SlugAtlasUC Santa Cruz

ECE 230Optical Fiber Communication

5 creditsGraduateStudent Option

Components and system design of optical fiber communication. Topics include step-index fibers, graded-index fibers, fiber modes, single-mode fibers, multimode fibers, dispersion, loss mechanics, fiber fabrication, light-emission processes in semiconductors, light-emitting diodes, laser diodes, modulation response, source-fiber coupling, photodetectors, receivers, receiver noise and sensitivity, system design, power budget and rise-time budget, fiber-optic networks (FDDI, SONET, etc.), wavelength division multiplexing (WDM). Students cannot receive credit for this course and course 130. (Formerly EE 230.)

Prerequisites

Enrollment is restricted to graduate students.

  • Taught in conjunction with ECE 130.

Find a section and add it to your scheduleLive seat counts, time-conflict checks and the walk from your previous class.

When it runs

Fall 2026Open Fall 2026

SectionTypeWhenWhereInstructorSeats
01Lecture
Tue Thu 3:20pm–4:55pm
PhysSciences 110A. A. YanikOpen 51/70

Fall 2025Open Fall 2025

SectionTypeWhenWhereInstructorSeats
01Lecture
Tue Thu 1:30pm–3:05pm
PhysSciences 114A. A. YanikClosed 51/50

Who teaches it

InstructorRatingDifficultyWould take againReviews
Ali Yanik4.3 / 53.7 / 5100%3

From RateMyProfessors, which is student-submitted and not a survey. Small review counts move a long way on one bad quarter.

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