Komaki, Japan, May 20, 2019 – Santec Corporation, a leading designer and manufacturer of advanced optical components, tunable lasers, optical test/measurement and OCT systems, today announced the successful development of the world first* Mid-IR (3μm wavelength range) high speed, narrow linewidth and wide scan range swept source. This light source is particularly suited to high sensitivity monitoring of hydrocarbons that have strong absorption at the mid-IR wavelengths. Tightening of environmental standards have necessitated the introduction of more sensitive analysis of trace hydrocarbon contaminants in applications including leak detection of greenhouse gases, combustion engine condition monitoring and gas concentration analysis in industrial processes.

The attractive features of the light source are narrow linewidth (<0.2 pm), wide wavelength range (>200 nm) and high speed scan rate (200 kHz). Real-time gas monitoring or sensitive simultaneous multi gas detection are made feasible using this light source, such measurements are difficult with conventional solutions such as gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry (GC-MS) or Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy　(FTIR). Minimum gas detection levels for hydrocarbon can be achieved to ppb (parts per billion) by reduction of noise using averaging techniques. Santec is collaborating with Prof. Tanaka at Ibaraki University for multi-gas monitoring studies. Latest result will be reported at the Society of Automotive Engineers of Japan Annual Congress (spring) held in Pacifico Yokohama.

* An internal investigation in terms of swept source that has narrow line width wide wavelength range and high scan speed at 3μm wavelength range.