Passive optical branching devices are being used in many commercial applications, such as optical fiber communications, optical fiber amplifiers and lasers, and interferometric fiber sensors. In order to demonstrate the capability of these devices to perform reliably over their application lifetime, they should pass a comprehensive reliability test program which attempts to duplicate the stresses that the device will experience over its operating life (but in a reasonably short test period). At Bellcore, we have undertaken such a program in which sample devices from several manufacturers are being subjected to test sequences intended to simulate at least twenty years of service. The results of this test program have generated investigations which are leading to techniques for reliability improvements; these techniques are the subject of this paper.
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