Physical mechanisms involved during transient irradiation of a 1300 nm laser diode.

The behavior of a commercial 1300 nm laser diode under transient irradiatio ns is studied to validate the use of an optical data link in a radiative en vironment. A Nd:YAG laser is used to simulate the irradiation without any p ermanent damage, Two specific wavelengths are selected: 1064 nm which allow s a selective excitation of the laser cavity simulating transient effects o f a single particle and 532 nm which interacts with the whole device. The t emporal response of the diode is first observed and its shape is interprete d as a function of the physical structure of the device. Then the variation of the time of return to equilibrium after a perturbation is presented as a function of bias current. The limitations on the optical links for both a nalogue and digital applications are then discussed.