Optoelectronics (or optronics) is the study and application of electronic devices and systems that find, detect and control

light Light, visible light, or visible radiation is electromagnetic radiation that can be visual perception, perceived by the human eye. Visible light spans the visible spectrum and is usually defined as having wavelengths in the range of 400– ...

, usually considered a sub-field of photonics. In this context, ''light'' often includes invisible forms of radiation such as

gamma ray A gamma ray, also known as gamma radiation (symbol ), is a penetrating form of electromagnetic radiation arising from high energy interactions like the radioactive decay of atomic nuclei or astronomical events like solar flares. It consists o ...

X-ray An X-ray (also known in many languages as Röntgen radiation) is a form of high-energy electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength shorter than those of ultraviolet rays and longer than those of gamma rays. Roughly, X-rays have a wavelength ran ...

ultraviolet Ultraviolet radiation, also known as simply UV, is electromagnetic radiation of wavelengths of 10–400 nanometers, shorter than that of visible light, but longer than X-rays. UV radiation is present in sunlight and constitutes about 10% of ...

and

infrared Infrared (IR; sometimes called infrared light) is electromagnetic radiation (EMR) with wavelengths longer than that of visible light but shorter than microwaves. The infrared spectral band begins with the waves that are just longer than those ...

, in addition to visible light. Optoelectronic devices are electrical-to-optical or optical-to-electrical

transducer A transducer is a device that Energy transformation, converts energy from one form to another. Usually a transducer converts a signal in one form of energy to a signal in another. Transducers are often employed at the boundaries of automation, M ...

s, or instruments that use such devices in their operation. '' Electro-optics'' is often erroneously used as a synonym, but is a wider branch of

physics Physics is the scientific study of matter, its Elementary particle, fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge whi ...

that concerns all interactions between light and

electric field An electric field (sometimes called E-field) is a field (physics), physical field that surrounds electrically charged particles such as electrons. In classical electromagnetism, the electric field of a single charge (or group of charges) descri ...

s, regardless of whether they form part of an electronic device. Optoelectronics is based on the quantum mechanical effects of

on electronic materials, especially semiconductors, sometimes in the presence of

s. * Photoelectric or photovoltaic effect, used in: **

photodiode A photodiode is a semiconductor diode sensitive to photon radiation, such as visible light, infrared or ultraviolet radiation, X-rays and gamma rays. It produces an electrical current when it absorbs photons. This can be used for detection and me ...

s (including

solar cell A solar cell, also known as a photovoltaic cell (PV cell), is an electronic device that converts the energy of light directly into electricity by means of the photovoltaic effect.

s) ** phototransistors ** photomultipliers ** optoisolators ** integrated optical circuit (IOC) elements * Photoconductivity, used in: ** photoresistors ** photoconductive camera tubes ** charge-coupled imaging devices * Stimulated emission, used in: ** injection laser diodes ** quantum cascade lasers * Lossev effect, or radiative recombination, used in: **

light-emitting diode A light-emitting diode (LED) is a semiconductor device that emits light when current flows through it. Electrons in the semiconductor recombine with electron holes, releasing energy in the form of photons. The color of the light (corre ...

s or LED ** OLEDs * Photoemissivity, used in ** photoemissive camera tube Important applications of optoelectronics include: * Optocoupler * Optical-fiber communications

References

External links

*
OIDA (Optoelectronics Industry Development Association)
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See also

References

External links