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Results for “Mid-IR lasers”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 91 records · Page 5
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2000

III-V arsenide-nitride semiconductor

III-V arsenide-nitride semiconductor are disclosed. Group III elements are combined with group V elements, including at least nitrogen and arsenic, in concentrations chosen to lattice match commercially available crystalline substrates. Epitaxial growth of these III-V crystals results in direct bandgap materials, which can be used in applications such as light emitting diodes and lasers. Varying the concentrations of the elements in the III-V materials varies the bandgaps, such that materials emitting light spanning the visible spectra, as well as mid-IR and near-UV emitters, can be created. Conversely, such material can be used to create devices that acquire light and convert the light to electricity, for applications such as full color photodetectors and solar energy collectors. The growth of the III-V material can be accomplished by growing thin layers of elements or compounds in sequences that result in the overall lattice match and bandgap desired.

Major, Jo S.↗
NASA NTRS2002

Methods for forming group III-arsenide-nitride semiconductor materials

Methods are disclosed for forming Group III-arsenide-nitride semiconductor materials. Group III elements are combined with group V elements, including at least nitrogen and arsenic, in concentrations chosen to lattice match commercially available crystalline substrates. Epitaxial growth of these III-V crystals results in direct bandgap materials, which can be used in applications such as light emitting diodes and lasers. Varying the concentrations of the elements in the III-V crystals varies the bandgaps, such that materials emitting light spanning the visible spectra, as well as mid-IR and near-UV emitters, can be created. Conversely, such material can be used to create devices that acquire light and convert the light to electricity, for applications such as full color photodetectors and solar energy collectors. The growth of the III-V crystals can be accomplished by growing thin layers of elements or compounds in sequences that result in the overall lattice match and bandgap desired.

Major, Jo S.↗
NASA NTRS1997

III-V aresenide-nitride semiconductor materials and devices

III-V arsenide-nitride semiconductor crystals, methods for producing such crystals and devices employing such crystals. Group III elements are combined with group V elements, including at least nitrogen and arsenic, in concentrations chosen to lattice match commercially available crystalline substrates. Epitaxial growth of these III-V crystals results in direct bandgap materials, which can be used in applications such as light emitting diodes and lasers. Varying the concentrations of the elements in the III-V crystals varies the bandgaps, such that materials emitting light spanning the visible spectra, as well as mid-IR and near-UV emitters, can be created. Conversely, such material can be used to create devices that acquire light and convert the light to electricity, for applications such as full color photodetectors and solar energy collectors. The growth of the III-V crystals can be accomplished by growing thin layers of elements or compounds in sequences that result in the overall lattice match and bandgap desired.

Major, Jo S.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Stable isotope laser spectroscopy

Recent advances in semiconductor laser technology have produced a reliable lightweight device ideally suited for a spacecraft high resolution molecular spectrometer. Lead-salt tunable diode lasers (TDL) emit in several spectral modes, each with a very narrow linewidth of -0.0003/cm. This spectral resolution is much narrower than typical Doppler broadened molecular linewidths in the mid-IR range. Thus it is possible to detect individual rotational lines within the vibrational band and measure their intensity, which can be used to determine gas concentration. The narrow spectral lines of any impurity gas tend to lie between the narrow lines of the gas of interest. This represents a major advantage over the accepted gas chromatograph mass spectrometer (GCMS) technique for measuring gas concentrations and isotope ratios. The careful and extensive gas purification procedures required to remove impurities for reliable GCMS measurements will not be required for an IR laser gas analysis. The infrared laser gas analysis technique is being developed to measure stable isotopic ratios of gases such as CO2, CH4, N2O, and NH3. This will eventually lead to development of instruments capable of in situ istopic measurements on planets such as Mars. The carbon (C-12, C-13) isotope ratio is indicative of the type of carbon fixation mechanisms (e.g., photosynthesis, respiration) in operation on a planet, while the nitrogen (N-14, N-15) isotope ratio can probably be used to date nitrogen-bearing Martian samples. The absorbance ratio of two adjacent lines of CO2 in the 2300/cm (4.3 micron) region of the spectrum was measured. The precision of the measurement is presently better than 1 percent and significant improvement is anticipated as rapid sweep-integration techniques and computer controlled data acquistion capabilities are incorporated.

