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08 Apr 2025
Extension of existing research collaboration to target applications of magnetic field sensors in medicine and industry.
Industrial technology giant Bosch has established a new company focused on the commercialization of quantum sensors, in a joint venture with the synthetic diamond producer Element Six.
Element Six, which has been collaborating with Bosch on quantum technology for the past couple of years, will take a 25 per cent stake in the firm, which is called Bosch Quantum Sensing and based in Ludwigsburg, close to Bosch's Stuttgart headquarters in Germany.
Industrial scale
Bosch had established the activity in 2022 as an in-house startup, and says that the firm - still subject to official approval - currently employs 30 people. It is the lead partner and will be responsible for operations.
Bosch has not disclosed any further details about how the activity will be funded, but says that Element Six is in a unique position to supply the highly engineered synthetic diamonds in the quantity and quality required for industrial applications. “It is a classic win-win situation,” stated the firm.
Katrin Kobe, who has been appointed CEO of Bosch Quantum Sensing, said in a company release: “We want to work with Element Six to make quantum sensors economical and allow them to be produced on an industrial scale. In this way, we will create the basis for innovative applications that set new standards for precision and efficiency.”
Stefan Hartung, the Bosch chairman, added: “Quantum sensors are a future technology with huge potential. They will bring about fundamental changes in many sectors of our economy, and improve people’s lives.
“In setting up this new company, we are underscoring this technology’s strategic significance for Bosch. As innovation leader of commercial quantum sensors, we will work with Element Six to further extend our technological lead.”
Nitrogen vacancies
Targeting applications ranging across heart monitoring, natural resource exploration, aircraft navigation and more, Bosch Quantum Sensing is focused on magnetic field sensor technology - and estimates that the global market potential will rise to billions of euros per year.
The synthetic diamonds made by Element Six are a core component within the quantum sensors, thanks to defects in the material known as “nitrogen vacancies” (or NV centers) that can be exploited for their quantum effect on an incident laser.
“The distinctive qualities of these special-purpose synthetic diamonds allow quantum sensors based on them to detect even the tiniest magnetic fields,” Bosch said.
On its web site the company explains that its quantum magnetometers feature diamond with nitrogen atoms deliberately added to create the NV centers, whose additional electrons act as tiny magnetic field sensing elements.
“These NV centers change the diamond’s optical and electronic properties,” Bosch states. “When green laser light is shone on the diamond through an optical focusing unit, it excites the electrons within the NV centers to a higher energy level.
“As the electrons return to their ground state, they emit photons, visible as red light, which is separated through an optical filter and then detected by a photodiode.”
Zeeman effect
However, the most critical phenomenon is that the energy levels within the NV centers are highly sensitive to changes in the external magnetic field, meaning that they can act as a quantum sensor based on the Zeeman effect - the way that spectral lines are split in the presence of a magnetic field.
“These quantum states are accessible via microwave radiation,” Bosch adds. “When electrons occupy these levels and are excited by the green laser light, they no longer decay by emitting red photons but instead remain ‘dark’.
“By varying the frequency of the microwave radiation and observing changes in the intensity of the emitted red light, we can precisely determine the strength of the external magnetic field.”
With the latest quantum sensor prototypes already approaching the size of a smart phone, Bosch envisages future commercial sales in navigation, where the technology could complement GPS systems. Future sensors could be small enough to fit onto an individual chip.
Quantum heart monitors
Other possibilities for applications include exploration of natural resources using drones equipped with the sensors, and monitoring heart activity.
“Similar to a conventional electrocardiogram (ECG), a magneto-cardiogram (MCG) also measures the electrical activity of the heart muscle cells,” Bosch explains. “However, instead of picking up the electrical signals directly, an MCG detects the magnetic field they generate.“
The method is said to accurately reflect the heart’s electrophysiological excitation, and is less affected by various body tissues and fluids than an ECG. Coupled with superior spatial resolution, an MCG is expected to provide more detailed and accurate measurements than an ECG, allowing for the detection of even the most subtle signs of serious conditions like heart attacks or oxygen deficiency.
Siobhán Duffy, the CEO of Element Six, commented: “We will integrate our synthetic diamond technology with Bosch Quantum Sensing’s capabilities, unlocking new possibilities in critical sectors such as healthcare and navigation.
“Together, we will harness the respective decades of excellence and innovation to push the limits of what's possible, heralding a new era of synthetic diamond-enabled technologies.”
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