Normating colour-centre-based quantum sensing technology towards industrial application and standards

One area identified by the CEN/CENELEC Focus Group on Quantum Technologies as an emerging key requirement for industrial applications, (such as electric and magnetic measurements, climate research, and medical imaging), is solid-state quantum sensors (QSs). The EMPIR project QADeT developed methods for engineering room temperature QSs by implantation of ions in the Nitrogen-Vacancy (NV) colour centres of diamonds. The NV centre is a point where one carbon atom is replaced by a nitrogen atom (N) and an adjacent site is left vacant (V). This creates a photoluminescent point that emits light which changes in response to magnetic or electric fields -allowing these to be used as quantum sensors. However, a lack of standardised characterisation methods has hindered their uptake.

This project will address this, developing standards and refence methods for QSs devices, covering properties such as doping, position of ion implantation and creating novel NV centres. Validated procedures will be produced for non-NV sensors and single photon emitters, and benchmarked against NV QSs in terms of contrast, brightness and emission. Based on this, a good practice guide will be written and shared with standardisation bodies. To ensure relevance, results will be shared with organisations such as the Quantum Flagship and the European Metrology Network Quantum Technologies.

The results will benefit diverse areas such as physics, chemistry, biology, medicine, helping to maintain Europe in the front of the second Quantum revolution.