EN ISO 17526:2003

SLOVENSKI STANDARD
01-november-2003
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Optics and optical instruments - Lasers and laser-related equipment - Lifetime of lasers
(ISO 17526:2003)
Optik und optische Instrumente - Laser und Laseranlagen - Lebensdauer von Lasern
(ISO 17526:2003)
Optique et instruments d'optique - Lasers et équipements associés aux lasers - Durée de
vie des lasers (ISO 17526:2003)
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: EN ISO 17526:2003
ICS:
31.260 Optoelektronika, laserska Optoelectronics. Laser
oprema equipment
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

EUROPEAN STANDARD
EN ISO 17526
NORME EUROPÉENNE
EUROPÄISCHE NORM
June 2003
ICS 31.260
English version
Optics and optical instruments - Lasers and laser-related
equipment - Lifetime of lasers (ISO 17526:2003)
Optique et instruments d'optique - Lasers et équipements Laser und Laseranlagen - Lebensdauer von Lasern (ISO
associés aux lasers - Durée de vie des lasers (ISO 17526:2003)
17526:2003)
This European Standard was approved by CEN on 20 May 2003.
CEN members are bound to comply with the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations which stipulate the conditions for giving this European
Standard the status of a national standard without any alteration. Up-to-date lists and bibliographical references concerning such national
standards may be obtained on application to the Management Centre or to any CEN member.
This European Standard exists in three official versions (English, French, German). A version in any other language made by translation
under the responsibility of a CEN member into its own language and notified to the Management Centre has the same status as the official
versions.
CEN members are the national standards bodies of Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece,
Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and United
Kingdom.
EUROPEAN COMMITTEE FOR STANDARDIZATION
COMITÉ EUROPÉEN DE NORMALISATION
EUROPÄISCHES KOMITEE FÜR NORMUNG
Management Centre: rue de Stassart, 36  B-1050 Brussels
© 2003 CEN All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved Ref. No. EN ISO 17526:2003 E
worldwide for CEN national Members.

CORRECTED  2003-07-16
Foreword
This document (EN ISO 17526:2003) has been prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 176
"Quality management and quality assurance" in collaboration with Technical Committee CEN/TC
123 "Lasers and laser-related equipment", the secretariat of which is held by DIN.
This European Standard shall be given the status of a national standard, either by publication of
an identical text or by endorsement, at the latest by December 2003, and conflicting national
standards shall be withdrawn at the latest by December 2003.
According to the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations, the national standards organizations of
the following countries are bound to implement this European Standard: Austria, Belgium, Czech
Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy,
Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and
the United Kingdom.
Endorsement notice
The text of ISO 17526:2003 has been approved by CEN as EN ISO 17526:2003 without any
modifications.
NOTE Normative references to International Standards are listed in Annex ZA (normative).
Annex ZA
(normative)
Normative references to international publications
with their relevant European publications
This European Standard incorporates by dated or undated reference, provisions from other
publications. These normative references are cited at the appropriate places in the text and the
publications are listed hereafter. For dated references, subsequent amendments to or revisions of
any of these publications apply to this European Standard only when incorporated in it by
amendment or revision. For undated references the latest edition of the publication referred to
applies (including amendments).
NOTE Where an International Publication has been modified by common modifications, indicated
by (mod.), the relevant EN/HD applies.
Publication Year Title EN Year
ISO 11145 2001 Optics and optical instruments - Lasers EN ISO 11145 2001
and laser-related equipment -
Vocabulary and symbols
ISO 11554 2003 Optics and optical instruments - Lasers EN ISO 11554 2003
and laser-related equipment - Test
methods for laser beam power, energy
and temporal characteristics
INTERNATIONAL ISO
STANDARD 17526
First edition
2003-06-15
Optics and optical instruments — Lasers
and laser-related equipment — Lifetime
of lasers
Optique et instruments d'optique — Lasers et équipements associés
aux lasers — Durée de vie des lasers

Reference number
ISO 17526:2003(E)
©
ISO 2003
ISO 17526:2003(E)
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ii © ISO 2003 — All rights reserved

