Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Quantum Cascade Laser Technology for the Ultrasensitive Detection of Low-Level Nitric Oxide

  • Protocol
  • First Online:
Nitric Oxide

Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology ((MIMB,volume 704))

Abstract

Several spectroscopic methods based on mid-infrared quantum cascade lasers for the ultrasensitive detection of nitric oxide have been developed with detection limit in ppbv and sub-ppbv range. We will describe here a selection of the most effective techniques, i.e., laser absorption spectroscopy, cavity-enhanced spectroscopy, photoacoustic spectroscopy, and Faraday modulation spectroscopy. For each technique, advantages and drawbacks will be underlined.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Protocol
USD 49.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 139.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Nelson, D. D., Shorter, J. H., McManus, J. B., and Zahniser, M. S. (2002) Sub-part-per-billion detection of nitric oxide in air using a thermoelectrically cooled mid-infrared quantum cascade laser spectrometer. Appl Phys B 75, 343–350.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Weber, W. H., Remillard, T. J., Chase, R. E., Richert, J. F., Capasso, F., Gmachl, C., Hutchinson, A. L., Sivco, D. L., Baillargeon, J. N., and Cho, A. Y. (2002) Using a wavelength-modulation quantum cascade laser to measure NO concentration in the parts-per-billion range for vehicle emissions certification. Appl Spectrosc 56, 706–714.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Wysocki, G., Kosterev, A. A., and Tittel, F. K. (2005) Spectroscopic trace-gas sensor with rapidly scanned wavelengths of a pulsed quantum cascade laser for in situ NO monitoring of industrial exhaust systems. Appl Phys B 80, 617–625.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Kharitonov, S. A. and Barnes, P. J. (2000) Clinical aspects of exhaled nitric oxide. Eur Respir J 16, 781–792.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. van Herpen, M. M. J. W., Bisson, S. E., Ngai, A. K. Y., and Harren, F. J. M. (2004) Combined wide pump tuning and high power of a continuous-wave, singly resonant optical parametric oscillator. Appl Phys B 78, 281–286.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Bisson, S. E., Armstrong, K. M., Kulp, T. J., and Hartings, M. (2001) Broadly tunable, mode-hop-tuned cw optical parametric oscillator based on periodically poled lithium niobate. Appl Opt 40, 6049–6055.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Müller, F., Popp, A., Kühnemann, F., and Schiller, S. (2003) Transportable, highly sensitive photoacoustic spectrometer based on a continuous-wave dual cavity optical parametric oscillator. Opt Express 11, 2820–2825.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Klein, M. E., Laue, C. K., Lee, D. H., Boller, K. J., and Wallenstein, R. (2000) Diode-pumped singly resonant continuous-wave optical parametric oscillator with wide continuous tuning of the near-infrared idler wave. Opt Lett 25, 490–492.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Tittel, F. K., Richter, D., Fried, A. (2003) Mid-infrared laser applications in spectroscopy, In (Sorokina, I. T., Vodopyanov, K. L. eds.), Solid-State Mid-Infrared Laser Sources. Springer, Berlin. pp. 445–516.

    Google Scholar 

  10. Bisson, S. E., Kulp, T. J., Levi, O., Harris, J. S., and Fejer, M. M. (2006) Long-wave IR chemical sensing based on difference frequency generation in orientation-patterned GaAs. Appl Phys B 8, 199–206.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Chen, W. D., Poullet, E., Burie, J., Boucher, D., Sigrist, M. W., Zondy, J. J., Isaenko, L., Yelisseyev, A., and Lobanov, S.. Widely tunable continuous-wave mid-infrared radiation (5.5–11 μm) by difference-frequency generation in LiInS2 crystal. Appl Opt 44, 4123–4129.

    Google Scholar 

  12. Richter, D. and Weibring, P. (2006) Ultra-high precision mid-IR spectrometer I: design and analysis of an optical fiber pumped difference-frequency generation source. Appl Phys B 82, 479–486.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Faist, J., Capasso, F., Sivco, D. L., Sirtori, C., Hutchinson, A. L., and Cho, A. Y. (1994) Quantum cascade laser. Science 264, 553–556.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Beck, M., Hofstetter, D., Aellen, T., Faist, J., Oesterle, U., Ilegems, M., Gini, E., and Melchior, H. (2002) Continuous wave operation of a mid-infrared semiconductor laser at room temperature. Science 295, 301–305.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Yu, J. S., Slivken, S., Evans, A., Doris, L., and Razeghi, M. (2003) High-power continuous-wave operation of a 6 μm quantum-cascade laser at room temperature. Appl Phys Lett 83, 2503–2505.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Gmachl, C., Faist, J., Baillargeon, J. N., Capasso, F., Sirtori, C., Sivco, D. L., and Cho, A. Y. (1997) Complex-coupled quantum cascade distributed-feedback laser. Photon Technol Lett 9, 1090–1092.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Kohler, R., Gmachl, C., Tredicucci, A., Capasso, F., Sivco, D. L., Chu, S. N. G., and Cho, A. Y. (2000) Single-mode tunable, pulsed, and continuous wave quantum-cascade distributed feedback lasers at 4.6–4.7 μm. Appl Phys Lett 76, 1092–1094.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. DFB CW Room-Temperature Lasers. Available online: http://www.alpeslasers.ch, Jul 2009.

