Abstract

Mid-IR Sb-based semiconductor laser technology is maturing rapidly and is finding applications in areas such as high resolution spectroscopy (trace gas detection, in-situ water and carbon dioxide isotope ratio measurements…), medicine or free-space optical telecomms, where highly coherent tunable low noise sources are required. VCSELs and External-cavity VCSELs (VECSELs) exhibit narrow single-frequency operation, stable light linear polarisation state and wide mode-hop- free tuning range [1], well adapted for gas spectroscopy application in the 2-2. μm atmospheric window (species of interest such as CH₄, NH₃, CO, HF) and near 2.7pm (FLO, CO₂).

© 2007 IEEE