Thermal vacuum beam combiner test system and test method

Abstract

The present invention relates to the field of beam combiner technology, and specifically to a thermal vacuum beam combiner test system and test method, the method comprising the following steps: Step 1: Building a test environment; the present application controls a pump laser and a narrow linewidth laser through a power supply, monitors the optical power value output by the beam combiner in real time through a power meter, and a thermal vacuum tank simulates a vacuum environment. Step 2: Initializing test parameters; Step 3: Receive test parameters; Step 4: Perform a test and generate a test report. The present application ensures the smooth screening of the beam combiner and provides data support for the location of abnormal problems.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of beam combiners, and in particular to a thermal vacuum beam combiner testing system and a testing method. Background Art

[0002] The fiber combiner is a fiber device prepared on the basis of the fused tapered fiber bundle. It is a key component of the high-power fiber amplifier. Its performance directly affects the output power and stability of the high-power fiber amplifier. In addition, the fiber combiner prepared by the fused tapered method is prone to melting point failure due to the heat accumulation effect in the cone area in a thermal vacuum environment, resulting in output errors. During the screening test, if the light source cannot be cut off immediately, the optical fiber and the combiner will be severely burned. The prior art requires manual operation for testing and recording. For example, a combiner testing device and method proposed in Publication No. CN114486174A mainly relies on manual operation for testing and recording. How to construct an efficient testing method is a problem that needs to be solved at present. Summary of the invention

[0003] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to overcome the deficiencies of the prior art and provide a thermal vacuum beam combiner testing system and a testing method.

[0004] The technical solution adopted by the present invention to solve the technical problem is: the thermal vacuum beam combiner testing method comprises the following steps:

[0005] Step 1: Build a test environment; This application uses a power supply to control the pump laser and the narrow linewidth laser, uses a power meter to monitor the optical power value output by the beam combiner in real time, and uses a thermal vacuum tank to simulate a vacuum environment.

[0006] Step 2: Initialize test parameters;

[0007] Step 3: Receive test parameters;

[0008] Step 4: Perform tests and generate test reports.

[0009] The step 1 includes the following sub-steps:

[0010] 1-1: Place the beam combiner in a thermal vacuum tank to simulate a vacuum environment;

[0011] 1-2: Use the 940nm pump laser as the signal light source to fuse the pump laser pigtail with the pump fiber, lead the pump fiber out of the thermal vacuum tank through the optical channel, connect the power meter to monitor the optical power, connect the 940nm pump laser to the power supply, and connect the power supply and power meter to the host computer;

[0012] 1-3: Use 1550nm narrow linewidth laser as signal light source, and fuse it with signal fiber through flange, high-stable cladding power filter and gain fiber. Lead the signal fiber out of the thermal vacuum tank through the optical channel and connect it to extinction ratio tester for testing. Connect the 1550nm narrow linewidth laser to power supply, and connect the power supply and extinction ratio tester to the host computer.

[0013] 1-4: Test the pump coupling efficiency, signal insertion loss and extinction ratio of the laser that has passed the thermal vacuum screening. This application uses the following indicators to judge the qualification of the combiner: combiner stability, pump coupling efficiency, signal insertion loss and extinction ratio.

[0014] In 1-4, the eligibility of the stability of the beam combiner is determined by the fluctuation range of the output optical power of the beam combiner before and after a thermal vacuum cycle;

[0015] The coupling efficiency is judged by the optical power ratio of the 940nm pump laser before and after passing through the beam combiner;

[0016] The signal insertion loss qualification is judged by the power difference of the 1550nm narrow linewidth laser before and after passing through the beam combiner;

[0017] The extinction ratio of the combiner is judged by the measurement results of the extinction ratio tester.

[0018] The initialization test parameters in step 2 include port information and working parameters of the test equipment.

[0019] The working parameters of the test equipment include the parameter unit and accuracy of the power meter, the address and parameter accuracy of the power supply, the parameter accuracy of the thermal vacuum tank, and the parameter unit and mode of the extinction ratio tester.

