FRAUNHOFER INSTITUTE FOR APPLIED SOLID STATE PHYSICS IAF
QUANTUM SENSOR TECHNOLOGY PROJECTS AT FRAUNHOFER IAF QUANTUM SENSOR TECHNOLOGY AT FRAUNHOFER IAF
Optimizing complex electronic circuits, visualizing individual bits in electronic storage media or taking a look at the tiny magnetic fields of the heart and brain to improve medical diagnostics – these are the goals we are pursuing at Fraunhofer IAF with the aid of quantum sensors.
Quantum sensors achieve outstanding properties in the com- Quantum sensor technology is the quantum technology bination of spatial resolution and sensitivity. Different sensor with the highest potential for industrial applications. principles can be combined and allow very compact designs We are always looking for new partners to transfer our up to a complete system. research from laboratory to application.
At Fraunhofer IAF we are developing quantum sensors based Get in touch with us! on diamond that can detect magnetic and electric fields with a spatial resolution of a few nanometers down to individual electron and nuclear spins. Due to their outstanding physical properties, diamond quantum sensors operate at room temperature – ideal for industrial applications.
This brochure gives you an overview of our diverse projects in the field of electronics and medical technology as well as our core competences regarding diamond.
2 QUANTUM MAGNETOMETERS FOR HIGHEST SENSITIVITY AND HIGHEST RESOLUTION
PROJECT QMAG
The aim of the lighthouse project »QMag« is to bring quantum magnetometers from the laboratory into industrial applications. Researchers from six Fraunhofer Institutes are developing two complementary quantum magnetometers, one with highest spatial resolution and one with highest sensitivity, which can be used, for example, in the fault analy- sis of nanoelectronic circuits as well as in process technology and material characterization.
The quantum sensors use the magnetic moments of individual electrons to detect the smallest magnetic fields. These elec- PROFILE trons are either captured in defect centers of diamond crystals or prepared with the help of alkali atoms. They function as the Duration 2019 – 2024 smallest possible tactile magnets in a scanning probe quantum Coordinator Fraunhofer IAF magnetometer with highest spatial resolution or in an optically Project Manager Prof. Dr. Dr. Oliver Ambacher pumped alkali magnetometer with extremely high sensitivity. Funding Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, Federal State of Baden-Württemberg Based on prototypes of such magnetometers, we will develop (in equal parts) application-specific, cost-effective, complete measuring Partner s Fraunhofer IPM, systems. In addition, an application laboratory will be get up Fraunhofer IWM, which will be available for partners and customers for test Fraunhofer IISB, measurements. Fraunhofer IMM, Fraunhofer CAP, UK Research Ltd. (GBR)
GOALS Development of two complementary quantum magne- tometers to measure smallest magnetic fields with high resolution and high sensitivity at room temperature
CONTACT
Prof. Dr. Dr. Oliver Ambacher MORE Project Manager INFORMATION
Phone +49 761 5159-411 [email protected]
3 LASER THRESHOLD MAGNETOMETER – HIGHLY SENSITIVE MAGNETIC FIELD SENSOR FOR MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY
PROJECT DILAMAG
The measurement of magnetic fields is now standard in medi- cal diagnostics in order to measure the activities of the brain (MEG) or heart (MCG). However, only a few highly sensitive magnetic field sensors achieve the necessary precision of the measurements, usually with extreme low temperature cooling.
The aim of the »DiLaMag« research project is to use diamond with a high density of nitrogen vacancy (NV) centres for the first time in a laser system in order to enable new and more precise magnetic field measurements at room temperature. PROFILE The researchers use diamond in a laser cavity and combine the laser system with a radio-frequency antenna to measure Duration 2018 – 2023 magnetic resonance. This so-called »laser threshold magne- Coordinator Fraunhofer IAF tometry« (LSM) is a new research approach worldwide. Due Project Manager Dr. Jan Jeske to its material properties, diamond with a high density of NV Funding Federal Ministry of Education centers is particularly suitable for use as a laser medium. and Research BMBF Partners SIGMA Medizintechnik GmbH, The system to be developed should achieve stronger signals RMIT University Melbourne (AUS), and higher contrast, which will lead to much more precise Macquarie University Sydney (AUS), measurement results and open new doors for medical University hospitals of Freiburg and diagnostics. Heidelberg
GOALS Material improvements of NV-doped diamond, realization of an NV-diamond laser, realization of a laser threshold magnetometer, improvement of sensitivity and measuring precision, first measurements of biological signals
CONTACT
Dr. Jan Jeske MORE Project Manager INFORMATION
Phone +49 761 5159-265 [email protected]
4 HYPERPOLARIZER FOR HIGH-RESOLUTION MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING
PROJECT METABOLIQS
