CMOS-Integrated Diamond Nitrogen-Vacancy Quantum Sensor

Donggyu Kim, Mohamed I. Ibrahim, Christopher C. Foy +3 more

Patrick Engelmann, Philipp Wartenberg, Josephine Mütze +7 more

Optical quantum sensors relying on spin resonance in nitrogen vacancy (NV)-diamond centers achieve exceptional sensitivity for measuring magnetic fields and other parameters at room temperature. Their increased precision enables previously impossible applications. However, current quantum sensors typically rely on bulky external lasers, microwave sources and complex optical configurations, constraining portable and large-scale deployments. This paper introduces a universal platform for optical quantum sensing that adapts CMOS compatible processes traditionally used in OLED-on-silicon fabrication to integrate complete optical quantum sensor elements into a CMOS microchip. By embedding light sources, antennas, and photodiodes in a layered structure, the system enables significant miniaturization, lower power consumption and enhanced robustness due to its solid-state architecture. The proposed concept enables a high degree of modularity and the realization of both single-sensor and array configurations. The envisioned architecture allows large-scale wafer-level production at relatively low cost and therefore broadens the potential use cases for optical quantum sensors.

T. Rosskopf

Mutsuko Hatano

Maitreyi Ashok, Yongli Hu, Hanfeng Wang +6 more

This work proposes a prototype system for utilizing nitrogen-vacancy center-based quantum sensing for generalized threat detection systems. Changes to the operation or environment of an IC will cause differences in the magnetic field emanations, which can be detected through changes in a spin-state-dependent photocurrent within a diamond. Threat detection circuitry can be integrated within the sensitive CMOS IC itself at a high spatial resolution for real-time monitoring and spatially resolved low-overhead protections. The key contributions of this work are the CMOS and NV center system for high magnetometer sensitivity while maintaining CMOS design flexibility, the novel security application for quantum sensing, and the proposed method of heterogeneous integration for a complete system.

Mutsuko Hatano

Nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers consisting of a nitrogen atom and a lattice vacancy in diamond have superior physical properties, and their quantum coherence is preserved even at room temperature. To achieve an ideal quantum sensor for scalable applications, the technical challenges in the material and the quantum control techniques are discussed. Moreover, sensor systems of biomagnetic field and EV battery monitoring are introduced.