TY - JOUR
T1 - Gamma-radiation-induced photodarkening in unpumped optical fibers doped with rare-earth constituents
AU - Fox, Brian P.
AU - Simmons-Potter, Kelly
AU - Thomes, William J.
AU - Kliner, Dahv A.V.
N1 - Funding Information:
Manuscript received August 17, 2009; revised November 13, 2009; accepted January 13, 2010. Date of current version June 16, 2010. This work was supported jointly by the University of Arizona and the State of Arizona TRIF funds and by Laboratory Directed Research and Development, Sandia National Laboratories, under Contract DE-AC04-94AL85000. B. P. Fox and K. Simmons-Potter are with the University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 80305 USA (e-mail: [email protected]). W. J. Thomes Jr. is with NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771 USA. D. A. V. Kliner is with JDS Uniphase Corporation, Milpitas, CA 95035 USA. Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/TNS.2010.2043854
PY - 2010/6
Y1 - 2010/6
N2 - Fibers doped with rare-earth constituents such as Er3+ and Yb3+ are exceedingly important to designers of fiber-optical systems due to their ability to amplify signals in the near infra-red, low-absorption regions of conventional silicate fibers. Extending the range of operating conditions for these systems to include adverse radiation environments requires a detailed study of the behavior of the fiber when subjected to relevant radiation fluxes of various cumulative doses and dose rates. Of particular interest in many applications is the effect of gamma radiation, which is known to degrade optical signal transmittance by creating absorption centers in the material. A study of radiation-induced photodarkening effect in un-pumped Er3+, Yb3+, and Er3+/Yb3+ co-doped fibers under Co60 gamma-irradiation is the focus of this paper. Specifically, the temporal evolution of the fiber transmittance in the near infra-red region from ̃1.0 μm - 1.6 μm was investigated, subjected to a multitude of exposure conditions spanning different dose-rates and total accumulated doses. The Er3+/Yb3+ co-doped fiber was found to be the most radiation resistant, while the Er3+ doped fiber was found to be the most radiation sensitive in this wavelength region. Dose rate and compositional dependencies were also observed in all fibers.
AB - Fibers doped with rare-earth constituents such as Er3+ and Yb3+ are exceedingly important to designers of fiber-optical systems due to their ability to amplify signals in the near infra-red, low-absorption regions of conventional silicate fibers. Extending the range of operating conditions for these systems to include adverse radiation environments requires a detailed study of the behavior of the fiber when subjected to relevant radiation fluxes of various cumulative doses and dose rates. Of particular interest in many applications is the effect of gamma radiation, which is known to degrade optical signal transmittance by creating absorption centers in the material. A study of radiation-induced photodarkening effect in un-pumped Er3+, Yb3+, and Er3+/Yb3+ co-doped fibers under Co60 gamma-irradiation is the focus of this paper. Specifically, the temporal evolution of the fiber transmittance in the near infra-red region from ̃1.0 μm - 1.6 μm was investigated, subjected to a multitude of exposure conditions spanning different dose-rates and total accumulated doses. The Er3+/Yb3+ co-doped fiber was found to be the most radiation resistant, while the Er3+ doped fiber was found to be the most radiation sensitive in this wavelength region. Dose rate and compositional dependencies were also observed in all fibers.
KW - Co-60
KW - Dose rate effects
KW - Passive irradiation
KW - Photodarkening
KW - Radiation-induced absorption
KW - Rare-earth doped fibers
KW - Unpumped amplifier
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U2 - 10.1109/TNS.2010.2043854
DO - 10.1109/TNS.2010.2043854
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:77953725960
SN - 0018-9499
VL - 57
SP - 1618
EP - 1625
JO - IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science
JF - IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science
IS - 3 PART 3
M1 - 5485185
ER -