Changes in output characteristics of broad-band superluminescent diodes in the process of long-term operation

Methods and results of reliability tests of SQW broad-band superluminescent diodes (SLD-37 series), widely used in optical coherence tomography (OCT) are presented. Main attention was paid to the alteration of SLD spectral characteristics in the aging process. It is shown that the usage of these methods in the input control of processed epiwafers deployed in the production of active elements for SLD-modules ensures the estimation of their expected life time (MTTF).