ECE 51300: Digital Cameras and Fourier Optics

Professor Stanley H. Chan, Purdue University, Fall 2025

Course Information

Lecture: MWF: 12:30-1:20
Room: WANG 2555

Instructor: Professor Stanley H. Chan
Email: stanchan AT purdue DOT edu
Office Hour: By email appointment.

Syllabus

Syllabus: (PDF)

Description

This course covers the basics of digital cameras. Part 1 of the course includes camera design, image formation, and basic camera parameters such as depth of field, focal length, exposure, auto-focus. Part 2 of the course covers the fundamentals of Fourier optics, including 2D Fourier analysis, scalar diffraction theory, Fresnel and Fraunhofer diffraction theory, lens model, and frequency analysis of optical systems. Part 3 of the course covers digital image sensors, including CMOS pixels, photon shot noise, dark current, pixel non-uniformity, conversion gain, analog-to-digital conversion.

Learning Objective

Be familiar with parameters of digital cameras
Understand the basic principles of Fourier optics
Understand the basic principles of digital image sensors

Grade

20% Exam 1
20% Exam 2
20% Exam 3
20% Exam 4
20% Attendance

Exam Policy

Closed book.
One-page, single-sided cheat sheet allowed.
“Standard” calculators allowed. No cell phone calculator.
If you need to miss an exam, you need approval from us BEFORE the exam.
- Allowed reasons include: medical emergency with proof; conference with proof.
- These will NOT be allowed: interview, job search, vacation
Any approved missed exam will be given ONE chance to make up during the final exam week. The makeup exam will be cumulative.
You are allowed to miss up to one exam. If you need to miss two or more exams, you'd better re-take the class in the future.

Bonus Projects

Up to 5 points (out of 100 points) per Exam.
You can take photos of subjects you are interested in, according to the following themes.
Photos will be uploaded Gradescope. The teaching staff will vote on the grades.
Themes and deadlines:
- Theme 1: Worlds within – Close-up details of tiny object. Due: 9/14 11:59pm ET
- Theme 2: Time-Stretched – Light trails, start trails, flowing water. Due: 10/9 11:59pm ET
- Theme 3: Focus of Focus – Highlight a single subject and mess around depth of field. Due: 11/6 11:59pm ET
- Theme 4: Dark Knight – Seeing in the dark with wide dynamic range. Due: 12/11 11:59pm ET
Each submission should specify the camera parameters. Camera model, aperture size, exposure, shutter, ISO, etc.
Location must be local to ensure that you don't buy photos online. West Lafayette students should take your photos in West Lafayette.

Lecture

Week 1

Lecture 1: Camera History
- Aug 25, 2025 Monday
- Stanley Book Chapter 1.1
- Video
- Hand Note
- Homework

Lecture 2: Basics of a Camera
- Aug 27, 2025 Wednesday
- Stanley Book Chapter 1.2
- Hand Note
- Video
- Homework

Lecture 3: Auto-Focus
- Aug 29, 2025 Friday
- Stanley Book Chapter 2.1
- Hand Note
- Video
- Homework

Week 2

Labor Day
- Sep 1, 2025 Monday

Lecture 4: Auto-Exposure
- Sep 3, 2025 Wednesday
- Stanley Book Chapter 2.2
- Hand Note
- Homework

Lecture 5: 2D Fourier Analysis
- Sep 5, 2025 Friday
- Goodman Chapter 2.1-2.2
- Hand Note
- Homework

Week 3

Lecture 6: 2D Linear Systems
- Sep 8, 2025 Monday
- Goodman Chapter 2.3
- Video
- Hand Note
- Homework

Lecture 7: 2D Sampling Theory
- Sep 10, 2025 Wednesday
- Goodman Chapter 2.4
- Video
- Hand Note
- Homework

Lectuer 8: Maxwell's Equation, Scalar Diffraction
- Sep 12, 2025 Friday
- Goodman Chapter 3.2
- Hand Note
- Homework

Week 4

Exam 1
- Sep 15, 2025 Monday
- Closed book, in person exam

Lecture 9: Helmholtz Equation
- Sep 17, 2025 Wednesday
- Goodman Chapter 3.3
- Hand Note
- Homework

Lecture 10: Kirchoff Boundary Conditions
- Sep 19, 2025 Friday
- Goodman Chapter 3.4
- Hand Note
- Homework

