Advancing Science and TEchnology thRough dIamond Quantum Sensing

Project Information

ASTERIQS

Grant agreement ID: 820394

DOI

10.3030/820394

Project closed

EC signature date 20 August 2018

Start date 1 October 2018

End date 31 March 2022

Funded under

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Future and Emerging Technologies (FET)

Total cost

€ 9 747 888,75

EU contribution

€ 9 747 888,50

Coordinated by

THALES
France

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - ASTERIQS (Advancing Science and TEchnology thRough dIamond Quantum Sensing)

Reporting period: 2020-04-01 to 2022-03-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

ASTERIQS exploits quantum sensing based on the NV centre in ultrapure diamond to bring solutions to societal and economical needs for which no viable approach exists yet.
Its objectives are to develop:

• Advanced applications based on magnetic field measurement: fully integrated scanning diamond magnetometer instrument for nanometer scale measurements, high dynamic range magnetic field sensor to control advanced batteries used in electrical car industry, lab-on-chip Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) detector for early diagnosis of diseases, magnetic field imaging camera for biology or robotics, instantaneous spectrum analyzer for wireless communications;
• New sensing applications to sense temperature within a cell, to monitor new states of matter under high pressure, or to sense electric fields with ultimate sensitivity;
• New measurement tools to elucidate the chemical structure of single molecules by NMR for pharmaceutical industry or the structure of spintronics devices at the nanoscale for new generation spin-based electronic devices.

ASTERIQS will develop enabling tools to achieve these goals: highest grade diamond material with ultralow impurity level, advanced protocols to overcome residual noise in sensing schemes, optimised engineering for miniaturized and efficient devices.
The project disseminates its results towards academia and industry and educate next generation physicists and engineers. It contributes to the strategic objectives of the Quantum Flagship to expand European leadership in quantum technologies, delivers scientific breakthroughs, makes available European technological platforms and develops synergetic collaborations with them, and finally kick-starts a competitive European quantum industry.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

ASTERIQS has significantly advanced the performances of the sensors based on nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond. The quality of the diamond crystal has been improved, with an increased concentration of NV centres.Novel engineering pathways have been developed including sharp diamond tips for very high spatial resolution, advanced electric circuit design for optimized signal readout, microwave circuitry and resonators, advanced optical structures or advanced assembly technologies to create compact sensors with high sensitivity. In parallel, the sensitivity of those sensors has been increased using new data treatment protocols. On this basis, ASTERIQS has realized devices exploiting established NV centres technology such as a portable, high sensitivity magnetometer.

ASTERIQS has demonstrated a detector with electrical readout and an improved sensitivity surpassing the one obtained with optical readout, a commercial cryogenic scanning probe system with stable operation at low temperature and a spectrum analyzer with an extended bandwidth. New sensing functionalities of NV centres have been investigated and new colour centres in diamond with attractive sensing performances in the optical domain have been studied. ASTERIQS pioneered the demonstration of NV magnetometry under extreme pressures. The project has unravelled diffusion of phospholipids in a lipid bilayer using nanoscale Nuclear Magnetic Resonance. ASTERIQS has already led to numerous outstanding results in the field of magnetism at the nanoscale. All these results show the very high potential of NV centers in a broad range of applications.

In addition, managerial, dissemination and communication activities ensured a smooth collaboration among the consortium as well as a proper dissemination of ASTERIQS progresses and results (www.asteriqs.eu). More than 150 peer-reviewed papers have been published in leading scientific journals. The Basel Quantum Metrology and Sensing Conference (BQMS), a joint workshop with the project MacQsimal, was held in February 2020. A school on solid-state spins was organised at the Institut d'Etudes Scientifiques de Cargèse (France) in 2021. ASTERIQS contributed actively to the collaboration with other Flagship projects in particular through the activities of the Science and Engineering Board.

In terms of management activities, after a successful launch of the project in October 2018, common working procedures, as well as management methods and tools were established to guarantee smooth collaboration among the partners. Various project meetings were held all along the project, gathering the decision-making bodies of the project and the workpackage contributors to coordinate the tasks.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

ASTERIQS is building scientific excellence in quantum technologies. The composition of the ASTERIQS consortium includes interdisciplinary European actors with complementary cutting-edge expertise ensuring a high level of scientific involvement.

The ASTERIQS partners aim at developing applications of quantum technologies that, by the end of the Flagship, will ultimately lead to concrete marketable products. Some of these products are already identified such as a multi-purpose magnetometer, a magnetic field camera, an AFM (compact atomic force microscope) combined with diamond tips, a functional prototype for nanoscale NMR spectroscopy and a NV-based spectrum analyser. Others, such as a space compatible magnetometer, NV doped anvil cells for high-pressure physics or a multipurpose quantum optimal control suite have been identified in the course of the second period of the project.

ASTERIQS is contributing to the creation of high-tech SME markets leaders. The ASTERIQS consortium fosters the SME ecosystems by directly involving two start-ups as partners (SQUTEC and NVision) and indirectly two additional ones (Qnami and QZabre), all founded during the duration of DIADEMS, an FP7 project on which results ASTERIQS is built. Moreover, four start-ups were created by partners in the course of the project (Qruise, Quantum Technologies, SaxonQ and Diatope).

ASTERIQS has achieved results that are beyond the state of the art in the field of solid-state quantum sensors.
It has contributed to advancing quantum sensing applications to extreme conditions (in pressure, temperature and magnetic field), which will directly have impactful applications in materials engineering and fundamental science, with the corresponding socio-economic impact of these fields.

A number of activities demonstrate the scientific excellence of ASTERIQS in quantum technology. Quantum grade diamond material for extended NV- coherence time has been produced and commercialized, which makes possible sensors with increased measurement time. Ultimate diamond crystal technology has been developed, leading to the development of an industrially designed cryogenic scanning NV-magnetometer based on fully controlled diamond tips.

ASTERIQS has investigated new fields of science at the nanoscale level where there is no alternative tool than the NV- centre. Theoretical tools for exquisite ab initio understanding of matter as well as advanced protocols for ultimate sensitivity have been developed.

Many new market opportunities are related to the miniaturisation and integration of the ASTERIQS technologies and components, which will enable the development of new applications or breakthroughs in quantum sensing.

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