A method has been developed for testing the stability of micro-optical bonds. A white light interferometer is used to measure the movement of micro-optical components after each of a series of Telcordia tests. The micro-optical components were subjected to accelerated high temperature soak, thermal cycling, thermal shock and 500 G mechanical shock. This method allows us to have a high level of confidence that our optical bonds will be sufficiently stable throughout the service life of our tunable laser product. Using accelerated testing techniques and not performing environmental tests that have been shown to induce minimal or no movement, we have found that 30 days is the time required to adequately evaluate the stability of a micro-optical bond design.

Date Published: 9 September 2002
PDF: 8 pages
Proc. SPIE 4771, Optomechanical Design and Engineering 2002, (9 September 2002); doi: 10.1117/12.482177

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 4771:
Optomechanical Design and Engineering 2002
Alson E. Hatheway, Editor(s)