  19. Tunable Mid-IR External Cavity Lasers. Available online: http://www.daylightsolutions.com, Jul 2009.

  20. Yu, J. S., Slivken, S., Evans, A., Darvish, S. R., Nguyen, J., and Razeghi, M. (2006) High-power ∼ 9.5 μm quantum-cascade lasers operating above room temperature in continuous-wave mode. Appl Phys Lett 88, 091113–091115.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Maulini, R., Beck, M., Faist, J., and Gini, E. (2004) Broadband tuning of external cavity bound-to-continuum quantum-cascade lasers. Appl Phys Lett 84, 1659–1661.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Wysocki, G., Curl, R. F., Tittel, F. K., Maulini, R., Bulliard, J. M., and Faist, J. (2005) Widely tunable mode-hop free external cavity quantum cascade laser for high resolution spectroscopic applications. Appl Phys B 81, 769–777.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. White, J. U. (1942) Long optical paths of large aperture. J Opt Soc Am 32, 285–288.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Pilston, R. G. and White, J. U. (1954) A long path gas absorption cell. J Opt Soc Am 44, 572–573.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Herriott, D., Kogelnik, H., and Kompfner, R. (1964) Off-axis paths in spherical mirror interferometers. Appl Opt 3, 523–526.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. McManus, J. B., Kebabian, P. L., and Zahniser, M. S. (1995) Astigmatic mirror multi-pass absorption cells for long-path length spectroscopy. Appl Opt 34, 3336–3348.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Moeskops, B. W. M., Critescu, S. M., and Harren, F. J. M. (2006) Sub-part-per-billion monitoring of nitric oxide by use of wavelength modulation spectroscopy in combination with a thermoelectrically cooled, continuous-wave quantum cascade laser. Opt Lett 31, 823–825.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. McManus, J. B., Nelson, D. D., Herndon, S. C., Shorter, J. H., Zahniser, M. S., Blaser, S., Hvozdara, L., Muller, A., Giovannini, M., and Faist, J. (2006) Comparison of cw and pulsed operation with a TE-cooled quantum cascade infrared laser for detection of nitric oxide at 1900 cm−1. Appl Phys B 85, 235–241.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Kasyutich, V. L., Holdsworth, R. J., and Martin, P. A. (2008) Mid-infrared laser absorption spectrometers based upon all-diode laser difference frequency generation and a room temperature quantum cascade laser for the detection of CO, N2O and NO. Appl Phys B 92, 271–279.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. Romanini, D., Kachanov, A. A., Sadeghi, N., and Stoeckel, F. (1997) CW cavity ring down spectroscopy. Chem Phys Lett 264, 316–322.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  31. Paldus, B. A., Harb, C. C., Spence, T. G., Zare, R. N., Gmachl, C., Capasso, F., Sivco, D. L., Baillargeon, J. N., Hutchinson, A. L., and Cho, A. Y. (2000) Cavity ringdown spectroscopy using mid-infrared quantum-cascade lasers. Opt Lett 25, 666–668.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  32. Kosterev, A., Malinovsky, A. L., Tittel, F. K., Gmachl, C., Capasso, F., Sivco, D. L., Baillargeon, J. N., Hutchinson, A. L., and Cho, A. Y. (2001) Cavity ringdown spectroscopic detection of nitric oxide with continuous-wave quantum-cascade laser. Appl Opt 40, 5522–5529.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  33. Menzel, L., Kosterev, A. A., Curl, R. F., Tittel, F. K., Gmachl, C., Capasso, F., Sivco, D. L., Baillargeon, J. N., Hutchinson, A. L., Cho, A. Y. et al. (2001) Spectroscopic detection of biological NO with a quantum cascade laser. Appl Phys B 72, 859–863.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  34. Bakhirkin, Y. A., Kosterev, A. A., Roller, C., Curl, R. F., and Tittel, F. K. (2004) Mid-infrared quantum cascade laser based off-axis integrated cavity output spectroscopy for biogenic nitric oxide detection. Appl Opt 43, 2257–2265.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  35. Silva, M. L., Sonnenfroh, D. M., Rosen, D. I., Allen, M. G., and O’Keefe, A. (2005) Integrated cavity output spectroscopy measurements of NO levels in breath with a pulsed room-temperature QCL. Appl Phys B 81, 705–710.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  36. Bakhirkin, Y. A., Kosterev, A. A., Curl, R. F., Tittel, F. K., Yarekha, D. A., Hvozdara, L., Giovannini, M., and Faist, J. (2006) Sub-ppbv nitric oxide concentration measurements using cw thermoelectrically cooled quantum cascade laser-based integrated cavity output spectroscopy. Appl Phys B 82, 149–154.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  37. McCurdy, M. R., Bakhirkin, Y. A., and Tittel, F. K. (2006) Quantum cascade laser-based integrated cavity output spectroscopy of exhaled nitric oxide. Appl Phys B 85, 445–452.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  38. McCurdy, M. R., Bakhirkin, Y., Wysocki, G., and Tittel, F. K. (2007) Performance of an exhaled nitric oxide and carbon dioxide sensor using quantum cascade laser-based integrated cavity output spectroscopy. J Biomed Optics 12, R1–R12.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  39. Elia, A., Lugarà, P. M., and Giancaspro, C. (2005) Photoacoustic detection of nitric oxide by use of a quantum cascade laser. Opt Lett 30, 988–990.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  40. Di Franco, C., Elia, A., Spagnolo, V., Scamarcio, G., Lugarà, P. M., Ieva, E., Cioffi, N., Torsi, L., Bruno, G., Losurdo, M. et al. (2009) Optical and electronic NOx sensors for applications in mechatronics. Sensors 9, 3337–3356.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  41. Grossel, A., Zéninari, V., Joly, L., Parvitte, B., Durry, G., and Courtois, D. (2007) Photoacoustic detection of nitric oxide with a Helmholtz resonant quantum cascade laser sensor. Infrared Phys Techn 51, 95–101.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  42. Spagnolo, V., Kosterev, A. A., Dong, L., Lewicki, R., and Tittel, F. K. (2010) NO trace gas sensor based on quartz-enhanced photoacoustic spectroscopy and external cavity quantum cascade laser. Appl Phys B 100, 125–130.

