transatlantic science week 2011 microelectronics in gas sensing and glimpses of other electro optic...

Transatlantic Science Week 2011

Microelectronics in gas sensing and glimpses

of other electro optic activities

Jon Kristian Hagene

Norsk Elektro Optikk AS (NEO)

Norway


Norsk Elektro Optikk AS, NEO

• NEO is a SME located in Norway• Founded in 1985, working within the

field of electro-optics• Main fields of work is tuneable diode

laser spectroscopy, pipeline inspection/digital imaging/underwater optics and hyperspectral imaging

NEO History

• Offspring from the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (1985)

• Early idea to do research for the offshore oil and gas industry, underwater optics, but oil price dropped 50% in 1985/86

• Space projects for the European Space Agency, ESA. From start to mid nineties, new space activity in recent years.


NEO History

• First gas monitor prototype in 1990• Laser based (TDLAS) in sales from

1995

• Underwater optics/pipeline inspection back in the mid nineties as well as recent years



Current projects, micro/nano

• LaserGas III, 3rd generation TDLAS. Funding: own + “Skattefunn”

• Optical Microphone, photoacoustic spectroscopy, SINTEF main actor, NEO industrial partner for gas sensing, Funding of SINTEF: NRC, NEO: own

• CLARITY, System on a chip, NEO industrial partner in European project. Funding: EU, FP7. (3 years)


LASERGAS III


LaserGas III

• Gas monitoring very important for NEO

• 3rd generation TDLAS gas monitor • move from 2nd harmonic detection

(partly analogue processing) to more digital processing

• miniaturised electronics• more approvals, Ex-d, SIL2 etc.


LaserGas III stack & portable


Transmitter part


Receiver part

Applications / development

• Currently many industrial applications, process control, emissions monitoring, safety systems etc.

• Adding new applications in food industry and medical based on LG3 platform

• Near future: move from Near IR to Mid IR



OPTICAL MICROPHONE

Objective with new development

• Stronger gas absorption lines in Mid IR give better sensitivity, detect new gases

• However, detectors might be a problem: noisy and/or expensive

• Developing other detection techniques...



“Optical microphone“

• Co-operation with SINTEF, Norway (patent)

• SINTEF funded by the Research Counsil of Norway

• Intermediate step using a quartz tuning fork to measure gas (QEPAS)

• Final version will be using a micro machined “microphone” to boost gas detection sensitivity


What is a Quartz tuning fork?

Photo Acoustic Spectroscopy


Key elements of QEPAS

• Laser modulated at 16 kHz (sine on top of ramp)

• QTF mounted in small gas cell with micro resonator that gives up to 10X amplification

• QTF resonance frequency 32 kHz• We are using existing electronics design

(LGII, 2nd harmonic detection)


QEPAS set-up


QEPAS set-up mechanics


Early QEPAS results

• Got a very robust micro resonator design compared to others, industrial use possible

• First version has a detection limit of 10 ppm for CH4 (methane), (best published results 2 ppm)

Technology for a better society

4. Photo-acoustics• Photoacoustic spectroscopy was

invented by Alexander Graham Bell, ~1880

• Key item: a sensitive microphone• The world’s most sensitive

microphone is currently being developed by SINTEF

• Detection of <1ppb concentration of gasses possible (comparable to GC-MS)

Infrared ight

Microphone

Sound

Gas

Patented SINTEF optical microphone

Optical microphone summary

• Use other lasers than we use today, from NIR to Mid IR, Quantuum cascade lasers (QCL)

• Improved sensitivity and new gases• Optical detection instead of current

noisy (and/or expensive) detectors• Enable new gas monitoring applications

pushing technology forward



“CLARITY”


• CLARITY, European Project, FP7• Recently started, duration 3 years

Clarity project

• Spectroscopy in Mid IR and detection in Near IR (8 um spectroscopy, 1.5-2 um detectors (InGaAs))

• Improved S/N ratio, better detection limits

• Ultimate goal: a system on a chip

• Compact uLtrA-efficient mid-infRared photonIc sysTems based on low noise quantum cascade laser sources, wide band frequencY converters and near-infrared photodetectors

• http://www.clarity-project.eu/



OTHER EO ACTIVITIES


OPTOPIG


Optopig HW and results


TILEFISH


TileFish a AUV LED Camera

(Left figure FFI)


TileFish results


WATSEN

WatSen specification

• Project for European Space Agency, ESA, «breadboard»

• Open University, UK, main contractor, NEO main contractor for microscope part

• ATR spectrometer 5.5um-10.8 um• Microscope 1280x1024 pixels



WatSen Water Sensor for Mars


THE END

transatlantic science week 2011 microelectronics in gas sensing and glimpses of other electro optic...

Documents

ppm slide

neo norway slide

optical microphone slide

qepas setup slide

neo neo

hyperspectral imaging

stack portable slide

nd harmonic detection