Introduction

This course is aimed at giving some of the bases that are most often used in the design of electro-optical instruments, i.e. sensors assembled from optical and electrical components. The first part of the course deals with their main applications, their main design steps, and their classification. Because the input of an electro-optical sensor is optical, the second part goes over some basic radiometric parameters, corresponding relationships, and ends up by characterizing some typical radiations. The third part is concerned with the propagation of light and basic properties of optical systems; it also evaluates the optical input, or flux, that is incident upon the detector of such sensors, inside which it is converted into the electrical output. Finally, the last part shows how the performance of an EO sensor is based upon the value of its « signal to noise ratio », and often (in domains such as defense, space or telecommunications) expressed in terms of « maximum operating range ».