Carbon monoxide absorption line detection using 2.3-micrometer distributed Bragg reflector laser embedded on control driver with graphical user interface

An InAs-based distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) laser operating at 2.3-μm was fabricated and integrated into a 14-pin butterfly module with a fiber pigtail. The module was embedded on a laser driver, connected to a PC, and controlled via a graphical-user-interface-based program. We measured basic lasing characteristics, including a wavelength map using this program. The lasing threshold was 20 mA at 25°C, and lasing was sustained up to 70°C. The DBR tuning characteristics maintained a high side-mode suppression ratio throughout the tuning range. The wavelength map revealed a continuously tunable route that covers carbon monoxide (CO) absorption. Over 4-nm mode-hop-free single-mode operation over 1 mW was achieved using a control board and arbitrary waveform generator. Using this light source and a fiber-coupled CO gas cell, we simultaneously detected multiple absorption lines of CO with high quality.