High-Performance Optical Systems

4.7

stars

44 ratings

This course can also be taken for academic credit as ECEA 5602, part of CU Boulder’s Master of Science in Electrical Engineering degree.

Optical instruments are how we see the world, from corrective eyewear to medical endoscopes to cell phone cameras to orbiting telescopes. This course extends what you have learned about first-order, paraxial system design and optical resolution and efficiency with the introduction to real lenses and their imperfections. We begin with a description of how different wavelengths propagate through systems, then move on to aberrations that appear with high angle, non-paraxial systems and how to correct for those problems. The course wraps up with a discussion of optical components beyond lenses and an excellent example of a high-performance optical system – the human eye. The mathematical tools required for analysis of high-performance systems are complicated enough that this course will rely more heavily on OpticStudio by Zemax. This will allow students to analyze systems that are too complicated for the simple analysis thus far introduced in this set of courses.

Instructor

Robert McLeod

Professor

Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering

18,779 Learners

3 Courses

Offered by

University of Colorado Boulder

Start working towards your Master's degree

This specialization is part of the 100% online Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from University of Colorado Boulder. If you are admitted to the full program, your courses count towards your degree learning.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the refund policy?
If you subscribed, you get a 7-day free trial during which you can cancel at no penalty. After that, we don’t give refunds, but you can cancel your subscription at any time. See our full refund policy.
Can I just enroll in a single course?
Yes! To get started, click the course card that interests you and enroll. You can enroll and complete the course to earn a shareable certificate, or you can audit it to view the course materials for free. When you subscribe to a course that is part of a Specialization, you’re automatically subscribed to the full Specialization. Visit your learner dashboard to track your progress.
Is financial aid available?
Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.
Can I take the course for free?
When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free. If you cannot afford the fee, you can apply for financial aid.
Is this course really 100% online? Do I need to attend any classes in person?
This course is completely online, so there’s no need to show up to a classroom in person. You can access your lectures, readings and assignments anytime and anywhere via the web or your mobile device.
Will I earn university credit for completing the Specialization?
This program is part of the University of Colorado Boulder's Master of Science in Electrical Engineering, a fully MOOC-based master's degree offered in partnership with Coursera. In addition to the coursework in this non-credit specialization, which will transfer to your for-credit course, if you pay tuition and pass all required for-credit work in each course, you will earn CU Boulder academic credit and can potentially apply that credit toward a degree. Learn more, and start your journey today.
(https://www.coursera.org/degrees/msee-boulder)
How long does it take to complete the Specialization?
The specialization is designed to be taken over 18 weeks. Each course is 6 weeks in length.
What background knowledge is necessary?
Knowledge of electromagnetic waves and mathematical tools at the level of a senior electrical engineering undergraduate are assumed.
Do I need to take the courses in a specific order?
We recommend you take the courses in order as each course builds upon the knowledge gained in the previous course.
What will I be able to do upon completing the Specialization?
Students completing this specialization will be able to:
· Design optical systems based on first-order approximations to quickly evaluate the feasibility of a new idea.
· Design optical systems with the required resolution and efficiency for a given project.
· Design complex, high-performance optical systems with multiple types of components with limited aberrations.
· Analyze the performance of optical systems using OpticStudio by Zemax.

More questions? Visit the Learner Help Center.

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Optical Engineering Specialization

What you will learn

Skills you will gain

About this Specialization

Applied Learning Project