Magnetometer device based on electrical pumping in nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond

A magnetometer, comprising:

• a diode structure comprising a diamond material having free electrons and free charge carriers;
• an electrical circuit coupled to the diode structure and operative to apply a forward bias voltage to the diode structure;
• a microwave device operative to direct a microwave field to the diode structure;
• an electrical detector operative to measure a current produced by the diode structure after applying the forward bias voltage to the diode structure, and after directing the microwave field to the diode structure;
• and
• a processor operative to determine a magnetic field based on the measured current produced by the diode structure.

A method comprising:

• applying a forward bias voltage to a diode structure comprising a diamond material having free electrons and free charge carriers, such that the free charge carriers flow into an intrinsic region of the diamond material where nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers are located;
• directing a microwave field to the diode structure;
• applying an absorptive probe beam to the intrinsic region of the diamond material, the absorptive probe beam resonant with a transition in the NV centers;
• and
• determining a magnetic field at a particular location based on a decrease in absorption of the absorptive probe beam;
• wherein the absorption of the absorptive probe beam is dependent on a ground state population.