Reliability Assurance of Broad-Area, High-Power, Multimode Laser-Diodes for Telecommunications Equipment

摘要

The procedure for demonstrating the reliability of laser diodes used in telecommunications equipment is documented in Telcordia document GR-468-CORE, Issue 1, December 1998. This procedure was intended for low-power single-mode diodes used in fiber-optic transmitters. A small section was added to the procedure to address high-power, single-mode diodes used as optical pumps for fiber amplifiers. Due to the invention of the double-clad fiber optic cavity, the next generation of fiber amplifiers will likely utilize high-power, multimode diode lasers as optical pumps. In this study, we report on the reliability assurance of multi-spatial mode laser diodes emitting 1 Watt from a 100 micron aperture at 915 nm. While additional study is required to verify the results, the present data indicate a total failure rate, combining both sudden and random failures, of less than 1000 FITs for an operational lifetime of 20 years.