Compact, Robust, Low Power High Sensitivity Gas Sensor

Miniaturized gas sensors with high sensitivity that are compact, low power and low weight are needed to support for NASA's airborne science missions, particularly those utilizing the Global Hawk, SIERRA-class, Dragon Eye or other unmanned aircraft. These UAV gas sensors are intended as calibration/validation systems for space-based measurements and/or to provide local measurements not available from space-based instruments. In this SBIR program, Amethyst Research will develop a non-dispersive infrared (NDIR) gas sensor that is capable of measuring multiple gases with absorption in the Mid to far infrared spectra with high accuracy. The envisioned system will be compact, light weight and operate at low power with detection discrimination in the ppb range. The system?s performance is made possible by Amethyst?s recently developed high sensitivity narrow band infrared detector that can be tuned to detect only light in the absorption band of the individual gas. This unique detector enables a low cost / low power infrared source to be used to measure individual gas concentrations at high accuracy by measurement of the absorption of the gas's unique absorption band in this spectral region. Multiple detectors, each tuned to detect a certain gas, can be packaged together to construct a multi-gas sensor.