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We report on terahertz (THz) quantum-cascade lasers (QCLs) based on GaAs/AlAs heterostructures, which exhibit single-mode emission at 3.360, 3.921, and 4.745 THz. These frequencies are in close correspondence to fine-structure transitions of Al atoms, N+ ions, and O atoms, respectively. Due to the low electrical pump power of these THz QCLs, they can be operated in a mechanical cryocooler in continuous-wave mode, while a sufficient intrinsic tuning range of more than 5 GHz is maintained. The single-mode operation and the intrinsic tuning range of these THz QCLs allow for the application of these lasers as radiation sources for high-resolution absorption spectroscopy to determine the absolute densities of Al atoms, N+ ions, and O atoms in plasmas.

This paper describes the first implementation of terahertz (THz) quantum cascade lasers for high-resolution absorption spectroscopy on plasmas. Absolute densities of ground state atomic oxygen were directly obtained by using the fine structure transition at approximately 4.75 THz. Measurements were performed on a low-pressure capacitively coupled radio frequency oxygen discharge. The detection limit in this arrangement was found to be 2 × 10 13 cm−3, while the measurement accuracy was within 5%, as demonstrated by reference measurements of a well-defined ammonia transition. The results show that the presented method is well suited to measure atomic oxygen densities, and it closes the THz gap for quantitative atomic density measurements in harsh environments such as plasmas.

Sensitive trace gas detection plays an important role in current challenges occurring in areas such as industrial process control and environmental monitoring. In particular, for medical breath analysis and for the detection of illegal substances, e.g., drugs and explosives, a selective and sensitive detection of trace gases in real-time is required. We report on a compact and transportable multi-component system (RES-Q-Trace) for molecular trace gas detection based on cavity-enhanced techniques in the mid-infrared (MIR). The RES-Q-Trace system can operate four independent continuous wave quantum or interband cascade lasers each combined with an optical cavity. Twice the method of off-axis cavity-enhanced absorption spectroscopy (OA-CEAS) was used, twice the method of optical feedback cavity-enhanced absorption spectroscopy (OF-CEAS), respectively. Multi-functional software has been implemented (i) for the general system control, (ii) to drive the four different laser sources and (iii) to analyze the detector signals for concentration determination of several molecular species. For the validation of the versatility and the performance of the RES-Q-Trace instrument the species NO, N2O, CH4, C2H4 and C3H6O, with relevance in the fields of breath gas analysis and the detection of explosives have been monitored in the MIR with detection limits at atmospheric pressure in the ppb and ppt range.

Applying quantum cascade laser absorption spectroscopy a correlation could be demonstrated between the concentration of the etching products SiF4 and CO and the etching rate of ultra-low-k SiCOH in a low-pressure rf plasma containing CF4.

Plasmas in interaction with surfaces are of key importance in a wide range of applications, which include materials technology, microelectronics, environmental issues, and biomedicine. The intense use of plasma technological processes demands proper plasma diagnostic techniques for monitoring, controlling and optimization purposes in industrial environments. In particular, for the improvement of the efficiency of a production process, in situ diagnostic techniques with online capabilities are favorable. From the middle of the last decade a variety of phenomena in molecular non-equilibrium plasmas in which many short-lived and stable species are produced have been successfully studied with quantum cascade laser absorption spectroscopy (QCLAS) in the mid-infrared spectral range. It has been possible to determine absolute concentrations of species, temperatures, degrees of dissociation, dynamics of reaction processes and phenomena involving plasma-surface interactions using spectroscopy, thereby providing a link with chemical and kinetic modelling of the plasma. Since quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) emit near room temperature, i.e., without the need of cryogenic cooling, very compact and robust spectroscopic instruments can be designed. This has stimulated the adaptation of infrared spectroscopic techniques to industrial requirements. Recent applications of infrared absorption spectroscopy using QCLs for in situ monitoring of plasma processes in industrial environments are reviewed. Examples which emphasize the capabilities of QCLAS as plasma diagnostic technique in industrial plasma processes will be given. (© 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

We report on sensitive detection of atmospheric methane employing quantum cascade laser based optical feedback cavity-enhanced absorption spectroscopy (OF-CEAS). An instrument has been built utilizing a continuous-wave distributed feedback quantum cascade laser (cw-QCL) with a V-shaped cavity, a common arrangement that reduces feedback to the laser from non-resonant reflections. The spectrometer has a noise equivalent absorption coefficient of 3.6 × 10

To improve the efficiency of many industrial plasma processes, more insight into the plasma chemistry is required. Therefore, the detection and quantitative measurement of important species is a major challenge. We will discuss examples of species detection applying laser-based diagnostics in the mid-infrared using quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) and interband cascade lasers (ICLs). A further increase in sensitivity to detection limits of ppm down to ppt levels can be achieved by combining the lasers with cavity enhanced techniques. We present results of an ICL coupled to a V-shaped optical cavity in an optical feedback cavity enhanced absorption spectroscopy (OF-CEAS) experiment.

A method for quantification of a pharmaceutical peptide in human plasma was developed using gradient elution LC-ICP-MS. A membrane desolvation (MD) system was applied to remove organic solvents from the eluent prior to the detection as SO+ in the dynamic reaction cell (DRC) of the ICP-DRC-MS instrument and subsequent quantification by post-column isotope dilution (IDA). Plasma proteins were precipitated prior to analysis. Analytical figures of merit including linearity, precision, LOD, LOQ and accuracy were considered satisfactory for analysis of plasma samples. The selectivity of the developed method was demonstrated for five pharmaceutically relevant peptides: desmopressin, penetratin, substance P, PTH (1-34) and insulin. Preliminary experiments on an ICP-MS/MS system using oxygen to reduce the effect of organic solvents were also performed to compare sensitivity. The results of the study demonstrated that LC-ICP-MS post-column IDA may constitute a valuable additional tool in quantification of non-labelled peptides in the early drug development offering absolute quantification without need of species specific standards.

