Oscillator-Based Solid-State Spin Sensor

As technologies advance and devices become increasingly smaller and energy-efficient, the need for compact and low-power sensors has surged. In particular, sensors that can accurately detect changes in magnetic fields are in high demand for a variety of industries, from health care and automotive to environmental monitoring and astronomy. The challenge has been creating sensors that maintain high sensitivity while minimizing power consumption, weight, and volume. Current approaches to magnetic field sensors often rely on optics or input microwaves, leading to increased size and power requirements. Furthermore, refining sensitivity to detect minute changes in magnetic fields is a complex task often resulting in additional bulk and power requirements. A balance between size, power consumption, and sensitivity has remained a significant challenge with current technologies.

Technology Description

This advanced sensor boasts high performance while maintaining low volume, weight, and power. The sensor harnesses a self-sustaining oscillator established on a dielectric resonator with paramagnetic defects. This resonator is coupled to a sustaining amplifier within a feedback loop. Variations in magnetic fields lead to shifts in the resonator's resonance frequency, altering the oscillator's frequency. The magnetic field's value is thus encoded in the output shift or modulation of the self -sustaining oscillator. What sets this technology apart is the avoidance of optics and input microwaves in its design, bringing about its low-weight, low-volume (less than 1mL), and low-power (less than 300mW) attributes without compromising on the sensor’s high sensitivity, which is recorded at or below tens of pT/√Hz. This combination of features makes it a robust and yet efficient solution for a wide range of applications.