Sensing hydrocarbons with interband cascade lasers and substrate-integrated hollow waveguides.

Tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (TDLAS) is an excellent analytical technique for gas sensing applications. In situ sensing of relevant hydrocarbon gases is of substantial interest for a variety of in-field scenarios including environmental monitoring and process analysis, ideally providing accurate, molecule specific, and rapid information with minimal sampling requirements. Substrate-integrated hollow waveguides (iHWGs) have demonstrated superior properties for gas sensing applications owing to minimal sample volumes required while simultaneously serving as efficient photon conduits.