Researchers at MIT have fabricated a diamond - based quantum sensor on a silicon chip in a way that could cut costs for quantum computing , instrumentation and communication . The researchers instead developed a novel chip architecture that positions and stacks tiny, inexpensive components in a certain way using standard complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) technology, so they function like those components. It uses defects in diamonds , called nitrogen - vacancy ( NV ) centres , which can be controlled with light and microwaves . The researchers incorporated components including a microwave generator , an optical amplifier and a photodetector using conventional methods , but at a fraction of the size of existing quantum sensors . The device can detect a magnetic field ’s strength and direction , and could be used to map electrical impulses in the brain or detect objects outside of a space - line .
Researchers at MIT have fabricated a diamond - based quantum sensor on a silicon chip in a way that could cut costs for quantum computing , instrumentation and communication . It uses defects in diamonds , called nitrogen - vacancy ( NV ) centres , which can be controlled with light and microwaves . The researchers incorporated components including a microwave generator , an optical amplifier and a photodetector using conventional methods , but at a fraction of the size of existing quantum sensors . The device can detect a magnetic field ’s strength and direction , and could be used to map electrical impulses in the brain or detect objects outside of a space - line .