Microelectronics in gas sensing
and glimpses
of other electro optic activities
Jon Kristian Hagene
Norsk Elektro Optikk AS (NEO)
Norway
Transatlantic Science Week 2011
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
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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.
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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
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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)
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LASERGAS III
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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.
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LaserGas III stack & portable
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Transmitter part
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Receiver part
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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:
Mid IR
move from Near IR to
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OPTICAL MICROPHONE
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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...
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“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
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What is a Quartz tuning fork?
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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)
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QEPAS set-up
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QEPAS set-up mechanics
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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)
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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)
Patented SINTEF
optical microphone
Gas
Microphone
Sound
Infrared ight
Technology for a better society
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
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“CLARITY”
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• CLARITY, European Project, FP7
• Recently started, duration 3 years
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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/
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OTHER EO ACTIVITIES
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OPTOPIG
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Optopig HW and results
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TILEFISH
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TileFish a AUV LED Camera
(Left figure FFI)
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TileFish results
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WATSEN
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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
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WatSen Water Sensor for Mars
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THE END
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