India’s first Quantum Diamond Microscope developed

Scientists at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) have developed India’s first indigenous Quantum Diamond Microscope (QDM) for dynamic magnetic field imaging, which will help neurosciences and materials research.

The technology is also poised to transform the non-destructive evaluation of semiconductor chips by mapping their magnetic field in three-dimensional (3-D) layers within an encapsulated chip

The QDM is a breakthrough that marks a milestone in quantum sensing and has earned India its first patent in this domain, according to information shared by the Ministry of Science and Technology today.

QDMs excel in non-destructive, ambient-condition magnetic mapping where traditional tools fall short in resolution, field of view or ease of use, scientists said. Besides chips and electronics, they can also be used for bio-imaging to detect magnetically labelled cells, biomarkers or bio-mineralisation processes. Other applications include probing thin films, quantum materials or strain in diamonds and detecting counterfeit microelectronics through magnetic signatures.

The QDM developed by the P-Quest Group at IIT Bombay led by Professor Kasturi Saha is based on ‘nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centres’ in a diamond and represents a powerful platform for three-dimensional magnetic field imaging at the nano-scale.

NV centres, which are atomic-scale defects formed by a nitrogen atom adjacent to a vacancy, exhibit robust quantum coherence even at room temperature, making them exceptionally sensitive to magnetic, electric and thermal variations.

Their spin-dependent fluorescence, detected via optically detected magnetic resonance (ODMR), enables optical readout of local magnetic fields. By engineering a thin diamond layer with high NV density, QDM enables wide-field imaging of dynamic magnetic activity, analogous to an optical microscope.

With the rise of 3-D chip architectures in advanced electronics, cryogenic processors and autonomous systems, conventional diagnostic tools fall short of visualising buried current paths and multilayer charge flow. QDM offers a path toward direct, high-resolution 3-D magnetic mapping of integrated circuits, batteries and microelectronic devices.

Aligned with India’s National Quantum Mission, Prof Saha’s team aims to develop a quantum imaging platform integrating QDM with artificial intelligence and machine learning-based computational imaging, thereby paving the way for advanced chip diagnostics, biological imaging and geological magnetisation studies — all rooted in precise, three-dimensional magnetic field visualisation, the Ministry said.