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Interband cascade laser-based ppbv-level mid-infrared methane detection using two digital lock-in amplifier schemes

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Abstract

A parts-per-billion in volume (ppbv) level mid-infrared methane (CH4) sensor system was demonstrated using second-harmonic wavelength modulation spectroscopy (2f-WMS). A 3291 nm interband cascade laser (ICL) and a multi-pass gas cell (MPGC) with a 16 m optical path length were adopted in the reported sensor system. Two digital lock-in amplifier (DLIA) schemes, a digital signal processor (DSP)-based DLIA and a LabVIEW-based DLIA, were used for harmonic signal extraction. A limit of detection (LoD) of ~ 13.07 ppbv with an averaging time of 2 s was achieved using the DSP-based DLIA and a LoD of ~ 5.84 ppbv was obtained using the LabVIEW-based DLIA with the same averaging time. A rise time of 0→2 parts-per-million in volume (ppmv) and fall time of 2→0 ppmv were observed. Outdoor atmospheric CH4 concentration measurements were carried out to evaluate the sensor performance using the two DLIA schemes.

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Acknowledgements

The National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 61627823, 61775079), National Key R&D Program of China (Nos. 2017YFB0402800, 2016YFD0700101, 2016YFC0303902), Key Science and Technology R&D program of Jilin Province, China (No. 20180201046GX), Industrial Innovation Program of Jilin Province, China (No. 2017C027), and the National Science Foundation (NSF) ERC MIRTHE award and Robert Welch Foundation (No. R4925U).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Integrated Optoelectronics, College of Electronic Science and Engineering, Jilin University, 2699 Qianjin Street, Changchun, 130012, China

    Fang Song, Chuantao Zheng, Di Yu, Yanwen Zhou, Wanhong Yan, Yu Zhang & Yiding Wang

  2. Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Rice University, 6100 Main Street, Houston, TX, 77005, USA

    Chuantao Zheng, Weilin Ye & Frank K. Tittel

  3. College of Engineering, Shantou University, 243 Daxue Road, Shantou, 515063, China

    Weilin Ye

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  1. Fang Song
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  9. Frank K. Tittel
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Correspondence to Chuantao Zheng.

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This article is part of the topical collection “Mid-infrared and THz Laser Sources and Applications” guest edited by Wei Ren, Paolo De Natale and Gerard Wysocki.

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Song, F., Zheng, C., Yu, D. et al. Interband cascade laser-based ppbv-level mid-infrared methane detection using two digital lock-in amplifier schemes. Appl. Phys. B 124, 51 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00340-018-6916-y

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