Sensitive detection of methane at 3.3 μm using an integrating sphere and Interband Cascade Laser

Detection of methane at 3.3 mu m using a DFB Interband Cascade Laser and gold coated integrating sphere is performed. A 10cm diameter sphere with effective pathlength of 54.5cm was adapted for use as a gas cell. A comparison between this system and one using a 25cm pathlength single-pass gas cell is made using direct TDLS and methane concentrations between 0 and 1000 ppm. Initial investigations suggest a limit of detection of 1.0ppm for the integrating sphere and 2.2ppm for the single pass gas cell. The system has potential applications in challenging or industrial environments subject to high levels of vibration.