Project R-8739

DIAQUANT : Diamond quantum sensors and imagers (Research)

About 3 billion magnetic field sensors are sold worldwide annually with major part of them are based on semiconductor technology (Hall probes, GMR sensors). These sensors are an inherent part of daily-used instruments as PCs & laptops, mobile phones, magnetic memories, automotive sensors, navigation systems, robots, urban surveillance and many others. Quantum devices based on solid state qubits are novel class of compact sensors and imagers bringing revolution in ultrasensitive detection of magnetic fields with a high sensitivity and with nanoscale precision. These sensors will be fast to operate, miniaturised to the size of nano-circuits, temperature independent, with low power consumption and fully decoupled from the ambient noise. Up to now, constraints in the construction of quantum devices have limited their operation, size, and brought complexity for their use. Most of the devices as SQUID or Cold atom ensembles are bulky and work only at very low temperature. The quantum principles of operation using solid state qubit - NV centres in diamond are extremely interesting for sensing of magnetic fields and compact gyroscopes, exceeding sensitivity of the current devices. They work at room temperature which is an essential advantage for integration. However the optically read quantum sensors, that have been studied so far by using Optically Detected Magnetic Resonance (ODMR), lack compactness and scalability. The recent breakthrough realisation of electrical readout of the NV spin quantum probes by the Photoelectric Detection of Magnetic Resonances (PDMR) established by UHasselt and imec opens up a new pathway for developing revolutionary quantum sensing technology principle, that allows to interface quantum devices to classical electronic peripheries. This development, up to validation of the technology in lab for magnetic field sensors, is the focus of this proposal and will prepare a breakthrough sensing and imaging platform for future markets.

01 January 2018 - 31 December 2021