Quantum cascade laser (QCL) critical component for standoff chemical warfare agent detection and Direct Infrared Countermeasure (DIRCM) systems

The quantum cascade laser is a special kind of semiconductor laser, usually emitting in the mid- and long-wave infrared bands. Such a laser operates on laser transitions not between different electronic bands but on intersubband transitions of a semiconductor structure.  Their wide tuning range and fast response time allow for faster and more precise compact trace element detectors and gas analyzers that are replacing slower and larger FTIR, mass spectroscopy, and photothermal microspectroscopy systems.