[0020] The test parameters in step 3 include

[0021] Optical power protection threshold: as a condition for cutting off the pump light source;

[0022] Qualification judgment basis: as the basis for judging the screening results of the beam combiner;

[0023] Cycle end time: one cycle of beam combiner screening cycle is taken as the end time;

[0024] The environmental cycle conditions of the thermal vacuum tank include test pressure, test temperature range, temperature change rate, high and low temperature holding time, and number of cycles;

[0025] The power supply outputs operating voltage, operating current and output switch.

[0026] In step 4, the host computer records the optical power, voltage and current, and thermal vacuum state parameter values ​​in real time, and forms a test report to record the working status of the combiner in the entire operating environment, while also providing a traceability basis for problem tracking.

[0027] The step 4 includes the following sub-steps:

[0028] 4-1: Turn on the 940nm pump laser control power supply;

[0029] 4-2: Collect the power value of the power meter and determine whether the power value is less than the optical power protection threshold. If so, turn off the 940nm pump laser control power supply and generate an abnormal test report. Otherwise, go to 4-3.

[0030] 4-3: Determine whether the thermal vacuum cycle is completed. If so, go to 4-4, otherwise return to 4-2;

[0031] 4-4: Analyze the stability of the beam combiner in a thermal vacuum environment;

[0032] 4-5: Turn off the thermal vacuum tank cycle and collect the power value of the power meter;

[0033] 4-6: Calculate pump coupling efficiency and analyze eligibility;

[0034] 4-7: Turn off the power connected to the 940nm pump laser and turn on the power connected to the 1550nm narrow linewidth laser;

[0035] 4-8: Collect the power value of the power meter, calculate the signal insertion loss and analyze the eligibility;

[0036] 4-9: Turn on the extinction ratio tester, calculate the extinction ratio and analyze its eligibility;

[0037] 4-10: Close the test equipment and generate a test report.

[0038] The system applied to the above-mentioned thermal vacuum beam combiner testing method comprises a beam combiner located in a thermal vacuum tank, the beam combiner is connected to a plurality of testing devices, and the testing devices are connected to a host computer.

[0039] The test equipment comprises a pump laser, a narrow line width laser, a power meter and an extinction ratio tester. The pump laser and the narrow line width laser are connected to a power supply, and the power supply, the power meter and the extinction ratio tester are connected to a host computer.

[0040] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects: the present application obtains the monitoring data of the test instrument in real time according to the user-set conditions by responding to the start signal of a test cycle screened by the combiner, and determines whether the user-set conditions are met, and controls the corresponding operation of the test equipment and generates a test report according to the judgment result. By tracking and analyzing the execution process, monitoring process and abnormal handling process, the reliability test is smoothly carried out, and strong data support is provided for the location of abnormal problems;

[0041] This application relies on the host computer to control the test instrument to realize the automatic screening of beam combiners, and screens the beam combiners that are prone to problems based on the thermal vacuum environment;

[0042] This application increases the screening pressure for the identification of beam combiners, effectively eliminates unstable beam combiners caused by environmental influences and long-term work, and improves the quality assurance of beam combiners during use; and monitors the entire process and records and analyzes data to ensure the smooth screening of beam combiners, while providing data support for the location of abnormal problems;

[0043] The present application can not only improve the level of test automation, but also overcome the problem that the existing test platform requires the collaboration of multiple people including test software operators, instrument control operators and tested platform operators to carry out the test. The present invention provides a control system and method suitable for thermal vacuum combiner screening to improve test screening and reduce time, manpower and financial costs. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0044] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the connection of the system of the present invention;

[0045] Figure 2 The figure is a flow chart of the method of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0046] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0047] Reference Figure 2 , the thermal vacuum beam combiner test method comprises the following steps:

[0048] Step 1: Build a test environment; This application uses a power supply to control the pump laser and the narrow linewidth laser, uses a power meter to monitor the optical power value output by the beam combiner in real time, and uses a thermal vacuum tank to simulate a vacuum environment.