Becker, J. F.↗
NASA NTRS2006

An Injection-seeded Narrow Linewidth Singly Resonant ZGP OPO

Injection seeding of a singly resonant ZnGeP2 (ZGP) mid-infrared optical parametric oscillator (OPO) using a continuous wave 3.39 micrometers laser and a tunable near-infrared laser has been demonstrated. This ZGP OPO utilizes a bow-tie shape cavity with a partially reflective mirror for injection seeding at the signal wavelength. It produces high energy pulses in the mid-IR range from 4-10 micrometers. The injection seeded OPO provides a narrow idler wavelength linewidth of approximately 1 nm, limited by the measurement resolution of the monochromator.

Yu, Jirong↗
DOE OSTI2025

Broadband Fourier-Transform Optical Photothermal Infrared Spectroscopy and Imaging

Infrared (IR) spectroscopy is a powerful method for mapping chemical heterogeneity on the microscale. Synchrotron IR radiation uniquely provides a high brightness and broad bandwidth to further extend the capabilities of IR spectroscopic imaging. However, the diffraction-limited spatial resolution of IR spectroscopy is insufficient for studies requiring submicrometer spatial differentiation. Optical photothermal IR (O-PTIR) microscopy is a powerful, emerging method that overcomes the IR diffraction limit in IR hyperspectral imaging by employing a modulated IR beam and a visible probe laser beam to detect local temperature-induced modulation at the visible diffraction limit. In this work, we extend the spectral range of photothermal infrared measurements by incorporating a synchrotron IR source, demonstrating a combined synchrotron-based O-PTIR modality that enables high spatial resolution far-field chemical imaging spanning the entire mid-IR range. Both optical- and fluorescence-detected photothermal modalities were performed using a step-scan interferometer, demonstrating improved spectral range (541-4000 cm-1) when compared to optical photothermal microscopy with commercial laser sources (800-1800 cm-1 for this particular source) and improved spatial resolution, when compared to synchrotron microspectroscopy measurements. Following these initial validation studies, synchrotron Fourier-transform fluorescence-detected photothermal IR spectroscopy in combination with synchrotron microspectroscopy measurements was used to differentiate cells in mouse brain tissue sections, which requires submicron spatial resolutions beyond those accessible by IR spectroscopy alone.

Razumtcev, Aleksandr↗
DOE OSTI2025

Soft x-ray high-harmonic generation in an anti-resonant hollow core fiber driven by a 3 μ m ultrafast laser

High-harmonic upconversion driven by a mid-infrared femtosecond laser can generate coherent soft x-ray beams in a tabletop-scale setup. Here, we report on a compact ytterbium-pumped optical parametric chirped pulse amplifier (OPCPA) laser system seeded by an all-fiber front-end and employing periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN) nonlinear media operated near the pulse fluence limits of current commercially available PPLN crystals. The OPCPA delivers 3 µm wavelength pulses with 775 µJ energy at 1 kHz repetition rate, with transform-limited 120 fs pulse duration, diffraction-limited beam quality, and ultrahigh 0.33% rms energy stability over >18 h. Using this laser, we generate soft x-ray high harmonics (HHG) in argon gas by focusing into a low-loss, high-pressure gas-filled anti-resonant hollow core fiber (ARHCF), generating coherent light at photon energies up to the argon L-edge (250 eV) and carbon K-edge (284 eV), with high beam quality and ∼1% rms energy stability. This work demonstrates soft x-ray HHG in a high-efficiency guided-wave phase matched geometry, overcoming the high losses inherent to mid-IR propagation in unstructured waveguides, or the short interaction lengths of gas cells or jets. The ARHCF can operate in the long term without damage and with the repetition rate, stability, and robustness required for demanding applications in spectromicroscopy and imaging. Finally, we discuss routes for further optimizing the soft x-ray HHG flux by driving He at higher laser intensities using either the signal (1.5 μm) or idler wavelengths (3 μm).

Femtosecond lasers↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Lunar Payloads to Constrain Exospheric Water through the NASA M-STAR program

Our understanding of water cycles on the Moon has significantly enhanced recent observations by Chang E-5, Lunar Prospector, and Chandrayaan-1 missions indicating the existence of an active water cycle on the Moon. In a new partnership between Delaware State University (DSU) and NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, enabled through the NASA’s M-STAR (MUREP Space Technology Artemis Research) program, we are developing low mass and power lunar rover payloads to enable long-duration human exploration missions. Payload technologies include wavelength modulation absorption spectroscopy to simultaneously detect water (H16OH) and isotopes (H16OD) in the (6700 nm) mid-infrared region using a closed path in compact Herriot cell optical design and wavelength modulation spectroscopy, and (2) Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) to simultaneously detect and correlate water isotopes with characteristics elemental composition of lunar regolith. Due to the airless atmosphere of the Moon, we will utilize Artificial intelligence (AI) and Machine learning (ML) approaches to discriminate spectral interference with instrument drifts and correlate mid-IR trace gas profile with LIBS spectral information. This partnership will initiate a STEM engagement space program, e.g., Lander and CubeSat payload technology development for students and the next-generation NASA workforce for future lunar and Mars missions. DSU, a Historically Black University, prides itself in its proven excellence in teaching and research. It enrolls a diverse population of students (~5000) traditionally underrepresented in STEM disciplines. DSU has established itself at the forefront of optics and photonics research that transcends multidisciplinary fields of earth sciences, environmental, defense, and biomedical sensing applications.

