Laser-optical sensors are applied whenever sensitive, selective and fast in-situ gas analysis is required. This contribution illustrates the performance of selected near- and mid-infrared spectrometers based on tunable diode-lasers. Applications of lead-salt diode-lasers for NO2 and CH4 sensing, of antimonide lasers for CH4 and HCHO sensing in the 3-4 μm range and a near-infrared gas sensor for CO2 based on a room temperature 2 μm Indium-Phosphide laser will be presented and spectrometer performance will be discussed.
A fast diode laser sensor has been applied for micrometeorological flux measurement of methane emissions from rice paddy fields in order to assess the quality of data on methane fluxes and allow a comparison with simultaneously recorded data provided by the closed chamber method. Systematic differences between chamber and the eddy correlation technique have been found as closed chamber measurements report about 70% higher emissions than eddy correlation measurements. This demonstrates that diode laser spectroscopy is a valuable tool for quality assurance in atmospheric research.
A fast tunable diode laser sensor has been applied for micrometeorological flux measurement of methane emissions from rice paddy fields in order to assess the quality of data on methane fluxes and allow a comparison with simultaneously recorded data provided by the closed chamber method. Systematic differences between chamber and the eddy correlation technique have been found and it seems that chamber measurements over estimate the actual emission up to 70%. This finding demonstrates once more that TDLAS is a valuable tool for atmospheric research and quality assurance.
In this paper we investigate power and temperature characteristics of continuous-wave InAsSb lasers operating in the 3 - 4 micrometers wavelength range. Basic laser parameters are shown versus direct current and case temperature with special attention to the distribution of optical power between individual laser modes. CW operation temperature as high as 122 K for the InAsSb/InAsSbP double heterostructure lasers grown by liquid phase epitaxy is reported. The influence of temperature on the characteristics is taking into account several non-radiative processes such as Auger processes and carrier leakage due to diffusion effects. Losses and power saturation that observed at a higher temperature (100 K) led to stable single frequency emission at higher temperatures. CW optical power up to 10 mW has been obtained. It is shown that the mode power is limited to about 2 mW both for multi- and for single mode injection lasers in this spectral range.
Substantial improvements of tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (TDLAS) with respect to detection speed and detection limits were obtained by introducing high frequency modulation schemes, but the expected quantum limited performance with optical multipass cells has not been attained yet on a routine basis. TDLAS measurements are usually limited by signal instabilities due to fluctuations, which can be divided generally into slow and fast fluctuations according to their time scale. While slow fluctuation or drift effects can be attributed to thermal effects, the question is now, what are the short term fluctuations that limit sensitivity. Therefore, in this paper we will identify phase noise and refractive index fluctuations caused by a turbulent gas flow in optical multipass cells as one limiting factor for the achievement of quantum limited sensitivities. Additionally some new results for a laser sample double modulation experiment based on the Stark-effect in molecular spectra will be presented and we will show that a significant suppression of background fluctuations caused by drift effects can be obtained with this technique.
Tuning and spectral characteristics of 3 micrometers wavelength InAsSb lasers were considered in viewpoint of requirements of tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy. The spectra of lasing, far-field patterns, long term stability, current and temperature tuning performance of CW lasers which are operated at 3.4-3.6 micrometers and designed for formaldehyde detection were investigated versus various ambient conditions. A specific characteristic for III-V compound lasers was observed: InAsSb lasers are tuned by direct current to the short wavelength side whereas mode jumps occurred towards longer wavelengths. The lasers showed a good current and temperature tuning. The tuning rate is determined by competition of the electronic and thermal mechanisms of tunability. The thermal shift of the band gap of the active area leads to an average mode tuning rate of about 40 GHz/K. The tuning characteristics were compared with mode jump values to calculate the whole spectral region covered by tunable laser emission. A good stability of the emitted wavelength during a long time period of operating and a lot of cooling-heating cycles could not be found, which can be explained by the higher stability of the III-V compound compared to lead-salts. The lasers were suitable for detection of ambient formaldehyde concentration level of 200 pptv at 1 Hz electronic bandwidth.
An instrument which will measure the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide with a resolution of one part in 104 will be realized in the frame of 'environment and climate' program of the European Community. The aims are the evaluation of global climate changes and the measurement of the flux at the interface air-sea. The requirements for such an instrument apart form resolution are stability and insensitivity to water. This instrument is based on room temperature tunable diode lasers at about 6350 cm(superscript - by laser sources with the required spectral characteristics. The atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide is about 350 ppm and its absorbance along a path of 100 m is of the order of 1 percent. The measurement will be performed in a multipass cell. A second cell will supply the references for frequency stabilization and laser power monitoring. The detection is realized through frequency modulation techniques. The various aspects of the work presently in progress will be presented: spectroscopy, optical layout, detection method and so on.
The main requirements for in situ trace gas analysis, process and air pollution monitoring are specifity, high time resolution, and high sensitivity. Tunable diode lasers absorption spectroscopy is increasingly being used to measure trace gas concentrations down to low ppbv- levels (10-9 volume mixing ratio). The applications of high frequency modulation (FM) schemes can further improve sensitivity and detection speed of modern instrumentation. In this paper the FM technique will be reviewed with respect to current limitations of tunable diode laser spectroscopy. Recent investigations and findings will be described with emphasis on the work done in our laboratory and novel approaches will be discussed. Some applications related to quality control and ISO calibration as well as fast and high sensitivity measurement challenges will be discussed.
