Reliability of laser diode modules in temperature-uncontrolled environment

An extensive thermal-cycling program of InP laser diode modules, in cylindrical package with fiber pig-tail, from two different manufacturers has been performed in order to evaluate their reliability. Experimental results are presented, the main failure mechanisms are identified, and a simple life-time model is proposed. Using this model, the number of cycles to failure under different thermal stress conditions may be computed.<<ETX>>