ISO 17526:2003(E)
Contents Page
Foreword. iv
Introduction . v
1 Scope. 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions. 1
3.1 Modes of operation . 1
3.2 Operating conditions . 2
3.3 Lifetime related terms. 3
3.4 Types and classification. 5
3.5 Others. 5
4 Symbols and abbreviated terms. 6
4.1 Symbols . 6
4.2 Abbreviated terms. 6
5 Test methods. 6
5.1 General. 6
5.2 Selection of lasers for lifetime testing . 7
5.3 Lifetime test in APPC- and ACC-mode . 7
5.4 Lifetime test at APC-mode . 7
5.5 Lifetime tests at limited aperture. 8
6 Evaluation and extrapolation. 8
7 Test report. 10
Bibliography . 12

ISO 17526:2003(E)
Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards bodies
(ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out through ISO
technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical committee has been
established has the right to be represented on that committee. International organizations, governmental and
non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work. ISO collaborates closely with the
International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of electrotechnical standardization.
International Standards are drafted in accordance with the rules given in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2.
The main task of technical committees is to prepare International Standards. Draft International Standards
adopted by the technical committees are circulated to the member bodies for voting. Publication as an
International Standard requires approval by at least 75 % of the member bodies casting a vote.
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of patent
rights. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
ISO 17526 was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 172, Optics and optical instruments, Subcommittee
SC 9, Electro-optical systems.
iv © ISO 2003 — All rights reserved

ISO 17526:2003(E)
Introduction
There are many different types of lasers with very different attributes and very different areas of application;
not all types of lasers can be treated by the same means and measures to characterize and specify their
longterm behaviour and lifetime.
This International Standard covers many types of laser, but not all methods and procedures can be applied to
all types.
There are lasers, primarily laser diodes in the lower power range, which are produced in large quantities and
which allow the performance of lifetime tests on large quantities to gain results on a statistically significant
level. In this case and if more than approximately 50 lasers are used for testing, lifetime predictions using
informative annex B of IEC 61751:1998, may be applied alternatively to this International Standard.
High-power lasers are manufactured in low quantities and lifetime tests cannot be carried out on statistically
significant sample sizes.
There are types of laser of which the main components cannot be repaired, e.g. sealed-tube gas lasers or
semiconductor lasers. There are others that can easily be repaired, e.g. CO lasers. The former class may be
characterized by “lifetime”, the latter more appropriately characterized by “meantime to failure”.
INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO 17526:2003(E)

