Multi-Component Model for Semiconductor Laser Degradation

The physical mechanisms underlying semiconductor laser degradation are complicated and nonlinear. The observed aging behavior often possesses multiple failure modes that exhibit composite nonlinear trends over aging time. This complicated aging behavior leads to many proposed device-specific and failure mode-specific aging laws that are, in large measure, empirical in nature and often contradictory. In this chapter, we review a multicomponent degradation model that incorporates a Verhulst-Pearl view of defect generation into the physical law, that describes the threshold level of lasers. The outcome of this innovative approach establishes a unified model that explains the observed linear and nonlinear degradation modes, and provides a more organized understanding of the physics behind device degradation. Moreover, it helps unravel composite nonlinear degradation behavior and identify common driving mechanisms in many seemingly unrelated degradation behaviors.