Building Electro-Optical Systems : Making It All Work

While most books on electro-optical systems concentrate on an individual subfield, this one presents an overview of the whole field, providing researchers with working knowledge of a number of cross-disciplinary areas. It includes essential information on how to build modern electro-optical instruments such as microscopes, cameras, optical inspection equipment, and spectrometers, and optical-related computer equipment. 9780470466322.pdf BUILDING ELECTRO-OPTICAL SYSTEMS 5 CONTENTS 9 Preface 17 Acknowledgments 21 1 Basic Optical Calculations 23 1.1 Introduction 23 1.2 Wave Propagation 25 1.3 Calculating Wave Propagation in Real Life 31 1.4 Detection 55 1.5 Coherent Detection 56 1.6 Interferometers 58 1.7 Photon Budgets and Operating Specifications 60 1.8 Signal Processing Strategy 66 2 Sources and Illuminators 74 2.1 Introduction 74 2.2 The Spectrum 74 2.3 Radiometry 76 2.4 Continuum Sources 77 2.5 Interlude: Coherence 81 2.6 More Sources 85 2.7 Incoherent Line Sources 90 2.8 Using Low Coherence Sources: Condensers 91 2.9 Lasers 93 2.10 Gas Lasers 94 2.11 Solid State Lasers 95 2.12 Diode Lasers 97 2.13 Laser Noise 105 2.14 Diode Laser Coherence Control 111 3 Optical Detection 113 3.1 Introduction 113 3.2 Photodetection in Semiconductors 114 3.3 Signal-to-Noise Ratios 114 3.4 Detector Figures of Merit 116 3.5 Quantum Detectors 122 3.6 Quantum Detectors with Gain 131 3.7 Thermal Detectors 139 3.8 Image Intensifiers 140 3.9 Silicon Array Sensors 142 3.10 How Do I Know Which Noise Source Dominates? 153 3.11 Hacks 158 4 Lenses, Prisms, and Mirrors 167 4.1 Introduction 167 4.2 Optical Materials 167 4.3 Light Transmission 171 4.4 Surface Quality 172 4.5 Windows 173 4.6 Pathologies of Optical Elements 174 4.7 Fringes 175 4.8 Mirrors 180 4.9 Glass Prisms 182 4.10 Prism Pathologies 187 4.11 Lenses 187 4.12 Complex Lenses 193 4.13 Other Lens-like Devices 197 5 Coatings, Filters, and Surface Finishes 202 5.1 Introduction 202 5.2 Metal Mirrors 204 5.3 Transmissive Optical Coatings 206 5.4 Simple Coating Theory 208 5.5 Absorptive Filters 218 5.6 Beam Dumps and Baffles 220 5.7 White Surfaces and Diffusers 226 6 Polarization 230 6.1 Introduction 230 6.2 Polarization of Light 230 6.3 Interaction of Polarization with Materials 233 6.4 Absorption Polarizers 237 6.5 Brewster Polarizers 238 6.6 Birefringent Polarizers 239 6.7 Double-Refraction Polarizers 240 6.8 TIR Polarizers 243 6.9 Retarders 245 6.10 Polarization Control 248 7 Exotic Optical Components 255 7.1 Introduction 255 7.2 Gratings 255 7.3 Grating Pathologies 258 7.4 Types of Gratings 259 7.5 Resolution of Grating Instruments 262 7.6 Fine Points of Gratings 264 7.7 Holographic Optical Elements 266 7.8 Retroreflective Materials 267 7.9 Scanners 268 7.10 Modulators 276 8 Fiber Optics 284 8.1 Introduction 284 8.2 Fiber Characteristics 284 8.3 Fiber Theory 288 8.4 Fiber Types 294 8.5 Other Fiber Properties 299 8.6 Working with Fibers 303 8.7 Fiber Devices 309 8.8 Diode Lasers and Fiber Optics 314 8.9 Fiber Optic Sensors 314 8.10 Intensity Sensors 315 8.11 Spectrally Encoded Sensors 317 8.12 Polarimetric Sensors 320 8.13 Fiber Interferometers 321 8.14 Two-Beam Fiber Interferometers 322 8.15 Multiple-Beam Fiber Interferometers 323 8.16 Phase and Polarization Stabilization 327 8.17 Multiplexing and Smart Structures 329 8.18 Fiber Sensor Hype 329 9 Optical Systems 331 9.1 Introduction 331 9.2 What Exactly Does a Lens Do? 331 9.3 Diffraction 341 9.4 Aberrations 358 9.5 Representing Aberrations 362 9.6 Optical Design Advice 366 9.7 Practical Applications 367 9.8 Illuminators 371 10 Optical Measurements 376 10.1 Introduction 