Cardiovascular diseases are the most common cause of death worldwide. Improved medical diagnostics require a significant- ly higher resolution in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The strength of the MRI signal is determined by the polarization of nuclear spins of biomarkers in the body, which is achieved by high-performance magnets in combination with scanners. Unfortunately, the hyperpolarization process used today takes a long time, it is cost-intensive and requires temperatures below -270 degrees Celsius. PROFILE The »MetaboliQs« project is developing an innovative dia- mond polarizer that works with any commercial MRI scanner Duration 2019 – 2021 and operates at room temperature. It consists of a diamond Coordinator Fraunhofer IAF plate with a high number of nitrogen vacancy (NV) centers Project Manager Dr. Volker Cimalla used for hyperpolarization of biomarker molecules. This allows Funding EU – FET Flagship on Quantum up to five orders of magnitude better polarization, which is Technologies directly reflected in a higher imaging resolution. Partner s NVision Imaging Technologies GmbH, Technical University of Munich, Overall, the diamond polarizer will offer 160 times higher Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (CH), contrast, 40 times faster and 4 times cheaper polarization Bruker BioSpin GmbH, at room temperature. Element Six Limited E6 (GBR), The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (ISR)
GOAL Development and production of diamond with nitrogen vacancy centers for faster and improved hyperpolarization, development of a diamond-based polarizer for preclinical experiments in the area of cardiovascular diseases CONTACT
Dr. Volker Cimalla MORE Project Manager INFORMATION
Phone +49 761 5159-304 [email protected]
5 ADDITIONAL PROJECTS
PROJECT DIAMRI
Diamond tips as magnetic sensors
E-mails, pictures, videos – every second we generate, send and store a vast amount of data. Ever more densely written hard disks are used for this purpose. Individual bits are only a few nanometers apart. How can we make these tiny magnetic zeros and ones visible and check them? Project »DiaMRI« is developing quantum sensors based on nitrogen vacancy (NV) centers. They can be used to check individual data segments on hard disks and, if necessary, exclude them from reading and writing. This conserves resources and saves production costs.
PROJECT ASTERIQS
Measuring smallest magnetic fields with highly sensitive diamond quantum sensors
Bringing quantum technologies from the laboratory environment into application is the goal of project »ASTERIQs« in the FET Flagship on Quantum Technologies of the European Union. Nitrogen vacancy (NV) centers in diamond are used to develop quantum sensors that are easy for the end user to operate. For this purpose, the project team integrates them into a functional diamond magnetometer with the appropriate software. This enables new applications with TRL 4 – 5, e. g. the measurement of single molecules, the improvement of personalized medicine or a GPS-independent magnetic field navigation system for autonomous driving.
PROJECT DIAPOL
Revolutionary cancer diagnostics using diamond quantum technologies
Cancer is one of the most common causes of death worldwide. Regarding diagnostics and therapy evaluation, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is particularly gentle on the patient, as it does not require chemicals or radioactive substances that are harmful to humans. In the »DiaPol« project, the partners use new developments in quantum physics to significantly increase the efficiency of the MRI method. A diamond-based polarizer is used to amplify and align the magnetic fields of the nuclear spin in the body‘s own molecules. This will make it possible not only to detect cancer at an early stage, but also to diagnose the stage that the cancer cells are at.
6 OUR CORE COMPETENCES
Mono- and polycrystalline diamond
Fraunhofer IAF develops components and devices based on monocrystalline and polycrystalline diamond for use in electronic and optical devices as well as for novel applications in the field of quantum sensors. This includes the production of high-purity and selectively doped diamond layers as well as the development of processes for further processing of diamond.
In the field of quantum sensors, we use our expertise in the generation of nitrogen vacancy (NV) centers in diamond: These are formed when two adjacent carbon atoms are removed and one is replaced by a nitrogen atom. The excess electron of the nitrogen atom falls into the void. This electron has a magnetic moment which, after its orientation, can be used as a tiny tactile magnet.
Our expertise includes the selective generation of NV centers in three dimensions: Generation of NV centers § Generation of a single NV center for quantum magnetometry and for single photon sources § Generation of 2D-planar NV centers in diamond for hyperpolarization § Generation of volume areas with NV centers for highly sensitive laser threshold magnetometry
e e e e
In our clean room of 1000 m² and another 3000 m² of laboratory area, epitaxy and technology equipment is available for diamond growth (homo epitaxy and heteroepitaxy in patented machines) as well as for processing. We have extensive expertise and know-how in the following areas:
§ Laser cutting § Grinding and polishing § Plasma etching § Application of metallizations § Assembly and connection technology
7 CONTACT US
Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Solid State Physics IAF Tullastrasse 72 79108 Freiburg Germany Phone +49 761 5159-0 [email protected] www.iaf.fraunhofer.de
Deborah Mohrmann Business Development
Phone +49 761 5159-216 [email protected]
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