Omega Optics, Inc.

Jason Midkiff

Ray T Chen

Hamed Dalir

Mohammad H Teimourpour

Jong-Dug Shin

Methods and apparatuses for gas detection are disclosed, including providing a device comprising: a light source configured to emit light; an array of vertical photonic crystal waveguides (VPCWs), wherein the VPCWs of the array of VPCWs are configured to slow and guide the light; and a detector array, wherein the detectors of the detector array are configured to measure the intensity of the light passing through each of the VPCWs of the array of VPCWs; wherein the VPCWs of the array of VPCWs slow and guide light having a wavelength within the absorption bands of the one or more gas species to be detected; exposing the apparatus to a gaseous environment such that gas from the environment flows through the array of VPCWs; and reading values from the detectors of the detector array to identify the presence of the one or more gas species. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Vertical photonic crystal waveguide for gas detection

A novel, monolithically integrated mid-IR optical phased array (OPA) structure which eliminates the wafer bonding process to achieve highly efficient surface emitting optical beam steering in two dimensions is disclosed. Since solar energy is about 15-20 times smaller than that at 1.55 &#x3bc;m, mid-IR is more favorable for the atmospheric transmission due to lower solar radiance backgrounds. For the beam steering, thermo-optic phase shifting is used for azimuthal plane beam steering and laser wavelength tuning is used for elevation plane beam steering. The OPA structure disclosed comprises a wavelength-tunable a QCL, a 1&#xd7;32 splitter, thermo-optic phase-shifters, and sub-wavelength grating emitters. The disclosed OPA provides a low-cost, low-loss, low-power consumption, robust, small footprint, apparatus that may be used with expendable UAV swarms. A LiDAR may be created by monolithically integrating a QCD with the apparatus. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

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Austin, TX, United States of America

Jason Midkiff