Short Courses

SC294 Qualification Programs for Fiber-Optic Components

Monday, February 25, 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
David Maack; Intel Corporation, USA

Level: Advanced Beginner (basic understanding of topic is necessary to follow course material)

Course Description
This is a course about qualification programs for fiber optic components. It will start with defining the differences between performance specifications, qualification programs, and reliability studies and the overlap that many times occurs. Particular attention will focus on a ‘letter of the law’ interpretation of the various standards and standards bodies including Telcordia, the IEC, the TIA and others. Multiple spreadsheets showing comparison of the various standards will be presented. Attribute type data (pass or fail) will be explained as a key ingredient of any qualification program. The various tests, measurements and pass/fail criteria will be covered as to what they mean, what they measure, what is their history (where known), why they may or may not be important, and how they relate to reliability and field performance. The essential components of a qual program will also be described with close attention to measurements. Time will also be spent on how to read and interpret the data.

Benefits and Learning Objectives
This course should enable you to:

• Understand the difference between performance, qualification and reliability testing.
• Discuss and learn what constitutes a complete qualification program.
• Appreciate what each of the tests really tests for and its limitations.
• See detailed charts comparing different qualification standards.
• Get EXCEL spreadsheets of standards comparison charts by email.
• See author’s interpretation of the “letter of the law” for the most popular standards.

Intended Audience
This is intended for a general audience with no particular background except an interest in or need of knowledge of programs for fiber optic components. It is meant to impart valuable information to audiences of all levels.

Instructor Biography
David Maack has more than 30 years of engineering and management experience in fiber optics with the last 10 years in qualification and reliability for passive and active fiber optic components. He is the past chairman of the IEC TC86B Working Group 5 writing standards for passive qualification programs and has participated in multiple Telcordia GR rewrites. He has bachelor's degrees in physics and nuclear science along with a master's degree in business administration.