Highly accelerated life testing for non-hermetic laser modules

Abstract

Reliability testing using accelerators such as temperature and humidity for electronic components has evolved fkom conventional Temperature/Humidity/Bias (THB) testing (85 "C/85% RH/Bias) to the use of highly accelerated temperature and humidity stress testing (HAST). This advancement was in part made possible by the availability of stable commercial HAST systems that have eliminated problems with condensation and pressure-reduction rates. In this paper we apply HAST to laser diodes. We believe that this is the first such data on the application of HAST to non-hermetic laser diodes.We have developed a novel non-hermetic technology for laser diode devices that does not rely on silicone overcoat passivation for sensitive components. Standard 8 PIN ceramic packages without lids or fibers attached were used as test vehicles for specially passivated laser diodes. We performed standard THB testing on laser diodes (85 "C/85% RWBias) 0-7803-5908-9/00/$10.00 02000 IEEE