Our quantum sensor tips are an all-in-one scanning quantum sensor solution. The sensor chip contains a high-quality diamond tip with a single embedded NV center mounted on a robust ceramic carrier plate. An integrated force-feedback sensor provides safe distance control. Each sensor chip is delivered fully assembled and characterized, ready for use in your experiment.

Different NV Directions

In NV experiments, measurements are always projections onto the NV symmetry axis, which depends on the crystal orientation of the diamond from which the tips are made. The most widely available cut is <100> which leads to NV orientations of 54.7° with respect to the normal. For many applications, this work very well.

We also offer tips with in-plane and out-of-plane orientation. This is especially useful for measurements with magnetic bias, as signal decreases with increasing off-axis magnetic fields, or elimination directional bias (out-of-plane tips).

Key specifications

Each tip is rigorously characterized and is delivered with a test certificate, providing you with the NV performance and orientation. Key specifications include (contact us for further detail):

Contrast	Better than 20/25%
Count rate at maximum contrast (0.75 NA)	150-700 kC/s
Saturation count rate (0.75 NA)	0.6-1.2 MC/s
Nominal depth of NV center	10 nm
Hyperfine splitting visible	On request
NV vector orientation	<111> (100-cut diamond)
Nominal magnetic sensitivity (read how it works)	1-10 uT/Hz^{1/2}

How to order

We can customize the sensor chip to your specific needs and are happy to provide test samples to verify that our tips fit your setup. To provide you with a quote:

1. Choose the configuration of tip with respect to the tuning fork and contact pads. We can mount the tip either in “Up” or “Down” configuration.
2. Choose the desired ODMR contrast. We offer two bins, better than 20% and 25% contrast.
3. Choose the desired brightness. We offer two brightness classes, B1( >150 kcts/s) and B2 (>350 kcts/s).
4. Do you want to spectroscopically resolve the hyperfine (HF) splitting of your NV center?
5. Contact us at info@qzabre.com and tell us what you need!

Technology

The QZabre quantum sensor is a unique probe that enables researchers to perform NV magnetometry experiments without going through the difficulties of probe assembly and tip fabrication. The product is the result of several years of dedicated research and development:

Single crystal diamond tips – Our diamond tips are manufactured from single crystal diamond plates by a series of optimized lithography and etching steps. Single nitrogen vacancy centers are introduced at ~10 nm from the apex by shallow ion implantation (nitrogen-15 isotope). Highest quality CVD diamond is used as the starting material to enable long intrinsic dephasing and coherence times. The tips are more tha 3 um high with an end diameter between 150-350 nm. The tip shape is optimized to achieve saturation photon count rates between 0.6-1.2 MC/s.

Plug-and-play carrier chip – For easy handling, diamond probe tips are integrated on a plug-and-play sensor chip. Each sensor chip consists of a ceramic carrier, a tuning fork distance sensor and the diamond tip. A minimal carrier thickness ensures that the sensor can be mounted in microscopes where vertical space is tight. Dimensions and contact feedlines on the ceramic chip carrier are compatible with the Akiyama probe footprint. The entire sensor chip is vacuum and cryo-compatible.

Convenient AFM distance sensor – QZabre’s sensor chips integrate a force-feedback sensor based on a quartz tuning fork. The tuning fork distance sensor allows for a safe approach of the surface and a controlled navigation of the probe over the sample using a standard atomic force microscopy (AFM) controller. A proprietary chip assembly technique is used to minimize the tip standoff and achieve NV-to-surface separations below 50 nm. We can mount the tuning fork in different configurations to meet your system requirements.