The department occupies over 25,000 square feet of research laboratories, teaching laboratories, and office space in three building, the McLaren Center for Ceramic Research, the Fiber Optics Materials Research Building, and the A-Wing of the Engineering Building.

The following is a list of selected equipment available to the faculty, staff, and students of the department. It is not an exhaustive list, but is indicative of the various equipment.

• field-emission scanning electron microscope
• high-resolution TEM Raman microprobe
• FTIR
• thermoanalyzer
• induction coupled plasma (ICP unit)
• X-ray diffraction equipment
• X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy equipment
• hot isostatic press
• pressure caster
• mechanical testing laboratories
• scanning electron microscopes
• laboratories for preparing optical-quality oxide and non-oxide glasses
• chemical vapor-deposition equipment
• commercial optical fiber drawing towers
• optical spectrometers
• optical fiber proof tester
• optical fiber reliability testing laboratory
• fiber-optic analyzers
• lasers
• optical- and electro-optical characterization laboratories