Lifetime Estimation for Hermetically Packaged 10 Gb/sec LiNbO(3) Optical Modulators

A life expectancy of hermetically sealed 10 Gb/sec LiNbO3 optical modulators was obtained after aging them for 5000 hours at 85° C. After the test, no failure was found in the device parameters and the dc drift behavior. The lifetime was estimated to be over 20 years at ~50° C.