<title>Projecting the performance of erbium-doped fiber devices in a space radiation environment</title>

Abstract

The optical attenuation induced in two erbium-doped fibers by <SUP>60</SUP>Co (gamma) -ray exposures to 200 krad has been measured at 3 different dose rates, approximately, 35, 1000, and 20,500 rad/min. The growth of the induced loss was measured at 980, 1300, and 1500 nm. In some instances recovery of the loss after exposure was also measured. The effect of temperature on radiation-induced loss was examined by irradiating one of the erbium-doped fibers at three different temperatures, -54, 30, and 80 C. A simple physical model describing the thermal annealing process of the induced loss in the fibers is presented. The model yields expressions, with only two adjustable parameters, which describe the dose rate and temperature dependence of both the radiation-induced loss growth and recovery kinetics. The simple model accurately describes the form of the growth and recovery kinetics but overestimates the dependence of induced loss on dose rate and temperature.