Gamma-radiation-induced degradation of actively pumped singlemode ytterbium-doped optical fibers

摘要

The integration of optical components into the digital processing units of satellite subsystems has the potential to remove interconnect bottlenecks inherent to the volume, mass, complexity, reliability and crosstalk issues of copper-based interconnects. Assuming on-board high-bandwidth communications will utilize passive optical fibers as a communication channel, this work investigates the impact of gamma irradiation from a Co-60 source on both passive optical fibers and ytterbium-doped single-mode fibers operated as amplifiers for a 1060-nm light source. Standard optical patch cables were evaluated along with active Yb-doped double-clad fibers. Varied exposure times and signal transmission wavelengths were used to investigate the degradation of the fibers exposed to total doses above 100 Krad (Si). The effect on the amplified signal gain was studied for the Yb-doped fibers. The increased attenuation in the fibers across a broad wavelength range in response to multiple levels of gamma radiation exposure along with the effect that the increased attenuation has on the actively pumped Yb-doped fiber amplifier performance, is discussed.