Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Raphael Brechbuehler, Milos Selakovic, Philipp Scheidegger, Herbert Looser, Andre Kupferschmid, Stephane Blaser, Jeremy Butet, Lukas Emmenegger, Bela Tuzson
Summary: By using a Vernier-type quantum-cascade laser (QCL) as an electrically tunable multiwavelength source, combined with an efficient driving technique, high-resolution spectra from multiple frequencies can be acquired rapidly, enabling selective and sensitive analysis of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in complex gas matrices.
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Optics
Mathieu Bertrand, Aleksandr Shlykov, Mehran Shahmohamadi, Mattias Beck, Stefan Willitsch, Jerome Faist
Summary: This article describes a novel quantum cascade laser with high power and narrow spectral linewidth, suitable for precision measurements of weak spectroscopic transitions.
Article
Acoustics
Andrea Zifarelli, Raffaele De Palo, Pietro Patimisco, Marilena Giglio, Angelo Sampaolo, Stephane Blaser, Jeremy Butet, Olivier Landry, Antoine Muller, Vincenzo Spagnolo
Summary: This study reports on a gas sensor based on quartz-enhanced photoacoustic spectroscopy (QEPAS) that can detect multiple gas species for environmental monitoring applications, utilizing a Vernier effect-based quantum cascade laser as the excitation source. The sensor can detect several gases, including carbon monoxide (CO), nitrous oxide (N2O), carbon dioxide (CO2), and water vapor (H2O), with high accuracy and minimum detection limits. It has been successfully calibrated and tested for monitoring gas concentrations in indoor laboratory air.
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Alicja Dabrowska, Mauro David, Stephan Freitag, Aaron Maxwell Andrews, Gottfried Strasser, Borislav Hinkov, Andreas Schwaighofer, Bernhard Lendl
Summary: Mid-infrared chemical sensors based on quantum cascade technology were developed for broadband detection of aqueous samples targeting bovine milk proteins. The setup combined a tunable quantum cascade laser with a spectrally tailored in-house fabricated quantum cascade detector, showing similar performance to a high-end FTIR spectrometer. The study highlights the potential of quantum cascade detectors in next-generation MIR liquid-phase chemical sensors with low noise and high dynamic range.
SENSORS AND ACTUATORS B-CHEMICAL
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Electrical & Electronic
Chenyu Yao, Mengyuan Hu, Andrea Ventura, Juliano Grigoleto Hayashi, Francesco Poletti, Wei Ren
Summary: This study demonstrates the use of a quantum cascade laser coupled with a custom-made tellurite hollow-core antiresonant fiber for mid-infrared absorption spectroscopy for gas detection. Through direct absorption spectroscopy and wavelength modulation spectroscopy, it achieves high detection accuracy and sensitivity, particularly for nitric oxide (NO) detection.
JOURNAL OF LIGHTWAVE TECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Crystallography
Yuhang Ma, Keke Ding, Long Wei, Xuan Li, Junce Shi, Zaijin Li, Yi Qu, Lin Li, Zhongliang Qiao, Guojun Liu, Lina Zeng, Dongxin Xu
Summary: This paper reviews the development and application of external cavity quantum cascade lasers (ECQCLs), focusing on their wide tunable range for multi-component detection. It discusses the unique spectral properties of ECQCLs in the mid-infrared band and their potential applications in various fields, as well as comparing different external cavity structures and their applications.
Article
Physics, Fluids & Plasmas
A. Pipa, A. Puth, J. Boecker, S. M. Jafarpour, A. Dalke, H. Biermann, J. Roepcke, J. H. van Helden
Summary: This work is focused on developing laser absorption spectroscopy (LAS) for plasma-assisted processes under industrial conditions. The interpretation of LAS measurements was revised to account for the temperature gradient along the absorption path in a thermochemical treatment reactor. The revision was based on the measurement of HCN.
PLASMA SOURCES SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Optics
Guolin Li, Xuena Zhang, Zecheng Zhang, Yunhui Wu, Kun Ma, Yue Jiao, Jiarui Li, Yajing Liu, Yimeng Song, Hao Zhao, Shenqiang Zhai, Qiang Li
Summary: This study developed a system for detecting carbon dioxide isotope in human exhaled gas using TDLAS technology and QCL laser, which has high sensitivity and low detection limit. The small volume of the multi-pass gas cell allows for efficient use of exhaled gas. The stability of the system was improved through temperature control and the concentration inversion precision was enhanced using a genetic algorithm. The system showed promising application prospects in the field of exhaled gas detection.