KEYWORDS: Signal processing, Calibration, Filtering (signal processing), Digital filtering, Electronic filtering, Modulation, Spectroscopy, Signal detection, Sensors, Signal to noise ratio
Tunable-diode-laser absorption spectroscopy fulfills the major requirements for trace-gas analysis: sensitivity, specifity, high detection speed, and the possibility of simultaneous in situ measurements. The well-known limitations for low-concentration measurements become more and more dominant at sub-part-per-billion levels, where sensitive spectrometers are often influenced by noise, drift effects, and changes in the spectral background structure. While many improvements in instrument development focus on optimizing electronics and optical components, much less effort has been put into postdetection signal processing and adaptive control. Therefore, a transputer-based platform has been developed which allows control of most relevant parameters of a diode-laser spectrometer. Fluctuations in the signal amplitude as well as drift and jitter effects in the frequency domain can cause a significant degradation of system performance and therefore determine the ultimate detection limit. A signal-processing concept with novel aspects for tunable-diode-laser spectroscopy is presented and discussed.
A transputer-based platform has been developed which allows total control of a multicomponent FM-TDLAS spectrometer. Due to the modular structure flexible implementations of various signal processing algorithms can be checked. A need for self-adaptive algorithms, having some desirable learning capabilities, arises in the control of processes which are time varying, nonlinear, and have unknown dynamics with unknown disturbances acting upon them. For such a complex problem, no analytical solution can be found. Although a potential a priori control structure can be defined, it is generally not possible to specify, in advance, the parameters within this structure. In this paper some basic principles of various signal processing strategies for tunable diode laser spectroscopy will be presented and discussed.
The reliable operation of a TDLAS instrument for measurement of trace gas species requires a unit providing calibration gases with mixing ratios in the range of measured concentrations. It is obvious that, especially at sub-ppb-levels, calibration becomes difficult. Therefore in this paper we focus on calibration procedures for an integrated tunable diode laser spectrometer. An automated calibration system based on permeation devices with a subsequent dilution will be presented. The system meets the ISO requirements and can be used as a secondary standard for field measurements. With this instrument multi-component calibration can be performed as well as multi stage calibration. According to the ISO regulations, procedures to check the linearity and to record the calibration function for a TDL system will be described. From this calibration function the detection and determination limit can be determined by an inverse regression procedure. Some measurements will be presented and discussed under quality control and quality assurance aspects.
Sensitivity, specifity, high time resolution, and cost-effective simultaneous measurements of several components using operational systems are the main requirements for atmospheric research and air-pollution-monitoring instruments. Tunable diode lasers absorption spectroscopy is increasingly being used to measure atmospheric trace gas concentrations down to low ppb-levels (10-9 volume mixing ratio). This optical technique fulfills the requirements for trace gas analysis in the atmosphere for most of the smaller molecules with resolved absorption spectra. Semiconductor lead salt diode lasers give access to the mid-IR spectral region, where the most important atmospheric constituents have strong rotational vibrational absorption bands. The application of high-frequency modulation (FM) schemes can further improve sensitivity and detection speed of modern instrumentation. With this technique, the absorption of a narrow spectral feature is measured by detecting the heterodyne beat signal that occurs when the balance of the FM optical spectrum of the laser is distorted by a molecular absorption line of the target gas. In this paper the FM technique will be reviewed and the predicted and current performance in terms of the detection limit will be discussed.
Absorption spectroscopy with tunable diode lasers (TDLAS) is increasingly being used to monitor atmospheric trace gases down to low ppb-levels (10-9 volume mixing ratio). This optical technique fulfills the requirements for trace gas analysis for most of the smaller molecules in the atmosphere with resolved absorption lines. The use of lead salt diode lasers gives access to the mid infrared spectral region, where the most important atmospheric constituents have strong rotational vibrational absorption bands. The application of high frequency modulation (FM) schemes is a promising tool for further sensitivity and detection speed improvements. With this technique, the absorption of a narrow spectral feature is measured by detecting the heterodyne beat signal that occurs when the FM optical spectrum of the probe wave is distorted by the spectral feature of the target gas. In this paper the basic principles of the FM measurement technique are reviewed, experimental data are discussed and measurements of ambient air are presented.
A FM-TDLAS-instrument for simultaneous measurement of two atmospheric trace gases has been constructed. The instrument is designed to enable time or frequency multiplex operation after minor setup changes. Noise properties for the frequency modulated setup were investigated. It was found that the noise from both lasers combines as expected by square root addition. Additional noise from strong absorption lines has been observed. Consequences of these findings on the design of multi-species. FM-TDLAS-instruments are discussed.
Absorption spectroscopy with tunable diode lasers (TDLAS) is increasingly being used to monitor atmospheric trace gases down to high pptv-levels. These sensitivities have been achieved with low frequency wavelength modulation (WM). A sensitivity improvement by about two orders of magnitude was demonstrated with a high frequency modulation (FM) technique in experiments with single pass absorption cells. In practical TDLAS instruments however, the achievable sensitivity improvement is limited by several factors. In this paper, limitations due to the use of multipass absorption cells and due to the stability of the instrument are discussed.
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