Coupled radiation and temperature effects on Erbium-doped fiber amplifiers

Combined radiation and temperature effects on the performances of three different Erbium-doped fiber amplifiers (EDFAs) have been evaluated for free-space optical communications. Each EDFA has been tested during and after an exposure to 40 keV X-rays up to a cumulated dose of 3 kGy (SiO2) (300 krad) and at a dose rate of similar to 0.27 Gy (SiO2)/s. Tests have been done at different temperatures of irradiation ranging from -40 degrees C to 120 degrees C showing that this parameter does not significantly affect the EDFA radiation response, comforting the pertinence of room temperature tests for system vulnerability evaluation.