[0049] Specifically, the step 1 includes the following sub-steps:

[0050] 1-1: Place the beam combiner in a thermal vacuum tank to simulate a vacuum environment;

[0051] 1-2: Use the 940nm pump laser as the signal light source to fuse the pump laser pigtail with the pump fiber, lead the pump fiber out of the thermal vacuum tank through the optical channel, connect the power meter to monitor the optical power, connect the 940nm pump laser to the power supply, and connect the power supply and power meter to the host computer. During the combiner screening process, the combiner usually transmits a larger optical power, and the higher power density is an important reason for the melting point failure. In addition, the combiner will also generate heat accumulation when working, especially in a vacuum environment, which is also easy to cause melting point failure. However, at this time, the 940nm pump laser still outputs high power, but the output cannot be transmitted through the combiner, which will cause the optical fiber and the combiner to burn. Therefore, during the entire screening control process, it is crucial to quickly shut down the 940nm pump laser when the combiner failure is detected. When the combiner fails, Figure 1 It can be seen that light cannot pass through the optical fiber to the optical power meter. Therefore, the power when there is no light can be monitored by the optical power meter as the optical power protection threshold for the combiner screening.

[0052] 1-3: Use a 1550nm narrow linewidth laser as the signal light source and fuse it with the signal fiber through the flange, cladding power filter and gain fiber. Lead the signal fiber out of the thermal vacuum tank through the optical channel and connect it to the extinction ratio tester for testing. Connect the 1550nm narrow linewidth laser to the power supply, and connect the power supply and extinction ratio tester to the host computer.

[0053] 1-4: Perform pump coupling efficiency, signal insertion loss and extinction ratio tests on the lasers that have passed the thermal vacuum screening.

[0054] This application judges the eligibility of the combiner through the following indicators: combiner stability, pump coupling efficiency, signal insertion loss and extinction ratio.

[0055] In 1-4, the stability of the beam combiner is determined by the fluctuation range of the output optical power of the beam combiner before and after a thermal vacuum cycle; the specific calculation formula is S=((Pmax-Pmin) / (Pmax+Pmin))×100%, where S is the fluctuation range of the output power of the beam combiner, Pmax is the maximum output power in this cycle, and Pmin is the minimum output power in this cycle. S<=±2% determines the stability of the beam combiner to be qualified.

[0056] The coupling efficiency is determined by the optical power ratio of the 940nm pump laser before and after the beam combiner. The calculation formula is: EF = (P2 / P1) × 100%, where EF is the pump coupling efficiency, P1 is the output optical power of the pump laser, and P2 is the output optical power of the pump fiber. EF>=93% determines that the coupling efficiency is qualified.

[0057] The signal insertion loss qualification is judged by the power difference of the 1550nm narrow linewidth laser before and after passing through the beam combiner; the calculation formula is: IL=-10log(P4 / P3), where IL is the signal insertion loss, P3 is the output optical power of the 1550nm narrow linewidth laser, and P4 is the output optical power of the signal fiber. IL<= 0.7dB is used to judge the signal insertion loss qualification.

[0058] The extinction ratio of the combiner is judged by the measurement results of the extinction ratio tester.

[0059] Step 2: Initialize test parameters; the test parameters initialized in step 2 include port information and working parameters of the test equipment.

[0060] The working parameters of the test equipment include the parameter unit and accuracy of the power meter, the address and parameter accuracy of the power supply, the parameter accuracy of the thermal vacuum tank, and the parameter unit and mode of the extinction ratio tester.

[0061] Step 3: Receive test parameters; the test parameters in step 3 include

[0062] Optical power protection threshold: as a condition for cutting off the pump light source;

[0063] Qualification judgment basis: as the basis for judging the screening results of the beam combiner;

[0064] Cycle end time: one cycle of beam combiner screening cycle is taken as the end time;

[0065] The environmental cycle conditions of the thermal vacuum tank include test pressure, test temperature range, temperature change rate, high and low temperature holding time, and number of cycles;

[0066] The power supply outputs operating voltage, operating current and output switch.

