Dual-tube MEMS-based spectrophone for sub-ppb mid-IR photoacoustic gas detection
Year: 2024
Authors: Dello Russo S., Pelini J., Lopez Garcia I., Canino M.C., Roncaglia A., Pastor P.C., Galli I., De Natale P., Borri S., Siciliani de Cumis M.
Autors Affiliation: ASI Agenzia Spaziale Italiana, Ctr Geodesia Spaziale, I-75100 Matera, Italy; CNR, INO Ist Nazl Ott, Via N Carrara 1, I-50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy; LENS, Via N Carrara 1, I-50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy; Univ Federico II, Corso Umberto I 40, I-80138 Naples, Italy; Consiglio Nazl Ric CNR, Ist Microelettron & Microsistemi IMM, Via P Gobetti 101, I-40129 Bologna, Italy.
Abstract: Nowadays, the scientific community and industry are increasingly pressed to provide solutions for developing compact and highly-performing trace-gas sensors for several applications of crucial importance, such as environmental monitoring or medical diagnostics. In this context, this work describes a novel configuration, making use of a mid-IR spectrophone combining the compactness of a photo-acoustic setup, a non-conventional micro-electro-mechanical (MEMS) acousto-to-voltage transducer, and the sensitivity enhancement given by a cost-effective and easy-to-build dual-tube resonator configuration. In the optimal condition of sample pressure, the system developed in this work can achieve a minimum detection limit (MDL) equal to 0.34 ppb when averaging up to 10 s. Compared with previous literature of single-pass photoacoustic-based sensors for N2O, this corresponds to a significant improvement both for the achieved normalized noise equivalent absorption coefficient (NNEA) equal to 1.41 x 10(-9) cm(-1)WHz(-1/2), and for a Noise-Equivalent-Concentration (NEC) of 1 ppb obtained at 1 s of averaging time.
Journal/Review: PHOTOACOUSTICS
Volume: 40 Pages from: 100644-1 to: 100644-9
More Information: This work was partially supported by EDA under the Cat-B Project Q-LAMPS Quantum LAser-based Multi-parametric Portable Sensor(EDA or (EDA contract n.B-PRJ-RT-989), by EU NextGeneratio nEU Programme with the I-PHOQS Infrastructure Integrated infrastructure initiative in Photonic and Quantum Sciences[IR0000016, ID D2B8D520], the QUANCOM project (MUR PON Ricerca e Innovazione 2014-2020 ARS 0100734), the Laserlab-Europe Project [G.A. n. 871124], the MUQUABIS Project [G.A. n. 101070546] Multiscale quantum bioimaging and spectroscopy, by the European Union’s EDF Projects ADEQUADE Advanced, Disruptive and Emerging QUAntum technologies for DEfense(ID 101103417) and CASSATA Covert and Advanced multi-modal Sensor Systems for tArget acquisition and reconnAissance(ID 101121447).KeyWords: Trace-gas sensor; Photo-acoustic spectroscopy; Dual tube configuration; Acoustic enhancement; Minimum detection limit; Micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS); Sub-part-per-billionDOI: 10.1016/j.pacs.2024.100644