Describes a component killed by optical or electrical overload: a diode hit by electrostatic discharge or back reflection, a coating with a burn spot, a detector saturated beyond recovery or a fiber end melted by a misaligned launch. Fried parts often still look fine to the eye, and the diagnosis comes from a power drop, a dark spot under the microscope or a dead LI curve.
Seed diode's fried, no output at any current, the isolator was taken out for the measurement and somebody forgot to put it back.
Also heard as
- toasted
- cooked
- blown
Related terms
Damage threshold
The maximum fluence or power density an optic can take before it is permanently damaged.
Laser diode
A semiconductor laser driven by electric current, used as a light source in its own right and to pump other lasers.
Optical isolator
A one-way valve for light that passes a beam forward and blocks reflections from returning to the laser.
Fiber fuse
A glowing damage wave that runs back up a fiber toward the laser, leaving a trail of bubbles in the core.