water cycles↗
DOE OSTI2020

Hot-pressed ceramic Fe:ZnSe gain-switched laser

We report the first room temperature gain-switched Fe:ZnSe hot-pressed ceramic laser pumped by 2.94 µm radiation of mechanically Q-switched Er:YAG laser. The maximum output energy at 4.2 µm was 41 mJ at 3 Hz repetition rate and 120 ns pulse duration. The measured slope efficiency was 25% with respect to the absorbed energy. This technique could be attractive for the future development of high-energy short-pulse solid-state mid-IR systems.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Sequential infiltration of two-photon polymerized 3D photonic crystals for mid-IR spectroscopic applications

Photonic crystals (PhCs) are spatially organized structures with lattice parameters equivalent to the operational wavelength of light. PhCs have been subject to extensive research efforts in the last two decades and are known for controlling light propagation with applications in sensing and time-delayed communication due to the slow-light phenomenon. Despite their exceptional properties, PhCs are difficult to fabricate using planar micromachining techniques due to their periodic structures. Techniques like two-photon stereolithography have been discussed for PhC fabrication in the literature, but the inherent disadvantage of poor refractive index (RI) contrast results in limited application. In this work, we present sequential infiltration synthesis performed on two-photon stereolithographically printed 3D PhCs for infiltration with zinc oxide to increase the RI of 3D PhCs. Further, finite element analysis was performed over a range of RI contrast values to study the change in photonic bandgap (PBG) with RI contrast. The transmission spectra were recorded on 3D PhCs before and after infiltration to demonstrate the change experimentally. An increase in the PBG width and absorbance is seen postinfiltration due to enhanced RI. This work presents the first, to our knowledge, sequentially infiltrated enhanced 3D PhC fabricated with two-photon stereolithography.

3D printing↗
DOE OSTI2024

Exploring the effects of molecular beam epitaxy growth characteristics on the temperature performance of state-of-the-art terahertz quantum cascade lasers

This study conducts a comparative analysis, using non-equilibrium Green’s functions (NEGF), of two state-of-the-art two-well (TW) Terahertz Quantum Cascade Lasers (THz QCLs) supporting clean 3-level systems. The devices have nearly identical parameters and the NEGF calculations with an abrupt-interface roughness height of 0.12 nm predict a maximum operating temperature (T max ) of ~ 250 K for both devices. However, experimentally, one device reaches a T max of ~ 250 K and the other a T max of only ~ 134 K. Both devices were fabricated and measured under identical conditions in the same laboratory, with high quality processes as verified by reference devices. The main difference between the two devices is that they were grown in different MBE reactors. Our NEGF-based analysis considered all parameters related to MBE growth, including the maximum estimated variation in aluminum content, growth rate, doping density, background doping, and abrupt-interface roughness height. From our NEGF calculations it is evident that the sole parameter to which a drastic drop in T max could be attributed is the abrupt-interface roughness height. We can also learn from the simulations that both devices exhibit high-quality interfaces, with one having an abrupt-interface roughness height of approximately an atomic layer and the other approximately a monolayer. However, these small differences in interface sharpness are the cause of the large performance discrepancy. This underscores the sensitivity of device performance to interface roughness and emphasizes its strategic role in achieving higher operating temperatures for THz QCLs. We suggest Atom Probe Tomography (APT) as a path to analyze and measure the (graded)-interfaces roughness (IFR) parameters for THz QCLs, and subsequently as a design tool for higher performance THz QCLs, as was done for mid-IR QCLs. Our study not only addresses challenges faced by other groups in reproducing the record T max of ~ 250 K and ~ 261 K but also proposes a systematic pathway for further improving the temperature performance of THz QCLs beyond the state-of-the-art.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Coupling to rotational manifolds to improve gas-phase pump–probe spectroscopic models