Optics and optical instruments — Lasers and laser-related
equipment — Lifetime of lasers
1 Scope
This International Standard covers terms and definitions as well as test methods and evaluation procedures to
characterize, estimate and predict the longterm behaviour of various types of lasers.
This International Standard defines terms for the lifetime of lasers and specifies test procedures and
fundamental aspects for the determination of lifetime. It applies for all types of lasers for which lifetime is a
critical issue, including diode lasers except those used in telecommunications.
2 Normative references
The following referenced documents are indispensable for the application of this document. For dated
references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references, the latest edition of the referenced
document (including any amendments) applies.
ISO 11145:2001, Optics and optical instruments — Lasers and laser-related equipment — Vocabulary and
symbols
ISO 11554:2003, Optics and optical instruments — Lasers and laser-related equipment — Test methods for
laser beam power, energy and temporal characteristics
IEC 60050-191:1990, International Electrotechnical Vocabulary. Chapter 191: Dependability and quality of
service
IEC 61703:2001, Mathematical expressions for reliability, availability, maintainability and maintenance support
terms
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in ISO 11145 and the following apply.
NOTE For simplicity, in all following parts of this International Standard the term “power” refers to cw or repetitive-cw
mode, whereas “energy“ refers to pulse and quasi-cw mode.
3.1 Modes of operation
NOTE 1 The following modes of operation define the temporal and pulsed characteristics of the laser.
NOTE 2 There might be modes of operation that are not covered by the subsequent classification. These modes
should be described in detail in the test report.
3.1.1
cw-mode
mode where the laser emits radiation continuously over periods of time longer than or equal to 0,25 s
ISO 17526:2003(E)
3.1.2
repetitive cw-mode
mode in which the laser is operated in cw-mode but repetitively switched on and off more than once per
minute
3.1.3
pulsed mode
mode in which the laser delivers its energy in the form of a single pulse or a train of pulses
NOTE 1 The duration of a pulse is shorter than 0,25 s.
NOTE 2 The subsequently defined modes of operation (3.1.4 to 3.1.7) are special cases of pulsed mode.
3.1.4
pulse train mode
mode in which the laser emits at least 100 subsequent radiation pulses (pulse duration < 0,25 s) at a
continuous pulse repetition rate
3.1.5
single pulse mode
mode in which the laser emits single pulses at low repetition rate, i.e. the laser medium has reached its
equilibrium state between subsequent pulses
NOTE The laser is considered to be in its state of equilibrium, if each pulse is identical to the first pulse after switch-
on of the laser in all characteristics that are relevant for the intended application.
3.1.6
burst pulse mode
mode in which a pulsed laser beam emitting at a fixed pulse repetition rate f is repetitively switched on and
P
off, where each burst contains at least two pulses and the time interval between two bursts is at least 2 × the
inverse of the pulse repetition rate
3.1.7
quasi-cw-mode
mode in which the duration of the laser radiation is so long that the laser active material has reached its
optical but not its thermal equilibrium
NOTE For some laser types (especially diode lasers and diode laser based devices) this operation mode is relevant.
3.2 Operating conditions
NOTE 1 In the following definitions different modes of long-term operation are defined under which a lifetime test is
performed.
NOTE 2 For simplicity, in the subsequent clauses, only the term “laser” is used, although the respective definitions and
methods might also refer to laser devices, laser units, laser modules, etc. in accordance with 3.4.
3.2.1
automatic pump power control mode
APPC-mode
mode in which the laser is operated at a constant, automatically controlled pump power (energy) with all other
operating conditions (e.g. temperature) being kept constant
NOTE For optically pumped lasers, e.g. solid-state lasers, the operating current for the arc lamps or pump diodes is
adjusted to compensate for degradation of the pump source.
2 © ISO 2003 — All rights reserved

ISO 17526:2003(E)
3.2.2
automatic current control mode
ACC-mode
mode in which the laser is operated at constant, automatically controlled operation current with all other
operating conditions (e.g. temperature) being kept constant
NOTE ACC-mode is only applicable for lasers with current-controlled output power, e.g. arc lamp pumped solid-state-
lasers, some types of gas lasers or diode lasers. For certain types of lasers, an automatic voltage control mode (AVC-
mode) may also be applied.
3.2.3
automatic power control mode
APC-mode
mode in which the laser is operated at constant automatic controlled optical output power (energy) by
adjusting the pump power (energy) (e.g. operation current or optical pump power) with all other operating
conditions (e.g. temperature) being kept constant
3.2.4
user selected mode
mode in which the laser is operated at constant user-accessible settings
NOTE Examples of the parameters to be held on a constant level are: the current of the exciting discharge of a gas
laser, the current of the flashlamp of a solid state laser, the current of a diode laser, pump power or pump energy.
3.3 Lifetime related terms
3.3.1
time to failure
TTF
total time duration of operating time of an item, from the instant it is first put in an up state, until failure or from
the instant of restoration until next failure
[IEC 60050-191-10-02:1990]
NOTE If time to failure refers to a significant component or subsystem of the laser, this should be stated with the
TTF-statement.
3.3.2
mean time to failure
MTTF
expectation of the time to failure
[IEC 60050-191-12-07:1990]
3.3.3
availability
ability of an item to be in a state to perform a required function under given conditions at a given instant of
time or over a given time interval, assuming that the required external resources are provided
NOTE 1 This ability depends on the combined aspects of the reliability performance, the maintainability performance
and the maintenance support performance.
NOTE 2 Required external resources, other than maintenance resources do not affect the availability performance of
the item.
NOTE 3 In French, the term "disponibilité" is also used in the sense of "instantaneous availability".
[IEC 60050-191-02-05:1990]
NOTE 4 See also IEC 6
...