Dec 11 2014
Daylight Solutions, Inc. announced today the company has reached two major milestones as part of its ongoing reliability characterization and growth program for quantum cascade laser (QCL) technology. Over 1 million hours of QCL device operation, and over 250,000 hours of fully packaged QCL module operation have been accumulated as part of this program.
All units under test were sampled from high-yield, commercial production. The units maintained optical power levels above specifications throughout the test, and continue to operate without failure.
Over eighty (80) individual QCLs sampled from five different epitaxial wafers are being evaluated as part of the current reliability characterization program. Lasers are running in both continuous-wave (CW) and pulsed (quasi-CW) modes of operation to explore the reliability effects of each operating condition.
While some of the devices are operating at standard room temperature, the majority of the tests are being conducted with the QCL devices running at a higher temperature of 60 degrees Celsius. Elevating the device operating temperature has been demonstrated to accelerate the aging effects of standard group III-V semiconductor diode lasers, and creates an added stress component for these tests.
In practice, the thermal management system of the QCL-based products will maintain device temperatures around 25 degrees Celsius while allowing the ambient temperature to increase beyond 71 degrees Celsius while maintaining performance.
“The achievement of this milestone demonstrates the inherent reliability of our QCL technology,” said Dr. Timothy Day, CEO for Daylight Solutions. “Our team is committed to the continuous execution of reliability growth programs to support the demanding requirements of our customers.”
Daylight Solutions and its wholly owned subsidiary Daylight Defense, LLC, continue to integrate their QCL “light engines” into a variety of products that serve commercial and defense markets. The company’s modular design approach allows for new capabilities to be transitioned into new products rapidly, reducing the cycle-time from design to deployment.
About Daylight Solutions
Daylight Solutions develops molecular detection and imaging systems for use in scientific research, life sciences, industrial process control, and defense applications. The company is the world leader in mid-infrared laser based solutions, with a line of broadly tunable and fixed wavelength laser sources and sensors that utilize mid-infrared spectroscopy.
About Daylight Defense
Daylight Defense, a wholly owned subsidiary of Daylight Solutions, manufactures high power mid-infrared laser based systems for defense and homeland security applications. The company provides mid-wave (MWIR) and long-wave (LWIR) thermal laser pointers, sensors for stand-off detection of explosives and chemical agents, and high power illuminators for infrared countermeasures (IRCM), thermal imaging, and aiming. Daylight Defense is the world leader in military systems based on quantum cascade laser (QCL) technology.
Source: http://www.daylightsolutions.com/