Application of Micro Quartz Tuning Fork in Trace Gas Sensing by Use of Quartz-Enhanced Photoacoustic Spectroscopy

A novel quartz-enhanced photoacoustic spectroscopy (QEPAS) sensor based on a micro quartz tuning fork (QTF) is reported. As a photoacoustic transducer, a novel micro QTF was 3.7 times smaller than the usually used standard QTF, resulting in a gas sampling volume of ~0.1 mm3. As a proof of concept, water vapor in the air was detected by using 1.39 μm distributed feedback (DFB) laser. A detailed analysis of the performance of a QEPAS sensor based on the micro QTF was performed by detecting atmosphere H2O. The laser focus position and the laser modulation depth were optimized to improve the QEPAS excitation efficiency. A pair of acoustic micro resonators (AmRs) was assembled with the micro QTF in an on-beam configuration to enhance the photoacoustic signal. The AmRs geometry was optimized to amplify the acoustic resonance. With a 1 s integration time, a normalized noise equivalent absorption coefficient (NNEA) of 1.97 × 10−8 W·cm−1·Hz−1/2 was achieved when detecting H2O at less than 1 atm.

[1]  Weijun Zhang,et al.  Off-beam quartz-enhanced photoacoustic spectroscopy. , 2009, Optics letters.

[2]  Frank K. Tittel,et al.  Recent advances in quartz-enhanced photoacoustic sensing , 2017, OPTO.

[3]  Huadan Zheng,et al.  Single-tube on-beam quartz-enhanced photoacoustic spectroscopy. , 2016, Optics letters.

[4]  A. Kosterev,et al.  Applications of quartz tuning forks in spectroscopic gas sensing , 2005 .

[5]  Yu Fu,et al.  100-m standoff detection of a QCL-induced photo-vibrational signal on explosives using a laser vibrometer , 2018, Optics and Lasers in Engineering.

[6]  Simone Borri,et al.  A quartz enhanced photo-acoustic gas sensor based on a custom tuning fork and a terahertz quantum cascade laser. , 2014, The Analyst.

[7]  ONG,et al.  Piezo-enhanced acoustic detection module for mid-infrared trace gas sensing using a grooved quartz tuning fork , 2019 .

[8]  Lei Dong,et al.  Position effects of acoustic micro-resonator in quartz enhanced photoacoustic spectroscopy , 2015 .

[9]  Frank K. Tittel,et al.  Compact all-fiber quartz-enhanced photoacoustic spectroscopy sensor with a 30.72 kHz quartz tuning fork and spatially resolved trace gas detection , 2016 .

[10]  Xukun Yin,et al.  Ppb-level QEPAS NO2 sensor by use of electrical modulation cancellation method with a high power blue LED , 2015 .

[11]  Xin Yu,et al.  Quartz-Enhanced Photoacoustic Spectroscopy Sensor with a Small-Gap Quartz Tuning Fork , 2018, Sensors.

[12]  F Meriaudeau,et al.  Observation of Knudsen effect with microcantilevers. , 2003, Ultramicroscopy.

[13]  F. Harren,et al.  On-line laser photoacoustic detection of ethene in exhaled air as biomarker of ultraviolet radiation damage of the human skin , 1999 .

[14]  G. Scamarcio,et al.  Part-per-trillion level SF6 detection using a quartz enhanced photoacoustic spectroscopy-based sensor with single-mode fiber-coupled quantum cascade laser excitation. , 2012, Optics letters.

[15]  A. Kosterev,et al.  Influence of molecular relaxation dynamics on quartz-enhanced photoacoustic detection of CO2 at λ =2 μm , 2006 .

[16]  Wei Zhang,et al.  Trace gas sensor based on quartz tuning fork enhanced laser photoacoustic spectroscopy , 2009 .

[17]  Huadan Zheng,et al.  Quartz-enhanced conductance spectroscopy for nanomechanical analysis of polymer wire , 2015 .

[18]  Zoltán Bozóki,et al.  A fully opened photoacoustic resonator based system for fast response gas concentration measurements , 2010 .

[19]  Zoltán Bozóki,et al.  A compact ammonia detector with sub-ppb accuracy using near-infrared photoacoustic spectroscopy and preconcentration sampling. , 2009, Environmental science & technology.

[20]  A Passian,et al.  Modulation of multiple photon energies by use of surface plasmons. , 2005, Optics letters.

[21]  M. Raybaut,et al.  High-resolution photoacoustic and direct absorption spectroscopy of main greenhouse gases by use of a pulsed entangled cavity doubly resonant OPO , 2009 .

[22]  Frank K. Tittel,et al.  Ppb-level nitric oxide photoacoustic sensor based on a mid-IR quantum cascade laser operating at 52 °C , 2019, Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical.

[23]  J A Cranston.  Studies in gas production by bacteria: Apparatus for the measurement of the rate of gas production. , 1930, The Biochemical journal.

[24]  S. Borri,et al.  Molecular gas sensing below parts per trillion: radiocarbon-dioxide optical detection. , 2011, Physical review letters.

[25]  Lei Zhang,et al.  Highly sensitive and selective CO sensor using a 2.33 μm diode laser and wavelength modulation spectroscopy. , 2018, Optics express.

[26]  Benli Yu,et al.  Applications of Absorption Spectroscopy Using Quantum Cascade Lasers , 2014, Applied spectroscopy.

[27]  P. K. Guha,et al.  CMOS integration of inkjet-printed graphene for humidity sensing , 2015, Scientific Reports.