[0067] Step 4: Perform tests and generate test reports.

[0068] In step 4, the host computer records the optical power, voltage and current, thermal vacuum state and other parameter values ​​in real time, and forms a test report to record the working status of the combiner in the entire operating environment, and also provides a traceability basis for problem tracking.

[0069] The step 4 includes the following sub-steps:

[0070] 4-1: Turn on the 940nm pump laser control power supply;

[0071] 4-2: Collect the power value of the power meter and determine whether the power value is less than the optical power protection threshold. If so, turn off the 940nm pump laser control power supply and generate an abnormal test report. Otherwise, go to 4-3.

[0072] 4-3: Determine whether the thermal vacuum cycle is completed. If so, go to 4-4, otherwise return to 4-2;

[0073] 4-4: Analyze the stability of the beam combiner in a thermal vacuum environment; S<=±2% is used to determine whether the beam combiner is stable enough.

[0074] 4-5: Turn off the thermal vacuum tank cycle and collect the power value of the power meter;

[0075] 4-6: Calculate the pump coupling efficiency and analyze its eligibility; EF>=93% determines that the coupling efficiency is qualified.

[0076] 4-7: Turn off the power connected to the 940nm pump laser and turn on the power connected to the 1550nm narrow linewidth laser;

[0077] 4-8: Collect the power value of the power meter, calculate the signal insertion loss and analyze the eligibility; IL<= 0.7dB is considered to be qualified.

[0078] 4-9: Turn on the extinction ratio tester, calculate the extinction ratio and analyze its eligibility;

[0079] 4-10: Close the test equipment and generate a test report.

[0080] Reference Figure 1 , a system applied to the above-mentioned thermal vacuum combiner testing method includes a combiner located in a thermal vacuum tank, the combiner is connected to a plurality of testing devices, and the testing devices are connected to a host computer.

[0081] The test equipment includes a pump laser, a narrow linewidth laser, a thermal vacuum tank, a power supply, a power meter, and an extinction ratio tester. The present application connects the thermal vacuum tank, the power supply, the power meter, and the extinction ratio tester to a host computer via a communication line, and controls the above-mentioned test equipment through the host computer.

[0082] This application specifies that the control mode of the test instrument is an interface communication mode, including serial port, USB, GPIB, VXI, etc. to obtain the test instrument control test interface, and the description information set includes the basic information of the test instrument such as name, serial number, etc., as well as the command frame format, type and symbol description of the control command set. According to the control requirements to be realized, the parameters required to be controlled by the test instrument include interface communication mode, test instrument address coding, test instrument command control type, command frame parameter control, response frame parameter analysis, etc. The programming control of the test instrument involved forms an integrated control software, namely the host computer. The host computer intuitively converts the user input parameters into instrument parameter control instructions to realize instrument control. In addition, the host computer obtains the status information of the test instrument in real time, including the voltage, current, and power of the power supply, the real-time power value and the maximum power of the optical power meter. The user can input the qualification judgment basis and monitoring protection measurement threshold of the combiner screening. The host computer compares and evaluates the status information of the test instrument with the user input parameters in real time, and finally generates the test report data.

[0083] The present application uses testing instruments to build a system suitable for thermal vacuum combiner screening, which effectively reduces the possibility of failure of the combiner in high-power optical amplifiers, ensures the versatility of the combiner after thermal vacuum screening, and also improves the automation level of thermal vacuum combiner screening testing.

