Diamond nitrogen vacancy sensor with common RF and magnetic fields generator

• US 9,551,763 B1
• Filed: 01/21/2016
• Issued: 01/24/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/2016
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Inventors: Hahn, Joseph W., Bruce, Gregory S., Huynh, Duc, Lew, Wilbur
• Primary Examiner(s): LEDYNH, BOT L
• Application Number:
  US15/003,298
• Time in Patent Office: 369 Days
• Field of Search: 324/244.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/0017 Means for compensating offset magnetic fields or the magnetic flux to be measured; Means for generating calibration magnetic fields
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/032 using magneto-optic devices, e.g. Faraday or Cotton-Mouton effect

Abstract

Systems and apparatuses are disclosed for providing a uniform RF field and magnetic bias field to a nitrogen vacancy center diamond.

Claims

1. A magnetic field sensor assembly comprising:

four side radio frequency (RF) elements, each side RF element comprising an RF connection;

four side RF feed cables operably connected to one of the four side RF elements such that each side RF element is connected to one RF feed cable that provides a feed signal to the side RF element;

a top RF element;

a top RF element feed cable that provides a top RF feed signal to the top RF element;

a bottom RF element;

a bottom RF element feed cable that provides a bottom RF feed signal to the bottom RF element, wherein the four side RF side elements, the top RF element, and the bottom RF element are arranged in a cube formation; and

a nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center diamond located within the cube formation, wherein the side RF elements, top RF element, and bottom RF element generate a microwave signal that is uniform over the NV center diamond, and wherein the side RF elements, top RF element, and bottom RF element generate a magnetic bias field to the NV center diamond.

2. The magnetic field sensor assembly of claim 1, wherein the top RF element includes a light ingress portion, wherein the bottom RF element includes a light egress portion, and wherein the cube formation includes a light path through the cube formation and through the NV center diamond via the light ingress portion and the light egress portion.

3. The magnetic field sensor assembly of claim 2, wherein light ingress into the NV diamond at a first face of the NV diamond.

4. The magnetic field sensor assembly of claim 3, wherein light egresses out of the NV diamond at a second face of the NV diamond.

5. The magnetic field sensor assembly of claim 2, further comprising a photo sensor that receives the light that egresses from the light egress portion.

6. The magnetic field sensor assembly of claim 1, wherein each feed signal is a different RF feed signal.

7. The magnetic field sensor assembly of claim 1, wherein the top RF element includes a light ingress portion, wherein a first RF side element includes a light egress portion, and wherein the cube formation includes a light path through the cube formation and through the NV center diamond via the light ingress portion and the light egress portion.

8. The magnetic field sensor assembly of claim 7, wherein a second RF side element includes a second light egress portion that forms a second light egress path.

9. The magnetic field assembly of claim 1, wherein the NV center diamond is held with the cube formation via a mounting block that contains a diamond recess and a diamond plug that holds with NV center diamond in the diamond recess.

10. A magnetic field sensor assembly comprising:

four side radio frequency (RF) elements, each side RF element comprising an RF connection;

four side RF feed cables operably connected to one of the four side RF elements such that each side RF element is connected to one RF feed cable that provides a feed signal to the side RF element;

a top RF element;

a top RF element feed cable that provides a top RF feed signal to the top RF element;

a bottom RF element;

a bottom RF element feed cable that provides a bottom RF feed signal to the bottom RF element, wherein the four side RF side elements, the top RF element, and the bottom RF element are arranged in a column formation; and

a nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center diamond located within the column formation, wherein the side RF elements, top RF element, and bottom RF element generate a microwave signal that is uniform over the NV center diamond, and wherein the side RF elements, top RF element, and bottom RF element generate a magnetic bias field to the NV center diamond.

11. The magnetic field sensor assembly of claim 10, wherein the top RF element and the bottom RF element are larger than RF side elements.

12. The magnetic field sensor assembly of claim 10, wherein the top RF element includes a light ingress portion, wherein the bottom RF element includes a light egress portion, and wherein the column formation includes a light path through the column formation and through the NV center diamond via the light ingress portion and the light egress portion.

13. The magnetic field sensor assembly of claim 12, wherein light ingress into the NV diamond at a first face of the NV diamond.

14. The magnetic field sensor assembly of claim 13, wherein light egresses out of the NV diamond at a second face of the NV diamond.

15. The magnetic field sensor assembly of claim 12, further comprising a photo sensor that receives the light that egresses from the light egress portion.

16. The magnetic field sensor assembly of claim 10, wherein each feed signal is a different RF feed signal.

17. The magnetic field sensor assembly of claim 10, wherein the top RF element includes a light ingress portion, wherein a first RF side element includes a light egress portion, and wherein the column formation includes a light path through the column formation and through the NV center diamond via the light ingress portion and the light egress portion.

18. The magnetic field sensor assembly of claim 17, wherein a second RF side element includes a second light egress portion that forms a second light egress path.

19. The magnetic field assembly of claim 10, wherein the NV center diamond is held with the column formation via a mounting block that contains a diamond recess and a diamond plug that holds with NV center diamond in the diamond recess.

20. The magnetic field assembly of claim 10, wherein the four RF side elements are held in place via the top RF element and the bottom RF element.

21. The magnetic field assembly of claim 10, wherein the top RF element comprises four side element alignment portions that align the four side RF elements within the column formation.