The physical picture of gas-phase optical transitions is normally presented as an isolated two-level system balanced by upward and downward processes. Isolated models assume a phenomenological treatment of collisional dephasing but do not strictly account for collisional population exchange with the rotational baths. While this assumption is valid under low-intensity conditions, where excitation is rate-limiting, isolated models can deviate from Beer’s Law at sufficient pressures and monochromatic intensities when both collisional broadening and power broadening are comparable to (or greater than) lifetime broadening, which are not uncommon conditions for cavity enhanced spectroscopies in the mid-IR spectral range. Although this problem has been addressed by rate-equation models for linear absorption measurements, a general treatment for multi-level quantum mechanical models suitable for non-linear absorption measurements (two-photon/two-color/pump–probe) is lacking. Isolated models require physical parameter inputs that disagree with expected values by at least an order of magnitude. These non-physical models undermine the ability to predict non-linear signal strengths under untested conditions and thereby limit the potential to optimize the sensitivity of non-linear spectroscopies and to expand their analytical applications (e.g., new analytes and/or buffer gases, changes in cavity free-spectral-range, changes in intracavity powers or wavelengths, and accurate investigation of physical phenomena). In this study, we derive bath-coupled models for gaseous pump–probe spectroscopy by application of the quantum Lindblad equation and detailed balance. Bath-coupled models are shown to fit data consistently across variations in intensity and agree with all physically expected values.

Cavity ring-down spectroscopy↗
DOE OSTI2021

Ultra-short pulse generation from mid-IR to THz range using plasma wakes and relativistic ionization fronts

In this work, we discuss numerical and experimental results on frequency downshifting and upshifting of a 10 μ m infrared (IR) laser to cover the entire wavelength (frequency) range from λ = 1 to 150 μ m ( ν = 300–2 THz) using two different plasma techniques. The first plasma technique utilizes frequency downshifting of the drive laser pulse in a nonlinear plasma wake. Based on this technique, we have proposed and demonstrated that in a tailored plasma structure, multi-millijoule energy, single-cycle, long-wavelength IR (3–20 μ m) pulses can be generated by using an 810 nm Ti:sapphire drive laser. Here, we extend this idea to the THz frequency regime. We show that sub-joule, terawatts, single-cycle terahertz (2–12 THz or 150–25 μ m) pulses can be generated by replacing the drive laser with a picosecond 10 μ m CO 2 laser and a different shaped plasma structure. The second plasma technique employs frequency upshifting by colliding a CO 2 laser with a rather sharp relativistic ionization front created by ionization of a gas in less than half cycle (17 fs) of the CO 2 laser. Even though the electrons in the ionization front carry no energy, the frequency of the CO 2 laser can be upshifted due to the relativistic Doppler effect as the CO 2 laser pulse enters the front. The wavelength can be tuned from 1 to 10 μ m by simply changing the electron density of the front. While the upshifted light with 5 < λ ( μ m ) < 10 propagates in the forward direction, that with 1 < λ ( μ m ) < 5 is back-reflected. These two plasma techniques seem extremely promising for covering the entire molecular fingerprint region.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
NASA NTRS2004

Lunar and Planetary Science XXXV: Missions and Instruments: Hopes and Hope Fulfilled