[28]  Wei Jin,et al.  Optimization of spectrophone performance for quartz-enhanced photoacoustic spectroscopy , 2012 .

[29]  Huadan Zheng,et al.  Scattered light modulation cancellation method for sub-ppb-level NO2 detection in a LD-excited QEPAS system. , 2016, Optics express.

[30]  Vincenzo Spagnolo,et al.  Photoacoustic Techniques for Trace Gas Sensing Based on Semiconductor Laser Sources , 2009, Sensors.

[31]  A. Miklós,et al.  Application of acoustic resonators in photoacoustic trace gas analysis and metrology , 2001 .

[32]  A. Kosterev,et al.  Impact of humidity on quartz-enhanced photoacoustic spectroscopy based detection of HCN , 2006 .

[33]  Vincenzo Spagnolo,et al.  Atmospheric CH4 measurement near a landfill using an ICL-based QEPAS sensor with V-T relaxation self-calibration , 2019, Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical.

[34]  A. L. Lereua.  Thermoplasmonic shift and dispersion in thin metal films , 2008 .

[35]  Myriam Raybaut,et al.  Quartz Enhanced Photoacoustic Spectroscopy Based on a Custom Quartz Tuning Fork , 2019, Sensors.

[36]  E. Zarling,et al.  Technique for gas-chromatographic measurement of volatile alkanes from single-breath samples. , 1987, Clinical chemistry.

[37]  Kun Liu,et al.  T-shape microresonator-based high sensitivity quartz-enhanced photoacoustic spectroscopy sensor. , 2012, Optics express.

[38]  Lei Zhang,et al.  Simultaneous multi-gas detection between 3 and 4μm based on a 2.5-m multipass cell and a tunable Fabry-Pérot filter detector. , 2019, Spectrochimica acta. Part A, Molecular and biomolecular spectroscopy.

[39]  Wei Ren,et al.  A portable low-power QEPAS-based CO2 isotope sensor using a fiber-coupled interband cascade laser , 2017 .

[40]  Vincenzo Spagnolo,et al.  Quartz-enhanced photoacoustic sensor for ethylene detection implementing optimized custom tuning fork-based spectrophone. , 2019, Optics express.

[41]  A. Kosterev,et al.  Carbon dioxide and ammonia detection using 2 μm diode laser based quartz-enhanced photoacoustic spectroscopy , 2007 .

[42]  Huadan Zheng,et al.  Beat frequency quartz-enhanced photoacoustic spectroscopy for fast and calibration-free continuous trace-gas monitoring , 2017, Nature Communications.

[43]  Lei Dong,et al.  QEPAS spectrophones: design, optimization, and performance , 2010 .

[44]  Zhenhua Cong,et al.  Application of Quartz Tuning Fork in Photodetector Based on Photothermal Effect , 2019, IEEE Photonics Technology Letters.

[45]  A. Kosterev,et al.  Quartz-enhanced photoacoustic spectroscopy. , 2002, Optics letters.

[46]  Lei Dong,et al.  Near-IR telecommunication diode laser based double-pass QEPAS sensor for atmospheric CO2 detection , 2015 .

[47]  Jun Zhang,et al.  Tungsten disulfide (WS2) based all-fiber-optic humidity sensor. , 2016, Optics express.

[48]  Huadan Zheng,et al.  Quartz–enhanced photoacoustic spectrophones exploiting custom tuning forks: a review , 2017 .

[49]  A Passian,et al.  Manipulation of microcantilever oscillations. , 2003, Ultramicroscopy.

[50]  Frank K. Tittel,et al.  Dual-gas quartz-enhanced photoacoustic sensor for simultaneous detection of methane/nitrous oxide and water vapor. , 2019, Analytical chemistry.

[51]  Frank K. Tittel,et al.  Quartz-Enhanced Photoacoustic Spectroscopy: A Review , 2014, Sensors.

[52]  Xin Yu,et al.  Ultra-high sensitive light-induced thermoelastic spectroscopy sensor with a high Q-factor quartz tuning fork and a multipass cell. , 2019, Optics letters.

[53]  Lauri Halonen,et al.  Sub-parts-per-trillion level sensitivity in trace gas detection by cantilever-enhanced photo-acoustic spectroscopy , 2018, Scientific Reports.

[54]  Wouter Olthuis,et al.  Sampling small volumes of ambient ammonia using a miniaturized gas sampler. , 2004, Lab on a chip.

[55]  Vincenzo Spagnolo,et al.  Ppb-level detection of nitric oxide using an external cavity quantum cascade laser based QEPAS sensor. , 2011, Optics express.

[56]  G. Scamarcio,et al.  Mid-infrared fiber-coupled QCL-QEPAS sensor , 2013 .

[57]  Huadan Zheng,et al.  Quartz-Enhanced Photothermal-Acoustic Spectroscopy for Trace Gas Analysis , 2019 .

[58]  Lei Zhang,et al.  External cavity quantum cascade laser-based QEPAS for chlorodifluoromethane spectroscopy and sensing , 2019, Applied Physics B.

[59]  Yao Wang,et al.  A Sensitive Carbon Dioxide Sensor Based on Photoacoustic Spectroscopy with a Fixed Wavelength Quantum Cascade Laser , 2019, Sensors.

[60]  Yves Bidaux,et al.  Purely wavelength- and amplitude-modulated quartz-enhanced photoacoustic spectroscopy. , 2016, Optics express.