Abstract: An TDLS gas sensor with a measuring pick-up to be arranged outside of the interior chamber of an incubator or a climate chamber of similar design, and with an absorption pick-up to be arranged inside the interior chamber, and also with a window separating the measuring area and absorption area for the atmospheric separation of the laser diode from the interior chamber of the incubator, with the window being arranged at an angle to the axis of the laser beam emitted by a laser diode, and with the optronic components being arranged in a block of material in the measuring pick-up, said block being made of thermally well-conducting material and serving as heat sink, and with a heating system for the window in the measuring pick-up. In addition, a process for measuring the moisture and the carbon dioxide concentration.

Abstract: An TDLS gas sensor with a measuring pick-up to be arranged outside of the interior chamber of an incubator or a climate chamber of similar design, and with an absorption pick-up to be arranged inside the interior chamber, and also with a window separating the measuring area and absorption area for the atmospheric separation of the laser diode from the interior chamber of the incubator, with the window being arranged at an angle to the axis of the laser beam emitted by a laser diode, and with the optronic components being arranged in a block of material in the measuring pick-up, said block being made of thermally well-conducting material and serving as heat sink, and with a heating system for the window in the measuring pick-up. The TDLS gas sensor is easy to install and remove and permits the measurement of moisture and of the carbon dioxide concentration in one measuring cycle. However, it does not need to be removed for the sterilization.

Abstract: A gas detection laser diode device and gas detection unit including the gas detection laser diode device having a hermetically sealed housing with electrical connectors at the bottom and a window, and inside the housing a laser diode and thermistor mounted on one stage of a thermo element. The thermo element is connected with the other stage to the base of the housing. Collimating means are arranged in the laser beam between the laser diode and the window. The window is tilted in respect to the axis of the laser beam such, that the ordinary reflection of the laser beam is steered off the laser beam axis and at least does not impinge on the laser diode. Preferably the collimating means and the laser diode are mounted on a same surface for holding them on the same temperature. The new device allows the detection of toxic gases with reduced detection limits over the prior art. The arrangement further claims a method to achieve reduced detection limits for gases.

Abstract: A combined gas sensor device allowing the measuring of the concentration of a gas by tunable diode laser spectrometry as well as by resonant photo-acoustics within one housing. A laser beam used for laser spectrometry is sent across the openings of a measuring cell usually used for resonant photo-acoustic determination. Thus, both measuring principles use the same gas sensing module with a minimum of space consumption, so that the device can be produced with minimum dimensions. Further, a common opto-electronics and electronics platform can be used which reduces the overall costs of such a combined gas sensor.

Abstract: A method for performing quartz-enhanced photoacoustic spectroscopy of a gas, includes providing a light source configured to introduce a laser beam having at least one wavelength into the gas such said at least one molecule within in the gas is stimulated generating an acoustic signal, accumulating the acoustic signal in a resonant acoustic detector, generating a resonant absorption signal (SA) relative to the gas concentration by at least one tuning fork serving as resonant acoustic detector, generating additionally a resonant intensity signal (SI) proportional to the intensity of the laser beam travelling through the gas, and providing an output signal (SGC) from said absorption signal (SA) and said intensity signal (SI) being independent of the intensity of the light relative to the presence or concentration of the gas.

Abstract: A method for performing quartz-enhanced photoacoustic spectroscopy of a gas, includes providing a light source configured to introduce a laser beam having at least one wavelength into the gas such said at least one molecule within in the gas is stimulated generating an acoustic signal, accumulating the acoustic signal in a resonant acoustic detector, generating a resonant absorption signal (SA) relative to the gas concentration by at least one tuning fork serving as resonant acoustic detector, generating additionally a resonant intensity signal (SI) proportional to the intensity of the laser beam travelling through the gas, and providing an output signal (SGC) from said absorption signal (SA) and said intensity signal (SI) being independent of the intensity of the light relative to the presence or concentration of the gas.

Abstract: A combined gas sensor device allowing the measuring of the concentration of a gas by tunable diode laser spectrometry as well as by resonant photo-acoustics within one housing. A laser beam used for laser spectrometry is sent across the openings of a measuring cell usually used for resonant photo-acoustic determination. Thus, both measuring principles use the same gas sensing module with a minimum of space consumption, so that the device can be produced with minimum dimensions. Further, a common opto-electronics and electronics platform can be used which reduces the overall costs of such a combined gas sensor.

Abstract: A method for etalon suppression in a gas detection device by determining an etalon fringe period during a calibration step without gas in dependency of the DC drive current. A measuring signal which is a function of the gas absorption and substantially independent of an intensity modulation of an initial light signal at an initial frequency (f) is generated by determining a first pre-measuring signal when the laser source is operated at the center of the gas absorption peak, a second pre-measuring signal when the laser source is operated with a DC drive current below the gas absorption peak of the gas to be detected, and a third pre-measuring signal when the laser source is operated with a DC drive current above said gas absorption peak, with a difference between said DC drive currents which corresponds to the etalon fringe period determined in a calibration step before.

