Reliability problems of passive optical devices and modules after mechanical, thermal and humidity testing

The market of passive optical devices is evolving rapidly. New technologies are introduced that have not proven yet long-term reliability in the field. Additional challenges arise from packaging of the modules that have not always been taken into account appropriately. The report is based on our test results over the last years on a reasonable number of different components and optical modules. The relevant tests and the found out failure modes are discussed with respect to the different technologies. Some precautions that should be observed during design and manufacturing phase are named. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.