Semiconductor Lasers
MDL instruments capable of precisely measuring the sources and emission rates of carbon dioxide and methane on Earth are now on Mars to carry out similar analyses. Next stop: Saturn and its moon Titan.
JPL and NASA have a long history of flying tunable diode laser spectrometers on Earth and planetary missions for atmospheric and trace gas analysis. Most of the semiconductor lasers of interest require unique characteristics that are often unavailable commercially. For this reason, MDL has been involved in the design and fabrication of space-qualified semiconductor lasers since its inception. Two significant accomplishments are the delivery of the first InGaAsP 2.06-μm distributed-feedback semiconductor laser for detection of water and carbon dioxide isotopes to the Mars Volatiles and Climate Surveyor (Mars’98 mission) and the delivery of the first 3.27-μm interband cascade laser for detection of methane and its isotopes. The latter is the heart of the tunable laser spectrometer on Mars Science Laboratory, launched on November 26, 2011.
Current Projects
MDL Lasers for Monitoring Greenhouse Gases
NASA is interested in future missions to provide global-scale measurements of CO2 and other gases in Earth’s atmosphere.
Tunable Laser Spectrometers (TLS)
Trace molecules in planetary atmospheres may be precisely identified & studied by measuring their infrared absorption spectrum…
Low Power Spectroscopy Lasers
MDL researchers are progressing towards the development of low-power-consumption lasers for planetary atmospheric studies.
~2.05-μm InGaAsSb Laser Diodes
MDL is developing lasers to help support the study of global atmospheric CO2, to help enhance the understanding of its role in the global carbon cycle.