Towards mid-infrared on-chip sensing utilizing a bi-functional quantum cascade laser/detector

摘要

The miniaturization of spectroscopic setups is a fascinating research topic, gaining momentum during the last couple of years. Quantum cascade lasers are known as one of the most important and influential sources in the mid-infrared region. In the so called “fingerprint” region (3–20μm) most molecules have their resonances, that can be observed by optical absorption or a change of the refractive index of the chemical substance. Many chip-scale sensing concepts have been demonstrated utilizing quantum cascade lasers [1-3]. However, all of these concepts have been demonstrated with external optics and detectors.