Broadly tunable external cavity interband cascade laser (EC-ICL) for hydrocarbon analysis

Ilya Dunayevskiy; Jason Kriesel; Ryan M. Briggs; Chul Soo Kim; Mijin Kim; Chadwick L. Canedy; William W. Bewley; Igor Vurgaftman; Jerry R. Meyer

doi:10.1117/12.2647924

15 March 2023 Broadly tunable external cavity interband cascade laser (EC-ICL) for hydrocarbon analysis

Ilya Dunayevskiy, Jason Kriesel, Ryan M. Briggs, Chul Soo Kim, Mijin Kim, Chadwick L. Canedy, William W. Bewley, Igor Vurgaftman, Jerry R. Meyer

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 12430, Quantum Sensing and Nano Electronics and Photonics XIX; 1243006 (2023) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2647924
Event: SPIE OPTO, 2023, San Francisco, California, United States

Abstract

There is a general need to detect and measure the concentration of multiple hydrocarbon species in a gas. In this work, we have developed a tunable external cavity interband cascade laser (EC-ICL) that covers the wavelength range λ = 3216 to 3479 nm (Δ λ = 263 nm) in continuous wave (CW) mode. The EC-ICL provides a versatile broadband source for hydrocarbon detection and measurements. To demonstrate this capability, we incorporated the EC-ICL into an absorption spectroscopy sensor that includes a detector, data acquisition electronics, and software for data processing and spectral fitting. The AR/HR-coated laser with 3 mm cavity length is mounted epi-up on a heat spreader with a TEC. The external cavity is formed by a ruled diffraction grating in a Littman-Metcalf configuration to achieve broad tuning. The wavelength is tunable across the entire range with speed exceeding 15 Hz and effective system spectral resolution of approximately Δν = 0.7 cm^-1 in a broad tuning mode. In addition, we developed and demonstrated mode-hop-free (MHF) tuning capability of the system for up to 0.4 cm^-1 tuning range around an arbitrary user selected central wavelength with estimated spectral resolution significantly lower than Δν = 0.01 cm^-1. Using the EC-ICL, we demonstrated direct absorption measurements of mixtures of methane, ethane, and propane inside an absorption cell. Furthermore, we demonstrated high resolution MHF measurements for methane in a low pressure fiber gas cell. The EC-ICL technology demonstrated in this work is appropriate for a variety of tunable laser applications spanning λ = 3 – 6 μm.

Conference Presentation

Citation Download Citation

Ilya Dunayevskiy, Jason Kriesel, Ryan M. Briggs, Chul Soo Kim, Mijin Kim, Chadwick L. Canedy, William W. Bewley, Igor Vurgaftman, and Jerry R. Meyer "Broadly tunable external cavity interband cascade laser (EC-ICL) for hydrocarbon analysis", Proc. SPIE 12430, Quantum Sensing and Nano Electronics and Photonics XIX, 1243006 (15 March 2023); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2647924

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available