The titles in this section include: 1) Mars Global Surveyor Mars Orbiter Camera in the Extended Mission: The MOC Toolkit; 2) Mars Odyssey THEMIS-VIS Calibration; 3) Early Science Operations and Results from the ESA Mars Express Mission: Focus on Imaging and Spectral Mapping; 4) The Mars Express/NASA Project at JPL; 5) Beagle 2: Mission to Mars - Current Status; 6) The Beagle 2 Microscope; 7) Mars Environmental Chamber for Dynamic Dust Deposition and Statics Analysis; 8) Locating Targets for CRISM Based on Surface Morphology and Interpretation of THEMIS Data; 9) The Phoenix Mission to Mars; 10) First Studies of Possible Landing Sites for the Phoenix Mars Scout Mission Using the BMST; 11) The 2009 Mars Telecommunications Orbiter; 12) The Aurora Exploration Program - The ExoMars Mission; 13) Electron-induced Luminescence and X-Ray Spectrometer (ELXS) System Development; 14) Remote-Raman and Micro-Raman Studies of Solid CO2, CH4, Gas Hydrates and Ice; 15) The Compact Microimaging Spectrometer (CMIS): A New Tool for In-Situ Planetary Science; 16) Preliminary Results of a New Type of Surface Property Measurement Ideal for a Future Mars Rover Mission; 17) Electrodynamic Dust Shield for Solar Panels on Mars; 18) Sensor Web for Spatio-Temporal Monitoring of a Hydrological Environment; 19) Field Testing of an In-Situ Neutron Spectrometer for Planetary Exploration: First Results; 20) A Miniature Solid-State Spectrometer for Space Applications - Field Tests; 21) Application of Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) to Mars Polar Exploration: LIBS Analysis of Water Ice and Water Ice/Soil Mixtures; 22) LIBS Analysis of Geological Samples at Low Pressures: Application to Mars, the Moon, and Asteroids; 23) In-Situ 1-D and 2-D Mapping of Soil Core and Rock Samples Using the LIBS Long Spark; 24) Rocks Analysis at Stand Off Distance by LIBS in Martian Conditions; 25) Evaluation of a Compact Spectrograph/Detection System for a LIBS Instrument for In-Situ and Stand-Off Detection; 26) Analysis of Organic Compounds in Mars Analog Samples; 27) Report of the Organic Contamination Science Steering Group; 28) The Water-Wheel IR (WIR) - A Contact Survey Experiment for Water and Carbonates on Mars; 29) Mid-IR Fiber Optic Probe for In Situ Water Detection and Characterization; 30) Effects of Subsurface Sampling & Processing on Martian Simulant Containing Varying Quantities of Water; 31) The Subsurface Ice Probe (SIPR): A Low-Power Thermal Probe for the Martian Polar Layered Deposits; 32) Deploying Ground Penetrating Radar in Planetary Analog Sites to Evaluate Potential Instrument Capabilities on Future Mars Missions; 33) Evaluation of Rock Powdering Methods to Obtain Fine-grained Samples for CHEMIN, a Combined XRD/XRF Instrument; 34) Novel Sample-handling Approach for XRD Analysis with Minimal Sample Preparation; 35) A New Celestial Navigation Method for Mars Landers; 36) Mars Mineral Spectroscopy Web Site: A Resource for Remote Planetary Spectroscopy.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2011

Compact near-IR and mid-IR cavity ring down spectroscopy device

This invention relates to a compact cavity ring down spectrometer for detection and measurement of trace species in a sample gas using a tunable solid-state continuous-wave mid-infrared PPLN OPO laser or a tunable low-power solid-state continuous wave near-infrared diode laser with an algorithm for reducing the periodic noise in the voltage decay signal which subjects the data to cluster analysis or by averaging of the interquartile range of the data.

Miller, J. Houston↗
NASA NTRS2014

Near Infrared Cavity Ring-Down Spectroscopy for Isotopic Analyses of CH4 on Future Martian Surface Missions

A compact Near Infrared Continuous Wave Cavity Ring-Down Spectrometer (near-IR-cw-CRDS) was developed as a candidate for future planetary surface missions. The optical cavity was made of titanium with rugged quartz windows to protect the delicate super cavity from the harsh environmental changes that it would experience during space flight and a Martian surface mission. This design assured the long-term stability of the system. The system applied three distributed feedback laser diodes (DFB-LD), two of which were tuned to the absorption line peaks of (sup 12)CH4 and (sup 13)CH4 at 6046.954 inverse centimeters and 6049.121 inverse centimeters, respectively. The third laser was tuned to a spectral-lines-free region for measuring the baseline cavity loss. The multiple laser design compensated for typical baseline drift of a CRDS system and, thus, improved the overall precision. A semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) was used instead of an Acousto-Optic Module (AOM) to initiate the cavity ring-down events. It maintained high acquisition rates such as AOM, but consumed less power. High data acquisition rates combined with improved long-term stability yielded precise isotopic measurements in this near-IR region even though the strongest CH4 absorption line in this region is 140 times weaker than that of the strongest mid-IR absorption band. The current system has a detection limit of 1.4 times 10( sup –12) inverse centimeters for (sup 13)CH4. This limit corresponds to approximately 7 parts per trillion volume of CH4 at 100 Torrs. With no further improvements the detection limit of our current near IR-cw-CRDS at an ambient Martian pressure of approximately 6 Torrs (8 millibars) would be 0.25 parts per billion volume for one 3.3 minute long analysis.

portable nir crds↗
DOE OSTI2020

Mid-infrared vertical cavity laser

Disclosed is an optically pumped vertical cavity laser structure operating in the mid-infrared region, which has demonstrated room-temperature continuous wave operation. This structure uses a periodic gain active region with type I quantum wells comprised of InGaAsSb, and barrier/cladding regions which provide strong hole confinement and substantial pump absorption. A preferred embodiment includes at least one wafer bonded GaAs-based mirror. Several preferred embodiments also include means for wavelength tuning of mid-IR VCLs as disclosed, including a MEMS-tuning element. This document also includes systems for optical spectroscopy using the VCL as disclosed, including systems for detection concentrations of industrial and environmentally important gases.

42 ENGINEERING↗