Qualification and Reliability Testing of a Commercial High-Power Fiber-Coupled Semiconductor Laser for Space Applications

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 res~lts. These tests include mechanical, vibration, thermal cycling, and rad1at1on tests as well as a full destructive parts analysis. Accelerated l1fetests 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,