IP Library › Granted Patent US 12705520
Granted Patent B2
US 12705520 · App. 18/069,128 · Granted Aug 11, 2026

Physical media incorporating colour centres for use in quantum systems

Inventors: Georgios Chatzidrosos (Cambridge, GB); Foteini Karinou (London, GB); Patrick Neil Anderson (Cambridge, GB); Hitesh Ballani (Cambridge, GB); Anna Mitenkova (London, GB); Antony Ian Taylor Rowstron (Cambridge, GB)
Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
G06N10/40
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12705520
App. No.
18/069,128
Granted
Aug 11, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

An apparatus comprising: a crystal; and a colour centre located within the crystal and adapted to receive: a magnetic field, such that a projection of the magnetic field onto a colour centre axis of the colour centre causes a change in an electron spin resonance frequency of the colour centre, and an electromagnetic signal having a frequency that substantially matches the electron spin resonance frequency of the colour centre as changed by the projection of the magnetic field onto the colour centre axis.

Claims (56)

1 . An apparatus comprising:

a crystal;

a first colour centre located within the crystal at a first colour centre location and having a first electron spin resonance frequency that depends on a first projection of a magnetic field onto a first colour centre axis of the first colour centre;

a second colour centre located within the crystal at a second colour centre location and having a second electron spin resonance frequency that is different than the first electron spin resonance frequency and that depends on a second projection of the magnetic field onto a second colour centre axis of the second colour centre; and

an electromagnetic signal generator comprising at least one wire and a current source coupled to the at least one wire, wherein the electromagnetic signal generator is configured to generate:

a first electromagnetic signal having a first frequency that substantially matches the first electron spin resonance frequency of the first colour centre, and

a second electromagnetic signal having a second frequency that substantially matches the second electron spin resonance frequency of the second colour centre.

2 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein

the first electromagnetic signal having the first frequency is received by the first colour centre and the second colour centre, thereby causing a first energy level transition in the first colour centre, and

the second electromagnetic signal having the second frequency is received by the first colour centre and the second colour centre, thereby causing a second energy level transition in the second colour centre.

3 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein

the current source is controllable to cause the wire to emit the first electromagnetic signal having the first frequency and the second electromagnetic signal having the second frequency.

4 . The apparatus of claim 1 , comprising:

a magnetic field generator configured to generate the magnetic field.

5 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one colour centre is configured to provide at least one qubit.

6 . The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the first colour centre is configured to provide a first qubit, wherein the second colour centre is configured to provide a second qubit, wherein the first energy level transition in the first colour centre effects a first qubit transformation of the first qubit or first qubit measurement of the first qubit, and wherein the second energy level transition in the second colour centre effects a second qubit transformation of the second qubit or second qubit measurement of the second qubit.

7 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the crystal is configured to operate as a quantum sensor.

8 . The apparatus of claim 1 , comprising:

a plurality of wires; and

for each wire of the plurality of wires, a plurality of colour centres coupled to the wire.

9 . The apparatus of claim 1 , comprising:

a mutually parallel wire pair coupled to the first colour centre and configured to carry respective currents in antiparallel, thereby generating the first electromagnetic signal receivable by the first colour centre.

10 . The apparatus of claim 4 , comprising:

a first plurality of colour centres lying in a first plane;

a first plurality of wires, wherein each colour centre of the first plurality of colour centres is coupled to a respective non-parallel wire pair of the first plurality of wires;

a second plurality of colour centres lying in a second plane substantially parallel to the first plane; and

a second plurality of wires lying in a second direction non-parallel to the first direction, wherein each colour centre of the second plurality of colour centres is coupled to a respective non-parallel wire pair of the second plurality of wires;

wherein the magnetic field generator is configured to generate the magnetic field with a magnetic field gradient perpendicular to the first and second planes, such that the first plurality of colour centres have different electron spin resonance frequencies than the second plurality of colour centres.

11 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first electron spin resonance frequency and the second electron spin resonance frequency have a frequency difference, wherein the frequency difference is at least 6 MHz.

12 . A quantum system comprising:

a crystal; and

a first colour centre located within the crystal at a first colour centre location and having a first electron spin resonance frequency that depends on a first projection of a magnetic field onto a first colour centre axis of the first colour centre;

a second colour centre located within the crystal at a second colour centre location and having a second electron spin resonance frequency that is different than the first electron spin resonance frequency and that depends on a second projection of the magnetic field onto a second colour centre axis of the second colour centre;

a magnetic field generator;

an electromagnetic signal generator comprising at least one wire and a current source coupled to the at least one wire;

a memory embodying computer-readable instructions; and

a processor coupled to the magnetic field generator, the electromagnetic signal generator and the memory, wherein the processor is configured to execute the computer-readable instructions, which are configured, upon execution by the processor, to cause the processor to control the electromagnetic signal generator to generate:

a first electromagnetic signal having a first frequency that substantially matches the first electron spin resonance frequency of the first colour centre, and

a second electromagnetic signal having a second frequency that substantially matches the second electron spin resonance frequency of the second colour centre.

13 . The quantum system of claim 12 , wherein

the first electromagnetic signal having the first frequency is received by the first colour centre and the second colour centre, thereby causing a first energy level transition in the first colour centre, and

the second electromagnetic signal having the second frequency is received by the first colour centre and the second colour centre, thereby causing a second energy level transition in the second colour centre.

14 . The quantum system of claim 13 , wherein the first colour centre is configured to provide a first qubit, and the second colour centre is configured to provide a second qubit;

wherein the processor is configured to generate the first electromagnetic signal and the second electromagnetic signal based on quantum program instructions stored in the memory, wherein the first energy level transition in the first colour centre effects one of a first qubit transformation of the first qubit and a first qubit measurement of the first qubit as specified by the quantum program instructions, and wherein the second energy level transition in the second colour centre effects one of a second qubit transformation of the second qubit and a second qubit measurement of the second qubit as specified by the quantum program instructions.

15 . The quantum system of claim 12 , wherein the first electron spin resonance frequency and the second electron spin resonance frequency have a frequency difference, wherein the frequency difference is at least 6 MHz.

16 . A method of addressing a colour centre in a crystal, the method comprising:

generating a first projection of a magnetic field, such that the first projection of the magnetic field onto a first colour centre axis of a first colour centre causes a change in an electron spin resonance frequency of the first colour centre;

generating a second projection of the magnetic field, such that the second projection of the magnetic field onto a second colour centre axis of a second colour centre causes a change in an electron spin resonance frequency of the second colour centre;

generating a first electromagnetic signal having a first frequency that substantially matches a first electron spin resonance frequency of the first colour centre; and

generating a second electromagnetic signal having a second frequency that substantially matches a second electron spin resonance frequency of the second colour centre.

17 . The method of claim 16 , further comprising:

receiving, by the first colour centre and the second colour centre the first electromagnetic signal thereby causing a first energy level transition in the first colour centre; and

receiving, by the first colour centre and the second colour centre thereby causing a second energy level transition in the second colour centre.

18 . The method of claim 17 , wherein the first colour centre provides a first qubit, wherein the second colour centre provides a second qubit, wherein the first energy level transition in the first colour centre effects a first qubit transformation of the first qubit or first qubit measurement of the first qubit, and wherein the second energy level transition in the second colour centre effects a second qubit transformation of the second qubit or second qubit measurement of the second qubit.

19 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the colour centres operate as quantum sensors.

20 . The method of claim 16 , performed by a computer processor responsive to computer-readable instructions received from a memory coupled to the processor.