Erbium doped fiber amplifiers for operation in harsh environments

这个为期两年的项目旨在通过原位合成掺铒纳米颗粒（Er-np）来最大限度地减少在恶劣环境下掺铒光纤放大器（EDFAs）的降解，该纳米颗粒具有优异的抗伽马辐射能力。将使用三种互补的方法来激活光纤芯内er掺杂剂的聚集：高温热处理，光学/激光照射和电子束退火，所有这些都在我们的工业合作伙伴MPB技术公司的可行性参数范围内。我们提议的研究还包括在edfa上沉积保护涂层，由纯重金属或聚合物-金属混合物制成，这是我们的第二个工业合作伙伴Plasmionique Inc.的专长。使用传统和经典的热处理方法是受到我们之前在熔融二氧化硅中合成Si和Ge np的工作的启发，表明np的尺寸和密度都可以通过退火参数（如温度、时间和气体环境）来控制。基于光照射的技术将使用UV/IR灯、连续或脉冲激光进行。这些激发源已被用于制备铒发射中心，其光致发光性质与热合成的铒np相似。至于电子束退火实验，已经被用于生产Er-np，它们将首先使用电子显微镜的光束进行，以指导我们走向原型装置的概念，这将很容易转移到MPB。MPB购买的所有商业edfa将在INRS进行处理，并进行表征以进行优化。这些研究活动包括在不同的辐射照射下测试edfa。我们的最终目标是使用与MPB和Plasmionique设备兼容的制造技术开发原型设备，用于卫星或空间探索模块。预期的影响将导致对各种外部激发引起的化学和光学变化的知识的进步，包括二氧化硅内部原子扩散的动力学，以及在恶劣环境下可操作的新型和更耐辐射的edfa的高效制造工艺的发展。

This two year project aims to minimize the degradation of Er-doped Fibre Amplifiers (EDFAs) under harsh environment by in situ synthesis of erbium-doped nanoparticles (Er-np), which exhibit superior resistance to gamma radiation. Three complementary approaches will be used to activate the clustering of Er-dopant within the fiber core: high temperature thermal treatment, optical/laser irradiation, and e-beam annealing, all within the feasibility parameters of our industrial partner, MPB Technologies Inc. Our proposed research also includes the deposition of protective coatings on EDFAs, made of pure heavy metal or polymer-metal mixtures, which is the specialty of our second industrial partner, Plasmionique Inc. The use of a conventional and classical heating treatment is inspired from our previous work on the synthesis of Si and Ge np in fused silica, showing that both np dimension and density can be controlled by the annealing parameters, such as temperature, time and gas environment. Techniques based on light irradiation will be performed using UV/IR lamps, continuous or pulsed lasers. These excitation sources have already been employed to produce Er emitting centers, whose photoluminescence properties are similar to those of thermally synthesized Er-np. As for the e-beam annealing experiments, which have already been employed to produce Er-np, they will be first performed using the beam of an electron microscope, to guide us towards the conception of a prototype set-up that will be easily transferable to MPB. All commercial EDFAs purchased by MPB will be treated at INRS, and characterized for optimization. These research activities include the testing of EDFAs under different radiation exposures. Our ultimate goal is to develop prototype devices using fabrication techniques compatible with MPB's and Plasmionique's facilities, for implementation in satellites or space explorer modules. The expected impact will result in advancing knowledge on the chemical and optical changes induced by various external excitations, including the kinetics of atomic diffusion within silica, and the development of high efficiency processes for the fabrication of new and more radiation-resistant EDFAs operable in harsh environments.