Diode laser cavity ring-down spectroscopy (CRDS) has been used to measure rotational line intensities and air pressure broadening coefficients for the 3nu(3) (N-N stretching) vibrational overtone band of N2O. The line intensity measurements are in quantitative agreement with previously reported Fourier transform spectroscopy results [J. Mol. Spectrosc. 197 (1999) 158]. The air pressure broadening coefficients increase from 0.086 +/- 0.015 cm(-1) atm(-1) for the P(34) line to 0.139 +/- 0.010 cm(-1) atm(-1) for the P(3) line, and are greater than values reported for other ro-vibrational bands of N2O observed at lower frequencies. The effects of pressure broadening on line-centre absorption cross-sections, and thus for the sensitivity of CRDS detection of N2O using narrow bandwidth near-IR lasers are quantified. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.