ONE-MIX SIGNED

Project "ONE-MIX" data sheet

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 Project objective

ONE-MIX proposes to develop single-source dual-comb lasers for mid-infrared (2-5 μm wavelength) spectroscopy, potentially enabling many new applications in science and industry, such as environment, safety, pharma, and health. This proposal extends our recent demonstration of a dual-comb MIXSEL (Modelocked Integrated eXternal-cavity Surface Emitting Lasers) in the near-infrared, validated by measuring weak water absorption at 968 nm. Many more relevant gas absorption lines, however, are in the mid-infrared, where sensitivities of parts-per-billion can be achieved. Dual-comb mid-IR spectroscopy applications are currently limited by the cost, complexity, and size of conventional optical comb systems, based on two modelocked lasers with four active stabilization loops. The single-source dual-comb MIXSEL, however, substantially reduces the complexity of existing systems to a single compact free-running laser. In comparison to other competing new approaches such as quantum cascade lasers or micro resonator combs, the MIXSEL provides substantially more power per comb line with low linewidth and noise, and is ideally suited for a 1 to 5 GHz comb spacing, which is optimal for many molecular spectroscopy applications, allowing for fast, accurate, and sensitive absorption measurements. This proposal leverages our know-how in MIXSEL design combined with III-V semiconductor epitaxy to demonstrate this new class of lasers in the mid-IR, enabling simpler, lower-cost systems with sufficient speed and sensitivity for many relevant and commercially interesting applications in the 2 to 5 μm spectral region, such as CO2 , CH4, or NOx trace gas detection. We propose to extend the near-IR MIXSELs to the mid-IR by combining two validated semiconductor approaches – using type-II gain quantum wells combined with a type- I saturable absorber quantum wells, fabricated with existing GaSb (gallium-antimonide) molecular beam epitaxy systems operated out of the FIRST lab at ETH Zurich.