9360895 Dixon This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) project is in the general area of analytical chemistry and in the subfield of infrared spectroscopic instrumentation. Tunable diode laser spectrometers based on lead salt diodes are capable of measuring part per billion concentrations over an absorption path of a few meters but require cryogenic cooling. The objective of the Phase I research is the design of a diode-laser-based intracavity difference frequency generator tunable in the 3.2-3.5 micrometer range. By combining the difference frequency generator with FM modulation detection it should be possible in Phase II studies to build a tunable diode laser spectrometer capable at operating at room temperature rather than the cryogenic temperatures now required. %%% High resolution diode laser spectrometers capable of operating at room temperature are expected to find numerous applications in trace gas detection, biomedical applications, analysis of complex gas mixtures and industrial process monitoring and safety. ***
