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Maxion Technologies has designed a monolithic, widely tunable Quantum Cascade (QC) laser for use in chemical sensing applications. This multi-section QC laser is a monolithically tunable device, similar to those demonstrated in the near IR for telecommunications. Wideband tuning is achieved through grating assisted coupling of the optical mode between lateral waveguides, allowing ~10 times the tuning range normally achieved by distributed feedback lasers without incorporation of external optical elements. Compared to implementations in the near IR, the use of lateral waveguides (rather than vertically stacked waveguides) allows the optical mode to maintain the high overlap with the active region necessary for room temperature lasing in the mid-IR. Due to its monolithic design, this laser is expected to be rapidly tunable and usable in field environments due to its insensitivity to shock and vibration, while the wide tuning range of the device will allow for an enhanced ability to discriminate against background chemicals.

In this presentation we report on our progress in developing a small, lightweight and low power consumption carbon monoxide sensor for detection and post-fire cleanup aboard manned spacecraft. The sensor is a laser-based absorption spectrometer that uses a Quantum Cascade Laser (QCL) operating at 4.61 microns. The target sensitivity for post-fire cleanup applications is 1 to 500 ppmv. The presentation will detail the laser design and performance and the bench-top performance of the TDLAS sensor including sensitivity and Allan variance measurements. The status of the prototype sensor including size, weight and power consumption estimates and measurements will be presented.