The project partners are as follow:

1 INTERUNIVERSITAIR MICRO-ELECTRONICA CENTRUM Belgium

2 THALES FR

3 BUDAPESTI MUSZAKI ES GAZDASAGTUDOMANYI EGYETEM HU

4 UNIVERSITAET ULM Germany

5 UNIVERSITAT WIEN AT

6 Austrian Academy of Sciences

Objectives

QuMicro aims to develop a breakthrough concept of MW field sensing, relevant  to applications and societal and economical needs where  Quantum Technologies bring advantages in terms of sensitivity, frequency resolution, lightweight and integrability. The project objectives are as follow. QuMicro looks at novel principles of quantum entanglement  that go beyond sensing based on quantum coherence which are employed in most of the current quantum  sensors.

The objectives of the project are as follow

1) A thorough demonstration of the quantum heterodyne measurement principle.

2) The development of tailored quantum microwave detection protocols usable for commercial applications.

3) A fully self-contained quantum heterodyne microwave detector system technology.

4) Development of entanglement-based sensing methodology based on quantum phase transitions

To reach its ambition target, QuMicro will:

  1. Develop diamond material, tailored to both to optical and electric spin state detection1
  2. Design the quantum sensing chip device architecture
  3. Develop quantum algorithms equipping the sensor with sensing software  and test them on high frequency MW fields to reach sensor  ultimate sensitivity, dynamic range and spectral resolution
  4. Develop theoretical basis for treating entangles-based sensing, aiming at methodologies approaching Heisenberg limits  and test these methodology on model NV spin system

1E. Bourgeois , Nature Communication 6, Article number: 8577 (2015)

Besides, QuMicro will reach out the quantum  and industrial community through targeted dissemination actions and contribute to educate next-generation researchers and physicists as well as engineers

Concept & Approach

The concept of QuMicro is based on exploiting the quantum properties of the negatively charged nitrogen-vacancy (NV-) colour centre, embedded in ultrapure single crystals

Among solid-state spins, the NV centre of diamond is the most advanced in terms of applications,, compared to solid-state spin of other host materials such as SiC or hBN. It has a record coherence time of  ~3 miliseconds at room temperratues and provides a stable and robust spin qubit for sensing operations

This is why QuMicro focuses on the NV- centre in diamond.

Relations to previous project

The project is based on previous developmets carried out in series of EU projects

DIADEMS : webpage

ASTERIQs: webpage

The previous projcts laid down the principles of quantum sensing in diamond materiál and we improve these principles for concrte case of a MW spectral analysers and introduce a new concept of entaglement -based sensing