376 10.2 Grass on the Empire State Building 376 10.3 Detection Issues: When Exactly Is Background Bad? 381 10.4 Measure the Right Thing 386 10.5 Getting More Signal Photons 388 10.6 Reducing the Background Fluctuations 392 10.7 Optically Zero Background Measurements 395 10.8 Electronically Zero Background Measurements 398 10.9 Labeling Signal Photons 402 10.10 Closure 407 11 Designing Electro-Optical Systems 409 11.1 Introduction 409 11.2 Do You Really Want to Do This? 409 11.3 Very Basic Marketing 415 11.4 Classes of Measurement 418 11.5 Technical Taste 420 11.6 Instrument Design 424 11.7 Guiding Principles 429 11.8 Design for Alignment 432 11.9 Turning a Prototype into a Product 435 12 Building Optical Systems 437 12.1 Introduction 437 12.2 Build What You Designed 438 12.3 Assembling Lab Systems 438 12.4 Alignment and Testing 443 12.5 Optical Assembly and Alignment Philosophy 447 12.6 Collimating Beams 448 12.7 Focusing 450 12.8 Aligning Beams with Other Beams 452 12.9 Advanced Tweaking 456 12.10 Aligning Laser Systems 461 12.11 Adhesives 463 12.12 Cleaning 465 12.13 Environmental Considerations 468 13 Signal Processing 470 13.1 Introduction 470 13.2 Analog Signal Processing Theory 471 13.3 Modulation and Demodulation 475 13.4 Amplifiers 484 13.5 Departures from Linearity 484 13.6 Noise and Interference 489 13.7 Frequency Conversion 505 13.8 Filtering 509 13.9 Signal Detection 520 13.10 Reducing Interference and Noise 524 13.11 Data Acquisition and Control 526 14 Electronic Building Blocks 531 14.1 Introduction 531 14.2 Resistors 532 14.3 Capacitors 534 14.4 Transmission Lines 544 14.5 Transmission Line Devices 550 14.6 Diodes and Transistors 552 14.7 Signal Processing Components 561 14.8 Digitizers 570 14.9 Analog Behavior of Digital Circuits 580 15 Electronic Subsystem Design 582 15.1 Introduction 582 15.2 Design Approaches 582 15.3 Perfection 591 15.4 Feedback Loops 593 15.5 Signal Detectors 599 15.6 Phase-Locked Loops 609 15.7 Calibration 612 15.8 Filters 614 15.9 Other Stuff 617 15.10 More Advanced Feedback Techniques 619 15.11 Hints 621 15.12 Linearizing 623 15.13 Digital Control and Communication 626 15.14 Miscellaneous Tricks 629 15.15 Bulletproofing 629 16 Electronic Construction Techniques 634 16.1 Introduction 634 16.2 Circuit Strays 634 16.3 Stray Coupling 639 16.4 Ground Plane Construction 640 16.5 Technical Noise and Interference 643 16.6 Product Construction 647 16.7 Getting Ready 650 16.8 Prototyping 651 16.9 Surface Mount Prototypes 656 16.10 Prototyping Filters 659 16.11 Tuning, or, You Can’t Optimize What You Can’t See 661 17 Digital Postprocessing 666 17.1 Introduction 666 17.2 Elementary Postprocessing 667 17.3 Dead Time Correction 672 17.4 Fourier Domain Techniques 672 17.5 Power Spectrum Estimation 688 17.6 Digital Filtering 693 17.7 Deconvolution 697 17.8 Resampling 698 17.9 Fixing Space-Variant Instrument Functions 700 17.10 Finite Precision Effects 702 17.11 Pulling Data Out of Noise 703 17.12 Phase Recovery Techniques 707 18 Front Ends 710 18.1 Introduction 710 18.2 Photodiode Front Ends 712 18.3 Key Idea: Reduce the Swing Across C(d) 714 18.4 Transimpedance Amplifiers 715 18.5 How to Go faster 736 18.6 Advanced Photodiode Front Ends 743 18.7 Other Types of Front End 753 18.8 Hints 756 19 Bringing Up the System 760 19.1 Introduction 760 19.2 Avoiding Catastrophe 763 19.3 Debugging and Troubleshooting 766 19.4 Getting Ready 767 19.5 Indispensable Equipment 770 19.6 Analog Electronic Troubleshooting 771 19.7 Oscillations 775 19.8 Other Common Problems 777 19.9 Debugging and Troubleshooting Optical Subsystems 780 19.10 Localizing the Problem 784 Appendix: Good Books 791 Index 801

