Optoelectronics is the study and application of electronic devices that interact with light, and thus is usually considered a sub-field of photonics. In this context, light often includes invisible forms of radiation such as gamma rays, X-rays, ultraviolet and infrared. Optoelectronic devices are electrical-to-optical or optical-to-electrical transducers, or instruments that use such devices in their operation. Electro-optics is often erroneously used as a synonym, but is in fact a wider branch of physics that deals with all interactions between light and electric fields, whether or not they form part of an electronic device. // Electronics is the study of electron mechanics. ... Prism splitting light Light is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength that is visible to the eye (visible light) or, in a technical or scientific context, electromagnetic radiation of any wavelength[1]. The elementary particle that defines light is the photon. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... This article is about electromagnetic radiation. ... In the NATO phonetic alphabet, X-ray represents the letter X. An X-ray picture (radiograph) taken by Röntgen An X-ray is a form of electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength approximately in the range of 5 pm to 10 nanometers (corresponding to frequencies in the range 30 PHz... UV redirects here. ... Image of two girls in mid-infrared (thermal) light (false-color) Infrared (IR) radiation is electromagnetic radiation of a wavelength longer than that of visible light, but shorter than that of radio waves. ... A transducer is a device, usually electrical or electronic, that converts one type of energy to another. ... The word operation can mean any of several things: The method, act, process, or effect of using a device or system. ... Electro-optics is a branch of technology involving components, devices and systems which operate by modification of the optical properties of a material by an electric field. ... Physics (Greek: (phúsis), nature and (phusiké), knowledge of nature) is the science concerned with the fundamental laws of the universe and their precise formulation in a mathematical framework. ... It has been suggested that optical field be merged into this article or section. ...

Optoelectronics is based on the quantum mechanical effects of light on semiconducting materials, sometimes in the presence of electric fields. Fig. ... Prism splitting light Light is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength that is visible to the eye (visible light) or, in a technical or scientific context, electromagnetic radiation of any wavelength[1]. The elementary particle that defines light is the photon. ... A semiconductor is a solid whose electrical conductivity can be controlled over a wide range, either permanently or dynamically. ... It has been suggested that optical field be merged into this article or section. ...

• Photoelectric or photovoltaic effect, used in:
  • photodiodes (including solar cells)
  • phototransistors
  • photomultipliers
  • integrated optical circuit (IOC) elements
• Photoconductivity, used in:
  • photoresistors
  • photoconductive camera tubes
  • charge-coupled imaging devices
• Stimulated emission, used in:
  • lasers
  • injection laser diodes
• Lossev effect, or radiative recombination, used in:
  • light-emitting diodes or LED
• Photoemissivity, used in
  • photoemissive camera tube

Important applications of optoelectronics include: A photodiode Photodiode closeup A photodiode is a semiconductor diode that functions as a photodetector. ... A solar cell, made from a monocrystalline silicon wafer A solar cell or photovoltaic cell is a device that converts light energy into electrical energy. ... The fact that traditional transistors (these days called “Bipolar Junction Transistors” or BJTs) are photosensitive has been known ever since they were invented. ... Photomultipliers, or photomultiplier tubes (PMT) are extremely sensitive detectors of light in the ultraviolet, visible and near infrared. ... An integrated optical circuit is one or more circuits composed of solid-state optical components on a semiconductor or dielectric substrate. ... LDR A photoresistor is an electronic component whose resistance decreases with increasing incident light intensity. ... A charge-coupled device (CCD), is an integrated circuit containing an array of linked, or coupled, capacitors. ... In optics, stimulated emission is the process by which, when perturbed by a photon, matter may lose energy resulting in the creation of another photon. ... A laser (acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation) is an optical source that emits light in a coherent beam. ... A packaged laser diode with penny for scale. ... Radiative recombination is a term used for an electron falling from a high energy orbital into a lower one via the simultaneous emission of a photon. ... Led is also the past tense of the verb to lead Blue, green and red LEDs. ...

• Optocoupler
• optical fiber communications

Opto-isolator An opto-isolator is a device that uses optical techniques to electrically isolate two related circuits, typically a transmitter and a receiver. ... Optical fibers An optical fiber (or fibre) is a glass or plastic fiber designed to guide light along its length by total internal reflection. ... The term communications is used in a number of disciplines: Communications, also known as communication studies is the academic discipline which studies communication, generally seen as a mixture between media studies and linguistics. ...

External Links

• Richard Friend, Cavendish Professor, Cambridge, Research on Optoelectronics including development of new semi-conducting polymers Freeview video by the Vega Science Trust.
• Northwest Photonics Association
• OIDA (Optoelectronics Industry Development Association)

See also

• Photovoltaic effect
• Photoemissivity
• Stimulated emission