Novel Miniature Spectrometer for Remote Chemical Detection

A entirely new class of chemical sensors is being developed that will enable qualitative and quantitative remote, real-time, optical diagnostics of chemical species in hazardous gas, liquid, and semi-solid phases through a completely novel implementation of cavity ring-down spectroscopy. The sensor design uses a tiny, solid block (< 1cm3) of ultra-high purity optical material that is fabricated into a regular, planar polygon with a single convex facet to form a total-internal-reflection (TIR) ring minicavity. The lifetime of a light pulse that is injected into the cavity is extremely sensitive to chemical species in contact with the cavity. By using optical fiber to remotely locate the light source and detector, this new technology will permit high-sensitivity, remote chemical sensing with a rugged, cost-effective device