Optoelectronics (or optronics ) is the study and application of
electronic devices and systems that find, detect and control light, 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, in addition to visible light. 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 a wider
branch of physics that concerns all interactions between light and electric
fields, whether or not they form part of an electronic device.