OPTICS AND LASER TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Vladimir Villanueva-Lopez, Leonardo C. Pacheco-Londono, Reynaldo Villarreal-Gonzalez, John R. Castro-Suarez, Andres Roman-Ospino, William Ortiz-Rivera, Nataly J. Galan-Freyle, Samuel P. Hernandez-Rivera
Summary: The PAT initiative proposed by the FDA offers innovative methods for understanding pharmaceutical processes. This study demonstrated the accuracy and robustness of using MIR quantum cascade laser spectroscopy for analysis of pharmaceutical compounds.
Article
Instruments & Instrumentation
Junyi Chen, Hiromitsu Furukawa
Summary: Existing spectroscopic methods for measuring blood glucose concentration using attenuated total reflection have limited penetration depth. This study introduces a transmission spectroscopic method using a mid-infrared wavelength-swept pulsed quantum cascade laser (QCL) and an asynchronous signal method to shorten the measurement time. The proposed method not only enables detection on the skin but also has potential applications in measuring tear film on the eyeball, making it useful for the diagnosis and management of diabetes.
INFRARED PHYSICS & TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Fan Ye, Fengmin Cheng, Zhiwei Jia, Jinchuan Zhang, Ning Zhuo, Fengqi Liu, Youdou Zheng, Yi Shi
Summary: We introduce a index-coupled distributed feedback (DFB) quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) with a grating reflector (GR) to effectively reflect light of a specific wavelength, achieving high single-mode stability. The QCLs were fabricated with lambda/4 equivalent phase shift (EPS) or sampled Moire grating (SMG) structures, regulating light intensity distribution and coupling strength. Both EPS-GR and SMG-GR QCLs demonstrate high emission wavelength precision and a side-mode-suppression-ratio (SMSR) of 24.5 dB, offering considerable output power. Moreover, the introduction of semi-insulated InP (Fe) extends the wavelength range for EPS-GR and SMG-GR QCL arrays, resulting in lower threshold current and higher output power.
Article
Acoustics
Angelo Sampaolo, Chenren Yu, Tingting Wei, Andrea Zifarelli, Marilena Giglio, Pietro Patimisco, Huan Zhu, Haiqing Zhu, Li He, Hongpeng Wu, Lei Dong, Gangyi Xu, Vincenzo Spagnolo
Summary: This study achieved high sensitivity detection of hydrogen sulfide in the THz range using a quartz-enhanced photoacoustic spectroscopy (QEPAS) sensor with a liquid-nitrogen-cooled THz quantum cascade laser (QCL). The research provides a new approach to gas sensor research in the THz range.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Evgeniia Cherotchenko, Vladislav Dudelev, Dmitry Mikhailov, Grigorii Savchenko, Dmitriy Chistyakov, Sergey Losev, Andrey Babichev, Andrey Gladyshev, Innokentiy Novikov, Andrey Lutetskiy, Dmitry Veselov, Sergey Slipchenko, Dmitry Denisov, Andrey Andreev, Irina Yarotskaya, Konstantin Podgaetskiy, Maksim Ladugin, Aleksandr Marmalyuk, Nikita Pikhtin, Leonid Karachinsky, Vladimir Kuchinskii, Anton Egorov, Grigorii Sokolovskii
Summary: In this work, a two-stage epitaxial growth technique was used to demonstrate the power and efficiency measurements of three different designs of quantum cascade lasers, achieving a record-high peak power in the 8 μm spectral region. The time-resolved QCL spectral study showed that using an InP-based upper cladding and contact layer can provide better heat dissipation and achieve better power characteristics compared to an InGaAs-based contact layer, even with short pulse pumping.
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Xi Yang, Zhirong Zhang, Shuang Yang, Pengshuai Sun, Bian Wu, Hua Xia, Runqing Yu
Summary: A method for double-beam quantum cascade laser absorption spectroscopy (DB-QCLAS) was developed in this study. Two mid-infrared distributed feedback quantum cascade laser beams were used to monitor NO and NO2. By selecting appropriate lines in the absorption spectra and avoiding interference from common atmospheric gases, the researchers achieved accurate measurements. The experimental results show that the method is effective in detecting NO and NO2, with standard deviations of 1.57 ppm and 2.67 ppm, respectively.
Article
Physics, Multidisciplinary
Zeng-Hui Gu, Jin-Chuan Zhang, Huan Wang, Peng-Chang Yang, Ning Zhuo, Shen-Qiang Zhai, Jun-Qi Liu, Li-Jun Wang, Shu-Man Liu, Feng-Qi Liu, Zhan-Guo Wang
Summary: The design of multimode interference (MMI) structure simplifies the fabrication process of quantum cascade laser (QCL) phase-locked arrays, enabling the manufacture of power amplifier arrays and demonstrating frequency tuning capabilities. This advancement is expected to facilitate the application of high-power, frequency-tunable, large-scale phase-locked arrays in spectroscopy.
