IEC 61291-5-2:2017

IEC 61291-5-2 ®
Edition 2.0 2017-01
INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
Optical amplifiers –
Part 5-2: Qualification specifications – Reliability qualification for optical fibre
amplifiers
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IEC 61291-5-2 ®
Edition 2.0 2017-01
INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
Optical amplifiers –
Part 5-2: Qualification specifications – Reliability qualification for optical fibre

amplifiers
INTERNATIONAL
ELECTROTECHNICAL
COMMISSION
ICS 33.180.30 ISBN 978-2-8322-3855-4

– 2 – IEC 61291-5-2:2017 © IEC 2017
CONTENTS
FOREWORD . 3
1 Scope . 5
2 Normative references . 5
3 Terms, definitions and abbreviated terms . 6
3.1 Terms and definitions . 6
3.2 Abbreviated terms . 6
4 Reliability requirements . 7
4.1 Tests . 7
4.1.1 General . 7
4.1.2 Reliability qualification of components . 7
4.1.3 Reliability qualification of the OFA assembly process . 8
4.1.4 Reliability qualification of the OFA device or sub-system . 8
4.1.5 Structural similarity . 10
Annex A (normative) Procedures for reliability testing of OFA components . 11
A.1 General . 11
A.2 Tests required for passive optical components . 11
A.3 Tests required for the doped fibre . 11
Annex B (informative) Reliability calculations . 12
B.1 Reliability calculation . 12
B.2 Guidance on failure rate calculations . 13
Bibliography . 14

Table 1 – Minimum test list for passive optical components, pump laser modules,
monitor diode modules and optical connectors . 7
Table 2 – Minimum test list for doped fibre . 8
Table 3 – Tests required for splices . 8
Table 4 – Minimum list for tests required on OFA devices and sub-systems . 9
Table A.1 – Tests required for the doped fibre . 11
Table B.1 – Failure rate of components . 13

INTERNATIONAL ELECTROTECHNICAL COMMISSION
____________
OPTICAL AMPLIFIERS –
Part 5-2: Qualification specifications – Reliability qualification
for optical fibre amplifiers
FOREWORD
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International Standard IEC 61291-5-2 has been prepared by subcommittee 86C: Fibre optic
systems and active devices, of IEC technical committee 86: Fibre optics.
This second edition cancels and replaces the first edition published in 2002. It constitutes a
technical revision.
This edition includes the following significant technical changes with respect to the previous
edition:
a) removal of the contents on the relating quality management system from scope, terms and
definitions, and the reliability requirements;
b) moving fit-rate calculation to Annex B (informative);
c) change of requirements for shock test;
d) amendment of abbreviations related to changes a) and b).

– 4 – IEC 61291-5-2:2017 © IEC 2017
The text of this International Standard is based on the following documents:
CDV Report on voting
86C/1376/CDV 86C/1426/RVC
Full information on the voting for the approval of this International Standard can be found in
the report on voting indicated in the above table.
This document has been drafted in accordance with the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2.
A list of all parts in the IEC 61291 series, published under the general title Optical amplifiers,
can be found on the IEC website.
The committee has decided that the contents of this document will remain unchanged until the
stability date indicated on the IEC website under "http://webstore.iec.ch" in the data related to
the specific document. At this date, the document will be
• reconfirmed,
• withdrawn,
• replaced by a revised edition, or
• amended.
A bilingual version of this publication may be issued at a later date.
The contents of the corrigendum of May 2019 have been included in this copy.

OPTICAL AMPLIFIERS –
Part 5-2: Qualification specifications – Reliability qualification
for optical fibre amplifiers
1 Scope
This part of IEC 61291 applies to optical amplifiers (OAs) and optically amplified, elementary
sub-systems for terrestrial applications, using active fibres (optical fibre amplifiers (OFAs))
containing rare-earth dopants, which are commercially available.
The black box approach is used in this document. The black box approach is adopted in order
to give product specifications which are independent of OA implementation details. For
reliability qualification purposes, some information about the internal components is needed;
these internal parts are themselves treated as black boxes. This document gives
requirements for the evaluation of OA reliability by combining the reliability of such internal
black boxes.
The object of this document is to specify the minimum list of reliability qualification tests,
requirements on failure criteria during testing and on reliability predictions, and give the
relevant normative references to establish a standard method for the assessment of the
reliability of OFA devices and sub-systems in order to minimize risks and to promote product
development and reliability qualification.
2 Normative references
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their
content constitutes requirements 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.
IEC 60050-731, International Electrotechnical Vocabulary – Chapter 731: Optical fibre
communication
IEC 60068-2-2:2007, Environmental testing – Part 2-2: Tests – Test B: Dry heat
IEC 60068-2-14, Environmental testing – Part 2-14: Tests – Test N: Change of temperature
IEC 60068-2-21, Environmental testing – Part 2-21: Tests – Test U: Robustness of
terminations and integral mounting devices
IEC 60068-2-27, Environmental testing – Part 2-27: Tests – Test Ea and guidance: Shock
IEC 60068-2-31, Tests – Test Ec: Rough handling shocks, primarily for equipment-type
specimens
IEC 60068-2-78, Environmental testing – Part 2-78: Tests – Test Cab: Damp heat, steady
state
IEC 61291-1, Optical fibre amplifiers – Part 1: Generic specification

– 6 – IEC 61291-5-2:2017 © IEC 2017
IEC 61300-2-4, Fibre optic interconnecting devices and passive components – Basic test and
measurement procedures – Part 2-4: Tests – Fibre/cable retention
IEC
...