Mid-infrared (mid-IR) sensors consisting of silicon nitride (SiN) waveguides were designed and tested to detect volatile organic compounds (VOCs). SiN thin films, prepared by low-pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD), have a broad mid-IR transparent region and a lower refractive index (n_SiN = 2.0) than conventional materials such as Si (n_Si = 3.4), which leads to a stronger evanescent wave and therefore higher sensitivity, as confirmed by a finite-difference eigenmode (FDE) calculation. Further, in-situ monitoring of three VOCs (acetone, ethanol, and isoprene) was experimentally demonstrated through characteristic absorption measurements at wavelengths λ = 3.0–3.6 μm. The SiN waveguide showed a five-fold sensitivity improvement over the Si waveguide due to its stronger evanescent field. To our knowledge, this is the first time SiN waveguides are used to perform on-chip mid-IR spectral measurements for VOC detection. Thus, the developed waveguide sensor has the potential to be used as a compact device module capable of monitoring multiple gaseous analytes for health, agricultural and environmental applications.

A chip-scale mid-infrared (mid-IR) sensor was developed for hydrocarbon gas detection. The sensor consisted of amorphous Si (a-Si) optical ridge waveguides that were fabricated by complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS) processes. The waveguide exhibited a sharp fundamental mode through λ = 2.70 to 3.50 μm. Its sensing performance was characterized by measuring methane and acetylene. From the spectral mode attenuation, the characteristic C–H absorption bands associated with methane and acetylene were found at λ = 3.29–3.33 μm and λ = 3.00–3.06 μm, respectively. In addition, real-time methane and acetylene concentration monitoring was demonstrated at λ = 3.02 and 3.32 μm. Hence, the mid-IR waveguide sensor enabled an accurate and instantaneous analysis of hydrocarbon gas mixtures.