ELECTRONIC SAFING OF A DIODE LASER ARM-FIRE DEVICE

Semiconductor diode lasers that can generate one watt or more of optical energy for tens of milliseconds (quasi continuous wave) are now readily available. Several researchers have demonstrated that this power level, when properly coupled, can reliably initiate pyrotechnic mixtures. This means that the initiator containing the pyrotechnic can be protected against inadvertent initiation from electromagnetic radiation or electrostatic discharge by a conducting Faraday cage surrounding the explosive. Only a small dielectric window penetrates the housing of the initiator, thereby eliminating the conductors necessitated by a bridgewire electroexplosive device. The diode laser itself, however, functions at a low voltage (typically 3 volts) and hence is susceptible to inadvertent function from power supply short circuits, electrostatic discharge or induced RF energy. The rocket motor arm-fire device de-scribed in this paper uses a diode laser, but protects it from unintentional function with a Radio Frequency Attenuating Coupler (RFAC).The RFAC, invented by ML Aviation, a UK company, transfers power into a Faraday cage via magnetic flux, thereby protecting the diode, its drive circuit and the pyrotechnic from all electromagnetic and electrostatic hazards. The first production application of a diode laser and RFAC device was by the Korean Agency for Defense Development.