Comprehensively analyze the causes of optical module failure

As an optoelectronic integrated product used to realize photoelectric conversion in optical fiber communication, optical modules are widely used in data center, fiber to home, LAN, base station and other fields. It is inevitable that the optical module will encounter abnormal use in the process of use. Now ETU-LINK will introduce several main reasons for the failure of the optical module

Causes of optical module failure

1. The optical module is damaged by static electricity (ESD damage)

The discharge process of static electricity is very fast, and static electricity can also produce extremely strong electromagnetic pulse, which will cause serious damage to the optical module. At the same time, when the electrostatic dust accumulates to a certain extent, it will change the impedance between the lines, which will not only affect the normal use of the optical module, but also shorten the service life of the optical module.

Therefore, when using the optical module, avoid too dry environment, and do not touch the electrostatic sensitive parts of the optical module with bare hands without proper electrostatic protection. We need to wear finger cots or anti-static bracelets to prevent the optical module from being damaged by static electricity.

2. The optical port of the optical module is polluted

If the optical port is exposed to the air for a long time, it is likely to cause the optical port of the optical module to be polluted by dust. Therefore, the optical module needs to be timely inserted with a dust plug after the optical fiber is not inserted or removed.

3. Photoelectric device failure

The failure of photoelectric devices is generally manifested in the corrosion or degradation of the materials of lasers and detectors. The failure of photoelectric conversion devices will lead to the inaccurate transmission of optical signals and electrical signals. The causes of laser failures can be attributed to the following three categories: low optical power, no optical signal output, and excessive noise. The reason why the optical power is too low is that the threshold current of the laser itself is too high, the quantum efficiency is low, or the external driving current is too small. Among them, the reason for the high threshold current is the dark line defect of the laser itself and the temperature rise. These two failures are caused by mechanical damage, defect propagation, stress lattice mismatch, cavity surface aging, emission surface pollution, etc.

The causes of detector failure can be summarized into three categories: excessive noise, no electrical signal output, and low responsiveness. The main reasons for the low responsivity are the decrease of quantum efficiency, the pollution of photosen