[0084] The above descriptions are only optional embodiments of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the patent scope of the present invention. All equivalent structural changes made using the contents of the present invention specification under the inventive concept of the present invention, or direct / indirect applications in other related technical fields are included in the patent protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A thermal vacuum beam combiner testing method, characterized in that: The steps include: Step 1: Building a test environment; Step 1 includes the following sub-steps: 1-1: Place the beam combiner in a thermal vacuum tank to simulate a vacuum environment; 1-2: Use the 940nm pump laser as the signal light source to fuse the pump laser pigtail with the pump fiber, lead the pump fiber out of the thermal vacuum tank through the optical channel, connect the power meter to monitor the optical power, connect the 940nm pump laser to the power supply, and connect the power supply and power meter to the host computer; 1-3: Use a 1550nm narrow linewidth laser as the signal light source and fuse it with the signal fiber through the flange, cladding power filter and gain fiber. Lead the signal fiber out of the thermal vacuum tank through the optical channel and connect it to the extinction ratio tester for testing. Connect the 1550nm narrow linewidth laser to the power supply, and connect the power supply and extinction ratio tester to the host computer. 1-4: Test the pump coupling efficiency, signal insertion loss and extinction ratio of the laser that has passed the thermal vacuum screening; Step 2: Initialize test parameters; Step 3: Receive test parameters; The test parameters in step 3 include Optical power protection threshold: as a condition for cutting off the pump light source; Qualification judgment basis: as the basis for judging the screening results of the beam combiner; Cycle end time: one cycle of beam combiner screening cycle is taken as the end time; The environmental cycle conditions of the thermal vacuum tank include test pressure, test temperature range, temperature change rate, high and low temperature holding time, and number of cycles; Power supply output operating voltage, operating current and output switch; Step 4: Perform a test and generate a test report; in step 4, the host computer records the optical power, voltage and current, and thermal vacuum state parameter values ​​in real time to form a test report to record the working state of the combiner in the entire operating environment; step 4 includes the following sub-steps: 4-1: Turn on the 940nm pump laser control power supply; 4-2: Collect the power value of the power meter and determine whether the power value is less than the optical power protection threshold. If so, turn off the 940nm pump laser control power supply and generate an abnormal test report. Otherwise, go to 4-3. 4-3: Determine whether the thermal vacuum cycle is completed. If so, go to 4-4, otherwise return to 4-2; 4-4: Analyze the stability of the beam combiner in a thermal vacuum environment; 4-5: Turn off the thermal vacuum tank cycle and collect the power value of the power meter; 4-6: Calculate pump coupling efficiency and analyze eligibility; 4-7: Turn off the power connected to the 940nm pump laser and turn on the power connected to the 1550nm narrow linewidth laser; 4-8: Collect the power value of the power meter, calculate the signal insertion loss and analyze the eligibility; 4-9: Turn on the extinction ratio tester, calculate the extinction ratio and analyze its eligibility; 4-10: Close the test equipment and generate a test report.

2. The thermal vacuum beam combiner testing method according to claim 1, characterized in that: In 1-4, the eligibility of the stability of the beam combiner is determined by the fluctuation range of the output optical power of the beam combiner before and after a thermal vacuum cycle; The coupling efficiency is judged by the optical power ratio of the 940nm pump laser before and after passing through the beam combiner; The signal insertion loss qualification is judged by the power difference of the 1550nm narrow linewidth laser before and after passing through the beam combiner; The extinction ratio of the combiner is judged by the measurement results of the extinction ratio tester.

3. The thermal vacuum beam combiner testing method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The initialization test parameters in step 2 include port information and working parameters of the test equipment.

4. The thermal vacuum beam combiner testing method according to claim 3, characterized in that: The working parameters of the test equipment include the parameter unit and accuracy of the power meter, the address and parameter accuracy of the power supply, the parameter accuracy of the thermal vacuum tank, and the parameter unit and mode of the extinction ratio tester.

5. Thermal vacuum beam combiner test system, characterized in that: It includes a beam combiner located in a thermal vacuum tank, the beam combiner is connected to a plurality of test devices, and the test devices are connected to a host computer; The test equipment includes a pump laser, a narrow line width laser, a power meter and an extinction ratio tester, the pump laser and the narrow line width laser are connected to a power supply, and the power supply, the power meter and the extinction ratio tester are connected to a host computer; The thermal vacuum beam combiner testing system executes the thermal vacuum beam combiner testing method according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

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