Quantum Sensors
High-sensitivity measurement of physical quantities using quantum effects.
Then → Now
SQUIDs
1960s • Superconducting
Liquid helium cooling. Extremely precise but large, bulky, and expensive to run.
Atomic vapour cells
Optically pumped magnetometers
~100°C heating. Smaller than SQUIDs but fragile and hard to manufacture at scale.
RobQuant solid-state
Semiconductor quantum sensors
Room temperature. Scalable, robust, and manufacturable via standard semiconductor fabrication.
Quantum sensors measure a wide range of physical quantities with high sensitivity and precision. These can include acceleration and time for position, navigation, and timing, or magnetic fields and temperatures for applications in life sciences and healthcare.
From SQUIDs to Today
Quantum sensors have been around since the 1960s, when the Superconducting Quantum Interference Device (SQUID) was invented. The SQUID uses a loop of superconducting wire to detect tiny changes in the external magnetic field. Although extremely precise, these sensors are large, bulky, and expensive to run because they require cooling with liquid helium.
Newer quantum sensors such as atomic vapour cells (often called optically pumped magnetometers) do not require cooling but typically need heating to around 100°C, which limits some long-term and human-factor applications. They are smaller and more mobile than SQUIDs but tend to be fragile and hard to manufacture at scale; the vapour is contained in a vessel similar to a vacuum tube. You can read more about atomic vapour cells from the UK Quantum Sensing Hub.
RobQuant’s Approach: Solid-State Semiconductor Sensors
At RobQuant, our team has developed solid-state semiconductor quantum sensors using standard semiconductor processing (the same technology used to make consumer electronics). The result: sensors that can be produced at large volumes, are robust, and operate at ambient temperatures with no heating or cooling.
By combining our sensor technology with our photonic and chip architecture, we deliver systems that pair robustness with extremely high quantum sensitivity. We are working with partners in research, healthcare, and defence to bring these capabilities into real-world use.
Related updates
- Physics World: quantum vision for healthcare
- Innovate UK grant: quantum sensor prototype
- Grant funding update
Our technology (NV in diamond, solid-state) →