Vibrational spectroscopies - and especially infrared spectroscopy - play an increasingly importantrole in modern biodiagnostics, environmental analysis, and food safety/quality scenarios. This hasled to the evolution of mid-infrared photonics from an emerging tool into an enabling technology.With applications ranging from non-invasive exhaled breath analysis to in-vivo assessment ofcartilage damage, mid-infrared (MIR; 3-20 μm) photonics ranges among the most flexible molecularsensing platforms nowadays available. In particular, with the emergence of quantum and interbandcascade laser technology, the on-chip hybridization and/or integration of entire MIR sensingdevices is on the horizon ultimately leading to IR-lab-on-chip systems.
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