    Google Scholar 

  43. Ganser, H., Horstjann, M., Suschek, C. V., Hering, P., and Mürtz, M. (2004) Online monitoring of biogenic nitric oxide with a QC laser-based Faraday modulation technique. Appl Phys B 78, 513–517.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  44. Sabana, H., Fritsch, T., Boyomo Onana, M., Bouba, O., Hering, P., and Mürtz, M. (2009) Simultaneous detection of 14NO and 15NO using Faraday modulation spectroscopy. Appl Phys B 96, 535–544.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  45. Lewicki, R., Doty, J. H., Curl, R. F., Tittel, F. K., Wysocki, G. (2009) Ultra-sensitive detection of nitric oxide at 5.33 μm using external cavity quantum cascade laser based Faraday rotation spectroscopy. Published online before print Jul 22, doi: 10.1073/pnas.0906291106.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We acknowledge partial financial support from Regione Puglia – Project DM01 related with the Apulian Technological District on Mechatronics-MEDIS.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. CNR-IFN U.O.S. di BARI, Physics Department, University of Bari, Via Amendola 173, I-70126, Bari, Italy

    Angela Elia, Pietro Mario Lugarà, Cinzia Di Franco & Vincenzo Spagnolo

Authors
  1. Angela Elia
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Pietro Mario Lugarà
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Cinzia Di Franco
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Vincenzo Spagnolo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Angela Elia .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Pharmacy, Queen's University, Belfast, Lisburn Road 97, Belfast, BT9 7BL, United Kingdom

    Helen O. McCarthy

  2. School of Pharmacy, Queen's University, Belfast, Lisburn Road 97, Belfast, BT9 7BL, United Kingdom

    Jonathan A. Coulter

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2011 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

About this protocol

Cite this protocol

Elia, A., Lugarà, P.M., Di Franco, C., Spagnolo, V. (2011). Quantum Cascade Laser Technology for the Ultrasensitive Detection of Low-Level Nitric Oxide. In: McCarthy, H., Coulter, J. (eds) Nitric Oxide. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 704. Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-61737-964-2_10

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-61737-964-2_10

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Humana Press

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-61737-963-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-61737-964-2

  • eBook Packages: Springer Protocols

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation