SC133 Reliability Methodologies for Fiber-Optic Components

Sunday, March 22, 2009
1:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m.
David Maack; Reliability Engineer, USA
Level: Advanced Beginner (basic understanding of topic is necessary to follow course material)

Course Description

The quantification of reliability for fiber optic components is a broad, complex and difficult issue primarily driven by three factors. The first is the myriad of technologies, processes and materials used to make an endless variety of products. The second is the rapid product evolution coupled with short product life cycles. The third is that many of these components exhibit extremely high reliability, making quantification very difficult.

This course is about the mathematics, methodologies, procedures, and tricks of the trade to set up, run and determine the reliability of fiber optic components. It is not meant to be a listing of how to make specific devices reliable. Some of the topics included are: 1) reliability mathematics focused on passive fiber optic components with many Excel spreadsheets showing formulas; 2) a real-world approach to qualification and reliability testing with case studies and exercises; 3) lists of pertinent components, industry specifications, standards, mathematical models and available software programs; and 4) guidelines on how to set up and maintain an adequate qualification and reliability program with many practical hints and tips.

Benefits and Learning Objectives

This course should enable you to:

  • Establish appropriate reliability tests and gather meaningful data.
  • Determine the proper statistical distribution for a set of failure data.
  • Calculate the reliability of a device using accelerated testing data with several case studies for guidance.
  • Find information on standards, components, reliability software and other reference materials.
  • Read reliability reports and determine their adequacy.
  • Explain the differences between reliability and qualification.
  • Find computer software to do complex reliability mathematics.
  • Setup a reliability and qualification lab using many tricks of the trade.

Intended Audience

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

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.