Abstract: A gas detection method by using a photo acoustic near infrared gas sensor with a laser source and such a gas sensor comprising at least one amplitude modulated laser source, a gas chamber for receiving the gas to be detected, a microphone attached to the gas chamber, a photo detector for receiving the laser light after having passed through the gas filled gas chamber, processing means comprising a modulation frequency generator for providing a modulation signal for the at least one laser source and a control means for determining the gas concentration. The laser source changes it output wavelength across each cycle of the amplitude modulation between a minimum wavelength and a maximum wavelength. The result of this measurement scheme is that during each modulation cycle, the laser source scans its complete available wavelength range so that the absorption features of the target gas are levelled out to a mean value.

Abstract: The invention proposes a method for etalon suppression in a gas detection device by determining an etalon fringe period during a calibration step without gas in dependency of the DC drive current. A measuring signal which is a function of the gas absorption and substantially independent of an intensity modulation of an initial light signal at an initial frequency (f) is generated by determining a first pre-measuring signal when the laser source is operated at the center of the gas absorption peak, a second pre-measuring signal when the laser source is operated with a DC drive current below the gas absorption peak of the gas to be detected, and a third pre-measuring signal when the laser source is operated with a DC drive current above said gas absorption peak, with a difference between said DC drive currents which corresponds to the etalon fringe period determined in a calibration step before.

Abstract: The gas detector device comprises at least a VCSEL source and at least a light sensor for detecting a light beam having passed through a sample chamber containing a given gas to be detected. The detection signal of the sensor directly provided to or is time derivated by an electronic derivator and then provided to respective lock-in amplifiers in order to generate a two different 2f-detection, f being the frequency of a wavelength modulation of the source, and thus to provide two corresponding measuring signals the division of which gives a precise value of the gas concentration. The invention uses at least a first modulation reference signal at twice and a second modulation reference signal at twice of the modulation frequency of the laser source.

Abstract: A gas detector device comprises at least a VCSEL source (34, 36) and at least a light sensor (54, 56) for detecting a light beam (50, 52) having passed through a sample chamber (48) containing a given gas to be detected. The sensor is a photodiode in a first embodiment and its detection signal is time derivated by an electronic derivator (64) and then provided to two lock-in amplifiers (84, 86) in order to generate a F-detection and a 2F-detection, F being the frequency of a wavelength modulation of the source, and thus to provide two corresponding measuring signals the division of which gives a precise value of the gas concentration. In a second embodiment, the source is a pyroelectric sensor which directly provides a detection signal proportional to the time derivate of the light beam incident on this sensor. In this last case, the electronic derivator is thus eliminated.

Abstract: The gas detector device comprises at least a VCSEL source and at least a light sensor for detecting a light beam having passed through a sample chamber containing a given gas to be detected. The detection signal of the sensor directly provided to or is time derivated by an electronic derivator and then provided to respective lock-in amplifiers in order to generate a two different 2f-detection, f being the frequency of a wavelength modulation of the source, and thus to provide two corresponding measuring signals the division of which gives a precise value of the gas concentration. The invention uses at least a first modulation reference signal at twice and a second modulation reference signal at twice of the modulation frequency of the laser source.

Abstract: A gas detector device comprises at least a VCSEL source (34, 36) and at least a light sensor (54, 56) for detecting a light beam (50, 52) having passed through a sample chamber (48) containing a given gas to be detected. The sensor is a photodiode in a first embodiment and its detection signal is time derivated by an electronic derivator (64) and then provided to two lock-in amplifiers (84, 86) in order to generate a F-detection and a 2F-detection, F being the frequency of a wavelength modulation of the source, and thus to provide two corresponding measuring signals the division of which gives a precise value of the gas concentration. In a second embodiment, the source is a pyroelectric sensor which directly provides a detection signal proportional to the time derivate of the light beam incident on this sensor. In this last case, the electronic derivator is thus eliminated.

Abstract: The invention concerns an infrared sensor (2) comprising a plurality of pixels (12) having a structured layer (20) for infrared light absorption located at the sensor upper surface. The invention is characterised in that the absorption layer (20) is formed of colloidal particles, in particular graphite or metal oxide wafers embedded or sealed in a binder. The method for making such a sensor consists in forming the structured layer by deposit of the colloidal particles in accordance with a standard technique and then in eliminating partly the thus formed absorption layer to obtain a plurality of elementary absorption zones respectively associated with the plurality of pixels.