Week 5

Lecture 11: Rayleigh Sommerfeld Diffraction
- Sep 22, 2025 Monday
- Goodman Chapter 3.5
- Hand Note
- Homework

Lecture 12: Huygen Fresnel Principle
- Sep 24, 2025 Wednesday
- Goodman Chapter 4.1 - 4.2
- Hand Note
- Homework

Lecture 13: Fresnel and Fraunhofer Approximations
- Sep 26, 2025 Friday
- Goodman Chapter 4.2 - 4.3
- Hand Note
- Homework

Week 6

Lecture 14: Angular Spectrum
- Sep 29, 2025 Monday
- Goodman Chapter 4.4
- Hand Note
- Homework

Lecture 15: Thin Lens Model
- Oct 1, 2025 Wednesday
- Goodman Chapter 5.1
- Hand Note
- Homework

Lecture 16: Lens Configurations and Analysis
- Oct 3, 2025 Friday
- Goodman Chapter 5.2
- Hand Note
- Homework

Week 7

Lecture 17: Image Formation
- Oct 6, 2025 Monday
- Goodman Chapter 5.3
- Hand Note
- Homework

Lecture 18: General Imaging System
- Oct 8, 2025 Wednesday
- Goodman Chapter 6.1
- Hand Note
- Homework

Exam 2
- Oct 10, 2025 Friday
- Closed book, in person exam

Week 8

October Break
- Oct 13, 2025 Monday

October Break
- Oct 15, 2025 Wednesday

Lecture 19: Frequency Analysis of Optical Systems
- Oct 17, 2025 Friday
- Goodman Chapter 6.2 - 6.3
- Hand Note
- Homework

Week 9

Lecture 20: Aberration
- Oct 20, 2025 Monday
- Goodman Chapter 6.4
- Hand Note
- Homework

Lecture 21: Film and Photodiodes
- Oct 22, 2025 Wednesday
- Stanley Book Chapter 3.1 - 3.2
- Video
- Hand Note
- Homework

Lecture 22: CCD and CMOS
- Oct 24, 2025 Friday
- Stanley Book Chapter 3.3 - 3.4
- Hand Note
- Homework

Week 10

Lecture 23: Gaussian distributions
- Oct 27, 2025 Monday
- Stanley Book Chapter 4.1 - 4.4
- Homework

Lecture 24: Poisson distributions
- Oct 29, 2025 Wednesday
- Stanley Book Chapter 5.1 - 5.4
- Homework

Lecture 25: Shot Noise
- Oct 31, 2025 Friday
- Stanley Book Chapter 6.1
- Homework

Week 11

Lecture 26: Lux
- Nov 3, 2025 Monday
- Stanley Book Chapter 6.2
- Homework

Lecture 27: Bose-Einstein, Thermal Noise, KTC Noise
- Nov 5, 2025 Wednesday
- Stanley Book Chapter 6.3-6.5
- Homework

Exam 3
- Nov 7, 2025 Friday
- Closed book, in person exam

Week 12

Lecture 28: Random Telegraph Noise
- Nov 10, 2025 Monday
- Stanley Book Chapter 6.6
- Homework

Lecture 29: Dark and Read Noise
- Nov 12, 2025 Wednesday
- Stanley Book Chapter 7.1 - 7.3
- Homework

Lecture 30: Conversion Gain
- Nov 14, 2025 Friday
- Stanley Book Chapter 7.4
- Homework

Week 13

Lecture 31: PRNU
- Nov 17, 2025 Monday
- Stanley Book Chapter 7.5-7.6
- Homework

Lecture 32: Overall CMOS Model
- Nov 19, 2025 Wednesday
- Stanley Book Chapter 7.7
- Homework

Lecture 33: Image Denoising
- Nov 21, 2025 Friday

Week 14

Thanks Giving Break
- Nov 24, 2025 Monday

Thanks Giving Break
- Nov 26, 2025 Wednesday

Thanks Giving Break
- Nov 28, 2025 Friday

Week 15

Lecture 34: Image Demosaicking
- Dec 1, 2025 Monday

Lecture 35: HDR Processing
- Dec 3, 2025 Wednesday

Lecture 36: Quanta Image Sensor
- Dec 5, 2025 Friday

Week 16

Lecture 37: Single Photon LiDAR
- Dec 8, 2025 Monday

Lecture 38: Phase Retrieval
- Dec 10, 2025 Wednesday

Exam 4
- Dec 12, 2025 Friday
- Closed book, in person exam