Near- and mid-infrared laser-optical sensors for gas analysis

Semiconductor diode lasers were first developed in the mid-1960s and found immediate application as much needed tunable sources for high-resolution laser spectroscopy commonly referred to as tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (TDLAS). In this paper, currently available semiconductor lasers for spectroscopy in the near- and mid-infrared spectral region based upon gallium arsenide, indium phosphite, antimonides and lead-salt containing compounds will be reviewed together with the main features of TDLAS. Room-temperature measurements of atmospheric carbon dioxide near 2 μm will be discussed and recent results obtained with a fast chemical sensor for methane flux measurements based on lead-salt diode lasers operating near 7.8 μm will be presented.