Radiation-resistance technology for broadband fiber-optic source

Abstract

The effect of gamma ray radiation on the performance of a compact Er-doped super-fluorescent fiber source was investigated experimentally. It was found that the output power and spectrum of the source vary significantly with radiation dosage and probably the induced background loss for the pump would play a significant role in the observed variations. A double-pass backward source configuration with an output edge filter was implemented experimentally, and with proper feedback control pump driving circuitry, such a configuration demonstrated good resistance to gamma ray radiation.

Radiation-Resistant Er3+-Doped Superfluorescent Fiber Sources

“…In meeting the requirements of navigation-grade IFOGs, its light source is usually an Er-doped superfluorescent fiber source (SFS) [ 1 , 2 ], whose high-stability mean wavelength and output power can achieve low bias drift and stable scale factor for IFOG application [ 3 ]. However, in space applications, various space rays and ionizing radiation can remarkably affect the radiation-induced attenuation (RIA) of SFSs, which in turn can cause mean wavelength drifts and power attenuation [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 ].…”

“…Most of the previous researches have been devoted to improving the radiation-resistant capabilities of SFSs [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 ]. The output power loss of SFSs can be mitigated by the Erbium-doped fiber (EDF) radiation-tolerant design and processing [ 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 ].…”

“…The output power loss of SFSs can be mitigated by the Erbium-doped fiber (EDF) radiation-tolerant design and processing [ 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 ]. The loss can be further suppressed by the feedback control of the pump power [ 3 , 4 ]. On the other hand, the RIA-induced mean wavelength drift of an SFS can be effectively lowered by tailoring the spectrum [ 3 , 6 , 11 , 12 , 20 ], which is mainly achieved through filtering strategy, such as edge filter [ 3 ], band filter [ 6 ], and Gaussian filter [ 12 , 20 ].…”

“…The band filter and pump wavelength tuning methods have been proposed by Liu et al [ 6 , 10 ], which decrease the output power loss to 3 dB. Yang et al [ 3 , 4 ] proposed the method of edge filter and closed-loop feedback control of pump current to manage the overall radiation-induced power attenuation and achieve a mean wavelength stability of 87.4 ppm.…”