Qualification and reliability testing of a commercial high-power fiber-coupled semiconductor laser for space applications

Malcolm W. Wright; Donald A. Franzen; Hamid Hemmati; Heidi N. Becker; Michael Sandor

doi:10.1117/1.1902993

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1 May 2005 Qualification and reliability testing of a commercial high-power fiber-coupled semiconductor laser for space applications

Malcolm W. Wright, Donald A. Franzen, Hamid Hemmati, Heidi N. Becker, Michael Sandor

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Optical Engineering, 44(5), 054204 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.1902993

Abstract

A compact microchip laser pumped by a single fiber-coupled semiconductor diode laser is developed for a space-borne scanning laser radar instrument. A commercial off-the-shelf component is used for the pump laser and undergoes a rigorous qualification approach to meet the requirements for the space-borne application. The qualification and testing process for the commercial pump laser is derived based on a nonstandard piece part screening plan and is presented along with the test results. These tests include mechanical, vibration, thermal cycling, and radiation tests as well as a full destructive parts analysis. Accelerated lifetests are also performed on the packaged device to demonstrate the ability to meet an operational lifetime of 5000 h. The environmental testing approach would be applicable to space qualification of a variety of commercial photonic systems, particularly in cost-constrained missions.

©(2005) Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE)

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Malcolm W. Wright, Donald A. Franzen, Hamid Hemmati, Heidi N. Becker, and Michael Sandor "Qualification and reliability testing of a commercial high-power fiber-coupled semiconductor laser for space applications," Optical Engineering 44(5), 054204 (1 May 2005). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.1902993

Published: 1 May 2005

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