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arXiv:2108.09122 · Nanomaterials

Optimized Planar Microwave Antenna for Nitrogen Vacancy Center Based Sensing Applications

Oliver Opaluch, Nimba Oshnik, Richard Nelz, Elke Neu

Published Aug 19, 2021• 41 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Individual nitrogen vacancy (NV) color centers in diamond are versatile, spin-based quantum sensors. Coherently controlling the spin of NV centers using microwaves in a typical frequency range between 2.5 and 3.5 GHz is necessary for sensing applications. In this work, we present a stripline-based, planar, Ω-shaped microwave antenna that enables one to reliably manipulate NV spins. We found an optimal antenna design using finite integral simulations. We fabricated our antennas on low-cost, transparent glass substrate. We created highly uniform microwave fields in areas of roughly 400 × 400 μm2 while realizing high Rabi frequencies of up to 10 MHz in an ensemble of NV centers.

DOI
10.3390/nano11082108

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quant-pharXiv:2610.13379•Oct 12, 2026
Individual nitrogen vacancy (NV) color centers in diamond are versatile, spin-based quantum sensors. Coherently controlling the spin of NV centers using microwaves in a typical frequency range between 2.5 and 3.5 GHz is necessary for sensing applications. In this work, we present a stripline-based, planar, Ω-shaped microwave antenna that enables one to reliably manipulate NV spins. We found an optimal antenna design using finite integral simulations. We fabricated our antennas on low-cost, transparent glass substrate. We created highly uniform microwave fields in areas of roughly 400 × 400 μm2 while realizing high Rabi frequencies of up to 10 MHz in an ensemble of NV centers.
Quantum sensors based on nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond are expected to demonstrate a wide variety of applications. For high-sensitivity quantum sensors with NV center ensembles, uniform manipulation of the electron spins of the NV centers in large volumes is required. In addition, a broad microwave frequency bandwidth for manipulating the NV centers' electron spin is necessary for vector magnetometry and measurement under a finite static magnetic field. Here, we demonstrate a broadband microwave antenna for uniform manipulation of millimeter-scale volumes of diamond quantum sensors. The simulation shows that the current is distributed at both edges of the loop coil of a single copper plate due to the skin effect. The loop coil acts like a Helmholtz coil, which realizes uniformity in the z-direction of the microwave magnetic field (B1). The plate structure has a higher mechanical stability, durability, and a larger heat capacity than the Helmholtz coil, due to its large volume. The antenna achieves a higher performance than previously reported antennae, with a maximal B1 of 4.5 G, a broad bandwidth of 287 ± 6 MHz, and a peak-to-peak variation of 9.2% over a 3.1 mm3 cylinder volume. These performances show that the presented antenna is suitable for manipulating solid-state spin ensembles for high-sensitivity quantum sensors.
For quantum sensing based on nitrogen-vacancies (NV) ensembles, microwave antennas can couple the microwave field to the NV center, which leads it to becoming the core of spin manipulation and can directly affect the sensitivity of quantum sensing. The double split-ring resonator is a widely used microwave device for NV ensembles due to the advantages of high radiation efficiency and uniform magnetic field in millimeter-scale areas. But the bandwidth (30 MHz) is quite narrow which limits the application in quantum sensing with NV ensembles. Here, we experimentally achieve continuous tuning of the resonant frequency of the double split-ring resonator by changing the copper sheet position on the edge of the outer ring. The frequency tuning range can reach 80 MHz, up to 2-3 times the bandwidth, which can cover the transition of the electron spin under different magnetic field conditions. The performance of the tunable antenna in the quantum operation of NV centers is verified by optically detected magnetic resonance and Rabi oscillation. This tunable antenna is promising in the fabrication of integrated and arrayed quantum sensors based on NV ensembles.
Nitrogen vacancy (NV) diamonds are promising room temperature quantum sensors. As the technology moves towards application, efficient use of energy and cost become critical for miniaturization. This work focuses on microwave-based spin control using the short-circuited end of a slot line, analyzed by finite element method (FEM) for magnetic field amplitude and uniformity. A microstrip-to-slot-line converter with a −10 dB bandwidth of 3.2 GHz was implemented. Rabi oscillation measurements with an NV microdiamond on a glass fiber show uniform excitation over 1.5 MHz across the slot, allowing spin manipulation within the coherence time of the NV center.
Nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond are promising quantum sensors, where microwave antennas play a crucial role in manipulating the spin states accurately. Conventional microwave antennas often struggle to balance radiation efficiency and bandwidth. To address this challenge, we design a planar double-turn spiral antenna (PDTSA), based on the ring microstrip antenna (RMA). PDTSA demonstrates an ∼4.5-fold increase in radiation efficiency compared to RMA. In addition, the PDTSA allows linear tunability of the resonance frequency up to 500 MHz by adjusting the spiral input length. This feature addresses the limitations of a narrow working frequency range, which are typically caused by the narrowband in high-radiation-efficiency antennas. The experimental results show that at an absolute input power of 1 W, the PDTSA increases the Rabi frequency from 1.72 to 8.06 MHz compared to the RMA. This enhancement accelerates quantum state manipulation and reduces phase accumulation errors. These characteristics make PDTSA suitable for applications in quantum sensing and precision measurements using NV centers.
Nitrogen-Vacancy (NV) centers in diamond are attractive tools for sensing and quantum information. Realization of this potential requires effective tools for controlling the spin degree of freedom by microwave (mw) magnetic fields. In this work, we present a planar microwave resonator optimized for microwave-optical double resonance experiments on single NV centers in diamond. It consists of a piece of wide microstrip line, which is symmetrically connected to two 50 Ω microstrip feed lines. In the center of the resonator, an Ω-shaped loop focuses the current and the mw magnetic field. It generates a relatively homogeneous magnetic field over a volume of 0.07 × 0.1 mm3. It can be operated at 2.9 GHz in both transmission and reflection modes with bandwidths of 1000 and 400 MHz, respectively. The high power-to-magnetic field conversion efficiency allows us to produce π-pulses with a duration of 50 ns with only about 200 and 50 mW microwave power in transmission and reflection, respectively. The transmission mode also offers capability for efficient radio frequency excitation. The resonance frequency can be tuned between 1.3 and 6 GHz by adjusting the length of the resonator. This will be useful for experiments on NV-centers at higher external magnetic fields and on different types of optically active spin centers.
The nitrogen-vacancy (NV) color center in diamond has found applications in magnetometry across various geometrical scales. In particular, vector magnetometry using hand-held devices with low power consumption is of interest for mobile and geological applications. However, such a device requires efficient driving of the four different orientations of the NV center, thus placing demands on a broadband microwave resonator that provides a uniform and highly insensitive microwave magnetic field at the resonance frequencies of the NV centers. Here, we propose a unique planar resonator design that enables efficient driving of all four orientations of NV color centers over a 100 MHz range with only 0.5 W of microwave input power and 250 mW of laser power, allowing vector magnetic field measurements. Using the planar resonator to drive NV centers in diamond, a compact vector magnetometer was fabricated and experimentally studied. The sensitivity of the device is about 1.2 nT/Hz  {1.2\text{ nT}}/{\sqrt{\text{Hz}}}\;1.2 nT/Hz​. While this is not a record sensitivity for diamond-based magnetometers, this device occupies its own niche as a compact hand-held magnetometer.