M.S. Student Adnan Alam prepares to measure trace amounts of absorption on an optic using ellipsometry in a research laboratory at the Institute of Modern Optics (courtesy of Peter Beyersdorf).
By Amanda Holst, Public Affairs Assistant
SJSU is now offering a concentration in modern optics, an innovative field with a wide range of practical applications from health care to household appliances.
According to Professor of Physics and Institute for Modern Optics Director Ramendra Bahuguna, SJSU is the only university in the Bay Area with this concentration at the M.S. level.
The new offering from the Department of Physics and Astronomy provides hand-on experience through labs and research with professors.
“The purpose of modern optics is to train our students to be good scientists and teachers in this exciting field,” Bahuguna said. “Our institute also welcomes collaboration from other colleagues at SJSU.”
Bahuguna talked to SJSU Today about modern optics and opportunities available to students. The following was edited for length and clarity.
SJSU Today: What is modern optics is and why it is important?
Bahuguna: Modern optics includes lasers, laser spectroscopy, electro optics, fiber optics, holography, optical metrology, and medical imaging. It also includes state of the art applications in these areas. It is important to us because we are located in the heart of the Silicon Valley, which is the center of innovations in various fields including optics. We have opportunities to be consultants and do research as well in this growing field.
SJSU: What are the new things going on around this topic on campus?
Bahuguna: We are involved in optics education and hence our goal is to promote optics. We have collaborated with the College of Engineering in teaching some off-site optics courses at companies such as Lockheed Martin and KLA-Tencor for the master’s of science program in optoelectronics. I have been doing research on fingerprint sensors at the Institute for Modern Optics; so far eight U.S. patents have been awarded. Associate Professor Peter Beyersdorf has been working on the “LIGO project,” which involves sophisticated laser interferometry for detection of gravitational waves.
SJSU: How can students benefit from this concentration?
Bahuguna: A hiring company would rather hire a local person from a reputable university like SJSU than pay relocation to a person from out-of-state. Also, since optics is in demand, students taking the concentration will have an edge over other applicants.
SJSU: What is the local optics industry? What jobs can students get in this field?
Bahuguna: Optics is as hot as the semiconductor industry in the 1970s. Practically every appliance has some form of optics in it. The local industry involved in some form of optics includes KLA-Tencor, Coherent, Cisco, Apple, Intel, Applied Materials and Lockheed Martin to name just a few. There are companies like Solta Medical that have created laser technology to resurface the skin, as an example. With a master’s in physics and a concentration in optics, a student is very likely to get a job in the R&D division of a company.