Praise for the First Edition

"Now a new laboratory bible for optics researchers has joined the list: it is Phil Hobbs's Building Electro-Optical Systems: Making It All Work."

—Tony Siegman, Optics & Photonics News

Building a modern electro-optical instrument may be the most interdisciplinary job in all of engineering. Be it a DVD player or a laboratory one-off, it involves physics, electrical engineering, optical engineering, and computer science interacting in complex ways. This book will help all kinds of technical people sort through the complexity and build electro-optical systems that just work, with maximum insight and minimum trial and error.

Written in an engaging and conversational style, this Second Edition has been updated and expanded over the previous edition to reflect technical advances and a great many conversations with working designers. Key features of this new edition include:

• Expanded coverage of detectors, lasers, photon budgets, signal processing scheme planning, and front ends

• Coverage of everything from basic theory and measurement principles to design debugging and integration of optical and electronic systems

• Supplementary material is available on an ftp site, including an additional chapter on thermal Control and Chapter problems highly relevant to real-world design

• Extensive coverage of high performance optical detection and laser noise cancellation

Each chapter is full of useful lore from the author's years of experience building advanced instruments. For more background, an appendix lists 100 good books in all relevant areas, introductory as well as advanced. Building Electro-Optical Systems: Making It All Work, Second Edition is essential reading for researchers, students, and professionals who have systems to build.

Praise for the First Edition'Now a new laboratory bible for optics researchers has joined the list: it is Phil Hobbs's Building Electro-Optical Systems: Making It All Work.'—Tony Siegman, Optics & Photonics News Building a modern electro-optical instrument may be the most interdisciplinary job in all of engineering. Be it a DVD player or a laboratory one-off, it involves physics, electrical engineering, optical engineering, and computer science interacting in complex ways. This book will help all kinds of technical people sort through the complexity and build electro-optical systems that just work, with maximum insight and minimum trial and error. Written in an engaging and conversational style, this Second Edition has been updated and expanded over the previous edition to reflect technical advances and a great many conversations with working designers. Key features of this new edition include: Expanded coverage of detectors, lasers, photon budgets, signal processing scheme planning, and front ends Coverage of everything from basic theory and measurement principles to design debugging and integration of optical and electronic systems Supplementary material is available on an ftp site, including an additional chapter on thermal Control and Chapter problems highly relevant to real-world design Extensive coverage of high performance optical detection and laser noise cancellation Each chapter is full of useful lore from the author's years of experience building advanced instruments. For more background, an appendix lists 100 good books in all relevant areas, introductory as well as advanced. Building Electro-Optical Systems: Making It All Work, Second Edition is essential reading for researchers, students, and professionals who have systems to build. Praise For The First Edition Now A New Laboratory Bible For Optics Researchers Has Joined The List: It Is Phil Hobbs's Building Electro-optical Systems: Making It All Work. —tony Siegman, Optics & Photonics News Building A Modern Electro-optical Instrument May Be The Most Interdisciplinary Job In All Of Engineering. Be It A Dvd Player Or A Laboratory One-off, It Involves Physics, Electrical Engineering, Optical Engineering, And Computer Science Interacting In Complex Ways. This Book Will Help All Kinds Of Technical People Sort Through The Complexity And Build Electro-optical Systems That Just Work, With Maximum Insight And Minimum Trial And Error. Written In An Engaging And Conversational Style, This Second Edition Has Been Updated And Expanded Over The Previous Edition To Reflect Technical Advances And A Great Many Conversations With Working Designers. Key Features Of This New Edition Include: Expanded Coverage Of Detectors, Lasers, Photon Budgets, Signal Processing Scheme Planning, And Front Ends Coverage Of Everything From Basic Theory And Measurement Principles To Design Debugging And Integration Of Optical And Electronic Systems Supplementary Material Is Available On An Ftp Site, Including An Additional Chapter On Thermal Control And Chapter Problems Highly Relevant To Real-world Design Extensive Coverage Of High Performance Optical Detection And Laser Noise Cancellation Each Chapter Is Full Of Useful Lore From The Author's Years Of Experience Building Advanced Instruments. For More Background, An Appendix Lists 100 Good Books In All Relevant Areas, Introductory As Well As Advanced. Building Electro-optical Systems: Making It All Work, Second Edition Is Essential Reading For Researchers, Students, And Professionals Who Have Systems To Build. Providing an overview of the whole field, this volume presents data on how to build modern electro-optical instruments, such as microscopes and cameras. It is based on the author's experience in building actual instruments and discusses not only the correct approach, but also common mistakes. Updated to include new developments in technology with a new chapter on mechanics and motion, the second edition of 'Building Electro-Optical Systems' presents a systematic approach to electro-optical instrument design and construction