We report on recent progress applying quantum cascade laser based optical feedback cavity-enhanced absorption spectroscopy in sensing atmospheric methane in the mid-infrared spectral range. An instrument has been built employing a common V-shaped cavity with a powerful continuous-wave distributed feedback quantum cascade laser. The spectrometer has a noise equivalent absorption coefficient of 3.6 ×10−9 cm−1 Hz−1/2 (1σ) for a spectral scan of CH4 at 7.39 µm. From an Allan-Werle analysis of the optical power transmitted by the evacuated cavity a detection limit of 39 parts per trillion of CH4 at atmospheric pressure within 50 s acquisition time was found.

Persistent environmental contaminants may enter agricultural fields via the application of sewage sludge, by irrigation with treated municipal wastewater or by manuring. It has been shown that such contaminants can be incorporated into crop plants. The metabolism of the bacteriostatic agents triclocarban, triclosan, and its transformation product methyl triclosan was investigated after their uptake into carrot cell cultures. A fast metabolization of triclosan was observed and eight so far unknown phase II metabolites, conjugates with saccharides, disaccharides, malonic acid, and sulfate, were identified by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Triclocarban and methyl triclosan lack a phenolic group and remained unaltered in the cell cultures. Phase I metabolization was not observed for any of the compounds. All eight triclosan conjugates identified in the cell cultures were also detected in extracts of intact carrot plants cultivated on triclosan contaminated soils. Their total amount in the plants was assessed to exceed the amount of the triclosan itself by a factor of 5. This study shows that a disregard of conjugates in studies on plant uptake of environmental contaminants may severely underestimates the extent of uptake into plants and, eventually, the potential human exposure to contaminants via food of plant origin.

Helophytes like rush and reed are increasingly used for phytoremediation of contaminated water. This study characterises the response of rush and reed plants to chemical stressors such as chlorobenzene, benzene and methyl-tert-butyl ether. The extractable wax layer of the cuticle was chosen for detailed investigations due to its multiple, particularly, protective functions for plants and its easy availability for analysis. The chemical composition of the cuticle wax layer of reed and rush was studied in dependence on chemical stress caused by contaminated water under wetland cultivation conditions. The lipid layer of leaves was extracted, derivatised and investigated by GC-MS using retention time locking and a plant-specific data base. In case of rush, a remarkable increase of the total lipid layer and a prolongation of the mean chain length resulted as response on a chlorobenzene exposure. The significant difference in the substance profiles of exposed plants and controls could be confirmed by multivariate data analysis. The lipid layer of reed was not changed significantly when the plants were exposed to water polluted with benzene and methyl-tert-butyl ether. However, scanning electron microscopic images of the exposed reed leaves indicated alterations in the crystal structure of their wax surface. The composition and morphology of cuticular waxes indicated the plants' response to chemical stress very sensitively thus, changes in the wax layer could be used as an indication for growing in a contaminated area.

Low-pressure rf plasmas have been applied for etching of ultra-low-k SiCOH wafers using an Oxford Plasmalab System 100. In pure CF4 plasmas, SiCOH layers have been etched for different power values. Using quantum cascade laser absorption spectroscopy in the mid-infrared spectral range, the correlation of online and in situ measured concentrations of two etching products, CO and SiF4, with the ex situ determined etching rates has been studied. The concentration of SiF4 was found to range between 0.6 and 1.4 × 1013 molecules cm−3. In contrast the concentrations of CO were measured to be only about 50 % of the SiF4 density with 7 × 1012 molecules cm−3 in maximum. The production rate of SiF4, determined from the time behavior of its concentration after plasma ignition, was found to be between 1 and 5 × 1012 cm−3 s−1. The etching rates varied between 2 and 7 nm s−1. Both parameters increase nearly linearly with the applied rf power. It was found that for power values of up to 1.1 kW, the etching rate depends nearly linearly on the in situ monitored concentrations of both etching products. Therefore, the concentration of the etching products can be directly used as a measure of the etching rate.

Chemical sensing using mid-infrared laser absorption spectroscopy coupled with cavity-enhanced absorption spectroscopy in the molecular fingerprint region from 3 to 20 µm is a powerful diagnostic tool achieving detection limits well below ppm level.

Plants can extensively transform contaminants after uptake through phase I and phase II metabolism to a large diversity of products. UPLC-QToF-MS was used to detect and identify metabolites of the bacteriostatic agent triclosan in a horseradish hairy root culture. Thirty-three metabolites of triclosan were recognized by a stepwise approach of mass defect filtering, multivariate data analysis, and isotope pattern filtering from a data set of several thousands of signals in the exposed culture. Structure proposals were elaborated for 23 triclosan metabolites on the basis of their MS data. The majority were identified as conjugates (phase II metabolites) such as saccharides or sulfosaccharides. Additionally, a disulfosaccharide was identified as a plant metabolite for the first time. Besides that, also conjugates of a phase I metabolite, hydroxytriclosan, were determined in horseradish tissue extracts. Dehalogenation products of triclosan were not observed. The large number of metabolites detected and identified in this study emphasizes the importance of a comprehensive analytical approach in studies on the uptake and fate of organic contaminants in plants.