Radiation induced loss properties and hardness enhancement technique for ErYb doped fibers for avionic applications

► We report overall radiation reliability properties of commercially available double cladded ErYb doped fibers based on master curve analysis method. ► We report radiation simulations on depth-total dose profiles at LEO as realistic dose rate levels for lab-based tests. ► We demonstrate a novel method that utilizes pre-radiation exposure and thermal annealing, for enhancing radiation hardness of the fibers. ► We improved radiation induced loss-rate properties of the fiber with an initial loss penalty, realizing overall loss-budget improvement for relatively long-term deployment.