First general-purpose quantum grade diamond enables users to unlock next generation quantum technologies.
Element Six (E6), part of the De Beers Group, has been named as a Prism Awards winner in the quantum category for its chemical vapour deposition (CVD) quantum grade diamond, DNV-B1™, part of the DNV™ Series.
The prestigious award, which is judged by a panel of industry experts and is part of the SPIE Photonics West yearly event programme, recognises leading industrial innovations that make a difference, solve problems, and improve life through optics and photonics across a range of different areas. Element Six’s DNV-B1™ was announced as the quantum category winner, ahead of fellow finalists Qnami, with their ProteusQ™, and AUREA Technology, with their Quantum Entangled Photon Source.
Launched in 2020, DNV-B1™ is Element Six’s first general-purpose CVD quantum grade diamond available on the market. Building on the company’s extensive experience, international network and a unique, patented process to develop bespoke CVD diamond solutions, DNV-B1™ is an ideal starting material for those interested in researching nitrogen-vacancy (NV) ensembles for quantum demonstrations, masers, detection of RF radiation, gyroscopes and magnetic sensing.
Diamond NV (DNV) centres offer researchers a unique solid-state platform with spin qubits that can be initialised and read out at room temperature, with long qubit lifetimes. Developed to provide a baseline solution that contains a uniform density of NV spin centres, Element Six’s DNV-B1™ was specifically designed for emerging diamond applications that require ensembles of NV centres, guaranteeing a minimum level of performance.
ProteusQ™, Qnami’s quantum microscope containing Element Six’s diamond was also a finalist in the quantum category. ProteusQ™ is the first desktop-scale diamond-enabled NV scanning microscope, made possible with bespoke quantum grade CVD diamond developed and engineered by Element Six. The microscope uses scanning NV magnetometry to enable table-top analysis of magnetic materials at the atomic scale, offering an unprecedented, miniaturised solution to processes that had previously relied on large-scale light sources.
Matthew Markham, Principal Scientist at Element Six, said: “It really is a honour to receive such a prestigious award and we are grateful to SPIE and its panel of experts for this recognition. We have been developing diamond-enabled quantum solutions for many years and it is rewarding to witness the transition from academic-led research to commercially-available solutions in a number of industrial applications. We are really proud of the DNV-B1™ and the technology it enables, from fundamental quantum physics to magnetic sensors.”