Spectroscopy in the gas phase with GaAs/AlGaAs quantum-cascade lasers

We demonstrate what we believe is the first application of the recently developed electrically pumped GaAs/AlGaAs quantum-cascade lasers in a spectroscopic gas-sensing system by use of hollow waveguides. Laser light with an emission maximum at 10.009 mum is used to investigate the midinfrared absorption of ethene at atmospheric pressure. We used a 434-mm-long silver-coated silica hollow waveguide as a sensing element, which served as a gas absorption cell Different mixtures of helium and ethene with known concentrations are flushed through the waveguide while the laser radiation that passes through the waveguide is analyzed with a Fourier-transform infrared spectrometer. The experimentally obtained discrete ethene spectrum agrees well with the calculated spectrum. A detection threshold of 250 parts per million is achieved with the current setup. (C) 2000 Optical Society of America OCIS codes: 300.1030, 300.6260, 140.3600, 000.2107, 060.2370, 300.6390.