Understanding the Role of NV Diamond Chips in Quantum Sensing
Quantum sensing is increasingly recognized as a pathway toward measurement capabilities that surpass the limitations of conventional instrumentation. At the center of this shift is the nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center, a quantum defect embedded within the diamond lattice that functions as an extremely small quantum sensor. ViQium Technologies Co., Ltd., headquartered in Minhang District, Shanghai, China, has built its business around the exploration, scalable fabrication, and industrial application of quantum diamonds and emerging two-dimensional phosphorus-based materials, positioning itself within this evolving field.
Why NV Center Technology Matters
The operating principle of an NV center consists of three fundamental steps: optical initialization, microwave-based quantum manipulation, and optical readout. A green laser first excites the NV center, initializing its quantum state into a well-defined starting condition. A precisely tuned microwave field is then applied to manipulate this state, allowing adjustments to frequency and duration for accurate spin-state control. Finally, the NV center is excited again with laser light, producing red fluorescence whose intensity varies according to the final quantum state. By analyzing these optical signals, information about the surrounding physical environment can be extracted.
This mechanism gives NV centers two defining advantages: room-temperature operation and nanoscale sensing resolution. Unlike quantum sensing approaches that depend on cryogenic temperatures or complex vacuum systems, NV-based systems offer a more practical route toward compact and scalable quantum technologies. Their sensitivity to magnetic fields, temperature, and electric fields makes them suitable as high-resolution quantum sensors, while their unique quantum properties also position them as promising solid-state platforms for quantum information processing, including quantum computing and quantum networking.
Addressing Industry Pain Points
Several structural challenges currently limit the broader adoption of quantum technology. High barriers to entry persist due to a lack of scalable fabrication and end-to-end capabilities among suppliers. Conventional measurement approaches also face performance limitations that require a transition toward high-sensitivity, non-invasive sensing. In research settings, unstable experimental results and insufficient reproducibility in quantum materials continue to slow scientific progress.
ViQium's founding team, with academic backgrounds from several leading universities in China and more than eight years of dedicated research in advanced quantum materials—including NV center quantum diamonds and black phosphorus—has focused on closing these gaps. Through continuous work in material synthesis, defect engineering, and device integration, the company has developed differentiated technological capabilities across the key stages of quantum material development, spanning quantum physics, materials science, and optical engineering.
A Complete Production Process for NV Diamond Chips
ViQium has independently established a complete production process covering diamond crystal growth, ion irradiation, and high-temperature annealing. The company provides medium- to high-density NV center diamond products (0.1–5 ppm) as well as ultra-high-density NV center diamond products (10–45 ppm), achieving ODMR contrast performance with key parameters comparable to international suppliers' product series. Flexible customization is supported starting from a single piece, with pricing positioned to balance high performance against flexible procurement requirements. These capabilities are directly relevant to quantum precision magnetometry, industrial non-destructive testing, and other high-performance sensing applications.
From Material to System: End-to-End Delivery
Many suppliers in the market concentrate primarily on material sales, offering limited expertise in downstream applications such as ODMR system integration, parameter optimization, and magnetic field calibration. ViQium's technical team combines diamond material engineering with quantum measurement technologies, establishing an integrated service chain that covers diamond growth, NV center creation, characterization, and ODMR system integration. Based on customer requirements, the company provides customized material selection, testing solutions, competitive benchmarking, and experimental optimization recommendations—support that extends throughout a customer's research and development process. This approach is particularly relevant for university research groups without prior NV center experimental experience, as well as companies developing NV-based quantum precision measurement technologies.
A Flexible Product Portfolio
Traditional suppliers typically offer limited product options, providing only fixed sizes and specific diamond orientations. ViQium's portfolio includes (111)-oriented high-density and ultra-high-density NV diamonds, shallow NV diamonds, nanodiamond powders, C12-enriched diamond materials, and single NV center diamonds, with customization available for dimensions and NV center concentration. Standard products can be delivered within 28 days, and conventional customized products within 45 days.
The broader Quantum Materials Series includes Single NV Diamond (T₂: 300–600 μs measured by Spin Echo; NV Density: 10–10,000 units/10⁴ μm²), Ensemble NV Diamond (NV Density: 0.1–10 ppm), Ultra-High-Density NV Diamond (NV Density: 10–45 ppm), High Purity Diamond (nitrogen content below 5 ppb, boron content below 1 ppb, carbon-12 enrichment of 98.9%), Shallow NV Diamond (NV Depth: 10–50 nm or 1–10 μm), Micro-nano NV Diamond, and NV Diamond Anvil products designed for extreme high-pressure magnetism studies and geoscience research. Alongside these materials, ViQium offers Precision Instruments, including a Portable Magnetometer and an NV Quantum Spin Spectrometer.
Serving Research, Industry, and Beyond
NV center quantum diamond technology primarily serves quantum precision measurement and advanced sensing, spanning fundamental scientific research, industrial precision inspection, and extreme-environment detection. ViQium supports applications in semiconductor inspection, power metrology, geological exploration, and aerospace and defense, enabling detection and measurement of weak physical parameters such as magnetic fields, electric currents, temperature, and stress.
Research institutes and universities generally prioritize product performance, pricing, delivery timelines, and technical support, with a core need for reproducible materials that reduce experimental instability. Advanced industrial inspection and precision manufacturing companies focus on system integration, long-term reliability, customization, and scalable supply, seeking to move beyond measurement approaches that are functional but insufficiently precise for industrial deployment. Aerospace and defense customers emphasize sensing stability under wide temperature ranges and challenging electromagnetic environments, along with technical security and proven capability.
Practical Solutions for Common Challenges
For first-time users facing unclear selection criteria for NV diamond materials, ViQium provides a comprehensive NV Diamond Selection Guide alongside professional online consultation, categorizing products by application—magnetic field sensing, magnetic imaging, and temperature sensing—so customers can select suitable materials without purchasing multiple comparison samples. For customers requiring small-batch customization alongside high-performance materials, ViQium combines flexible small-batch production with in-house fabrication, tailoring crystal orientation, NV concentration, sample dimensions, and microstructure processing to specific needs. For customers lacking access to integrated ODMR testing and experimental support, ViQium provides a combined solution of diamond samples, optical components, and system configuration support, covering the full ODMR workflow from optical alignment to signal acquisition and magnetic field calibration.
Looking Ahead
As quantum sensing continues to move from laboratory demonstration toward broader industrial application, the availability of reliable, well-characterized NV diamond chips remains a foundational requirement. ViQium's combination of material fabrication, system integration expertise, and flexible customization reflects an approach aimed at supporting this transition—helping research institutions and industrial partners progress from material selection to successful application deployment.
https://en.viqiumtech.com/
ViQium Technologies Co., Ltd.
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