Q-Sensorix, LLC is working on a chip-scale NV center in a diamond gyroscope. But, the gyro will be the first step in developing the multi-sensor platforms using color centers in diamond. The color center technologies are one of the few that promise to provide a chip-scale quantum sensing and effectively complete with the small size, weight, and power consumption of MEMS sensors. Current research covers future applications for the NV and other color centers in diamond, including magnetic and electric field sensing, temperature, strain, pressure, acceleration, & timing. And the hybrid sensors will open the door for many more types of applications.
Q-Sensorix, LLC is working on a chip-scale NV center in a diamond gyroscope. But, the gyro will be the first step in developing the multi-sensor platforms using color centers in diamond. The color center technologies are one of the few that promise to provide a chip-scale quantum sensing and effectively complete with the small size, weight, and power consumption of MEMS sensors. Current research covers future applications for the NV and other color centers in diamond, including magnetic and electric field sensing, temperature, strain, pressure, acceleration, & timing. And the hybrid sensors will open the door for many more types of applications.
In modern-day quantum metrology, quantum sensors are widely employed to detect weak magnetic fields or nanoscale signals. Quantum devices, exploiting quantum coherence, are inevitably connected to physical constants and can achieve accuracy, repeatability, and precision approaching fundamental limits. As a result, these sensors have shown utility in a wide range of research domains spanning both science and technology. A rapidly emerging quantum sensing platform employs atomic-scale defects in crystals. In particular, magnetometry using nitrogen-vacancy (NV) color centers in diamond has garnered increasing interest. NV systems possess a combination of remarkable properties, optical addressability, long coherence times, and biocompatibility. Sensors based on NV centers excel in spatial resolution and magnetic sensitivity. These diamond-based sensors promise comparable combination of high spatial resolution and magnetic sensitivity without cryogenic operation. The above properties of NV magnetometers promise increasingly integrated quantum measurement technology, as a result, they have been extensively developed with various protocols and find use in numerous applications spanning materials characterization, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), condensed matter physics, paleomagnetism, neuroscience and living systems biology, and industrial vector magnetometry. In this chapter, NV centers are explored for magnetic sensing in a number of contexts. In general, we introduce novel regimes for magnetic-field probes with NV ensembles. Specifically, NV centers are developed for sensitive magnetometers for applications where microwaves (MWs) are prohibitively invasive and operations need to be carried out under zero ambient magnetic field. The primary goal of our discussion is to improve the utility of these NV center-based magnetometers.
Point defects in diamond, particularly nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers, have emerged as powerful tools for a broad range of quantum technologies. These defects are promising candidates for quantum information science, serving as deterministic single-photon sources and solid-state quantum memories. They have also been employed as nanoscale quantum sensors to detect various physical quantities, including magnetic fields, electric fields, and temperature, owing to their long spin coherence time at room temperature. Development of these diamond-based quantum technologies has been rapidly boosted by a recent quantum leap in nanofabrication technologies for high-quality single-crystal diamond. Incorporating these color centers into diamond nanostructures with mature integrated photonics provides a promising route to build scalable and practical systems for quantum applications. This review discusses recent progress and challenges in the hybrid integration of diamond color centers on cutting-edge photonic platforms. Nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond have emerged as powerful tools for a broad range of quantum technologies. This review discusses recent progress and challenges in the hybrid integration of diamond color centers on cutting-edge photonic platforms.
Quantum sensors encompass a diverse class of devices that exploit quantum coherence to detect weak or nanoscale signals. As their behavior is tied to physical constants, quantum sensors can achieve accuracy, repeatability, and precision approaching fundamental limits [1, 2]. As a result, these sensors have shown utility in a wide range of applications in both science and engineering leading to innovations. Among many solid-state spin systems, nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamonds have attracted considerable attention as a leading platform in many fields of quantum technologies, from quantum sensing to information processing and communication applications. They have superior physical properties, and their quantum coherence is preserved even at room temperature. The energy levels of NV centers are sensitive to magnetic fields, electric fields, strain, and temperature, and the spatial resolution is scalable from nanometers to millimeters. Therefore, diamond quantum sensors are distinctive sensors with multimodality and span scalable application fields. To realize an ideal quantum sensor for applications, the technical challenges in the sensor materials and the quantum control techniques, such as coherent microwave spin manipulation, effective optical spin-state initialization, and readout, have been developed. This chapter briefly explains the sensing principle using NV centers and then introduces sensor systems for biomedical applications, and monitoring of batteries for electric vehicles and internal power devices.
Diamond NV centers have transformed quantum sensing by enabling precise measurement of magnetic and electric fields, temperature, pressure, and strain, all within a reliable solid-state platform, at room temperature, down to the nanoscale. These capabilities position NV-based sensors as alternatives to cryogenic SQUIDs or atomic gas systems, with transformative potential across biomedical imaging, autonomous navigation, and industrial non-destructive testing (NDT). Despite promising prototypes—such as fiber-integrated endoscopes, CMOS-compatible sensors, and microfluidic chips—the development of widescale applications is hampered due to challenges in diamond micro/nanofabrication and photonic integration. Our group addresses these limitations through diamond processing techniques and hybrid material platforms. We develop methods for fabricating quantum-grade diamond nanostructures, including nanopillars optimized for neuronal electric field sensing and other photonic cavity applications. Additionally, we explore the integration of NV-rich diamond membranes within photonic systems to improve the spin photon interaction and efficient conversion of the pump beam. Collaborating with industry partner Kwantek, we also work on a compact fiber-endoscope prototype enabling NDT in constrained environments. These innovations will improve the state-of-the-art NV magnetometry to reduce system footprint and cost, critical for future industrialisation.
The physical properties of diamond crystals, such as color or electrical conductivity, can be controlled via impurities.In particular, when doped with nitrogen and under certain conditions, optically active nitrogen-vacany centers (NV) can be induced.The center is an outstanding quantum spin system that enables, under ambient conditions, optical initialization, readout, and coherent microwave control with applications in sensing and quantum information.Under optical and radio frequency excitation, the Zeeman splitting of the degenerate states allows the quantitative measurement of external magnetic fields with high sensitivity.This study provides a pedagogical introduction to the properties of the NV centers as well as a step-by-step process to develop and test, a simple magnetic quantum sensor based on color centers with large potential for the development of highly compact multi-sensor systems.
Nitrogen-Vacancy (NV) centers in diamond have been established as exceptionally versatile probes for quantum technologies from sensing to simulation.Owing to the versatility of diamond fabrication, NVs can be integrated into probes with nanoscale resolution and superb sensitivity.\nHowever, because the diamond is host to many other types of defects, the local environment of the NV is unique for each NV, which poses challenges for any devices instrumenting NVs.\nThis thesis contributes to the future of NV technologies along two essential directions.\nFirst, we work towards a more complete understanding of the local charge and strain environments of the NV.\nIn addition to permitting the calibration of these effects for NV probes, we suggest potential uses for the local charges and strain that had previously been considered hindrances.\nSecond, we develop new technologies for NV sensing and simulation.\nOur work integrating NVs into diamond anvil cells opens the door to detecting high pressure phenomena using the NVs as all-in-one sensors.\nFinally, our study of the coherence regimes of the local defect environment of the NV is a step towards versatile quantum simulation in dimensions lower than three.