Tell us about QuantumDiamonds, what are you doing?

We are commercialising quantum sensing technology based on nitrogen-vacancy centres in diamond. We are currently focusing on semiconducting failure analysis. If a company develops a new chip that doesn’t work, we can test it with our diamond sensor. The result is an image in which we can display the magnetic field in high resolution. This allows you to see exactly how the electric current flows within the semiconductor and to see where there is a problem. Magnetic fields permeate everything meaning that with our method, we can localise faults deep within the semiconductor structure that would otherwise go undetected.

What distinguishes your diamonds from other artificial diamonds?

Normal diamonds are made up of carbon atoms arranged in a repeating cubic crystal structure. In our production process, we induce nitrogen-vacancy centres in the diamond crystal - sites where two adjacent carbon atoms have been exchanged by a nitrogen atom and a vacancy. This is often called an NV centre for short and there are millions of them in our diamonds. An NV center can capture electrons whose properties can then be used for making very precise quantum measurements. We can look optically at the electron spin which is very sensitive to nearby magnetic fields.

Usually, electrons are constantly interacting with their environment, but the surrounding diamond structure isolates the electrons so that they can only interact with our samples. This makes it possible to effectively determine the quantum state of the electrons.

Why is now the right time to be commercialising this technology?

The semiconductor industry has never been more important but it is also facing significant technical challenges with continuing the progress which for many decades has been characterised by Moore’s Law. The increased complexity of modern semiconductor chips and technologies such as advanced packing, heterogeneous integration, and backside power delivery, and the sheer rate of development mean that existing failure analysis techniques are becoming increasingly inadequate. Our quantum sensing technology brings a real step-change in capability to this industry.

What progress has QuantumDiamonds made to date? What does the future hold?

We currently carry out failure analysis as a service in our laboratory. However, in 2025 we will begin to sell a QuantumDiamonds microscope. This will allow companies to carry out the failure analysis themselves. At the same time, we want to develop a product for in-line quality control on the semiconductor fabrication production lines. On the production line, it's not about a detailed failure analysis, but about whether the chip works or not. Together with various Fraunhofer Institutes, we want to work on the fastest possible measurement. Our aim is to launch a product on the market around 2028 that will be ready for the production line. The market for failure analysis is large, but the market for manufacturing is even larger and growing all the time. That would be a huge leap for us if we could achieve that.

What motivates you personally in your work?

I like physics, I like technical things, and I like to think about things. But it was always important to me to have an applied use behind what I’m doing, and it’s great to see how our measurements work. Thanks to both our private and public funding, our progress has been rapid. Sometimes you’re completely immersed in everyday life, you solve a problem that exists right now and it seems slow, but then you think back a month, half a year and then you realize: Wow, progress is actually super fast. And that’s really what I think is the coolest thing right now.