Granted Patent B2

US 12,553,959 · App. 18/495,019 · Granted Feb 17, 2026

Inventors: Scott Rauscher (Washington, DC); Haley Stumvoll (West Melbourne, FL); James Drakes (Occoquan, VA); Fraser R. Dalgleish (Vero Beach, FL); Donna M. Kocak (Satellite Beach, FL); Nicholas Alban (Palm Bay, FL)

Assignee: EAGLE TECHNOLOGY, LLC

G01R33/032B81B7/02G01R33/0052G01R33/26B81B2201/0271

Abstract

Claims (43)

1 . A sensing system comprising:

a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) device comprising

a MEMS substrate having a resonator cavity formed therein,

at least one MEMS structural resonator beam carried by the MEMS substrate within the resonator cavity, and

a diamond layer carried by the MEMS substrate above the resonator cavity and comprising at least one nitrogen vacancy center (NVC) aligned with the at least one MEMS structural resonator beam;

a resonator drive circuit coupled to drive the at least one MEMS structural resonator beam; and

a sensing circuit associated with the at least one nitrogen vacancy center.

2 . The sensing system of claim 1 wherein the MEMS substrate comprises a Silicon-On-Insulator (SOI) MEMS substrate.

3 . The sensing system of claim 1 wherein the MEMS substrate comprises a silicon layer and at least one spacer between the silicon layer and the diamond layer.

4 . The sensing system of claim 3 wherein the at least one MEMS structural resonator beam comprises a conductive silicon layer and a ferromagnetic body carried thereby.

5 . The sensing system of claim 4 wherein the at least one spacer defines a gap between the at least one nitrogen vacancy center and the ferromagnetic body within a range of 50-500 nm.

6 . The sensing system of claim 1 wherein the diamond layer comprises a rigid diamond plate.

7 . The sensing system of claim 1 comprising a pair of wire bonding pads carried by the MEMS substrate and coupled to the resonator drive circuit.

8 . The sensing system of claim 1 comprising a radio frequency (RF) excitation source coupled to the at least one nitrogen vacancy center.

9 . The sensing system of claim 1 wherein the sensing circuit comprises:

an optical excitation source to provide light having a first wavelength coupled to the at least one nitrogen vacancy center; and

an optical detector to receive light having a second wavelength emitted by the at least one nitrogen vacancy center in response to the at least one nitrogen vacancy center absorbing the light having the first wavelength.

10 . The sensing system of claim 9 comprising a first interface between the optical excitation source and the at least one nitrogen vacancy center, and a second interface between the optical detector and the at least one nitrogen vacancy center, with the respective first and second interfaces comprising at least one of free space, optical fibers and waveguides.

11 . A microelectromechanical system (MEMS) device comprising:

a MEMS substrate having a resonator cavity formed therein;

at least one MEMS structural resonator beam carried by the MEMS substrate within the resonator cavity; and

a diamond layer carried by the MEMS substrate above the resonator cavity and comprising at least one nitrogen vacancy center (NVC) aligned with the at least one MEMS structural resonator beam.

12 . The MEMS device of claim 11 wherein the MEMS substrate comprises a Silicon-On-Insulator (SOI) MEMS substrate.

13 . The MEMS device of claim 11 wherein the MEMS substrate comprises a silicon layer and at least one spacer between the silicon layer and the diamond layer.

14 . The MEMS device of claim 13 wherein the at least one MEMS structural resonator beam comprises a conductive silicon layer and a ferromagnetic body carried thereby.

15 . The MEMS device of claim 14 wherein the at least one spacer defines a gap between the at least one nitrogen vacancy center and the ferromagnetic body within a range of 50-500 nm.

16 . The MEMS device of claim 11 wherein the diamond layer comprises a rigid diamond plate.

17 . The MEMS device of claim 11 comprising a pair of wire bonding pads carried by the MEMS substrate to be coupled to a resonator drive circuit.

18 . A method for making a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) device comprising:

forming a resonator cavity within a MEMS substrate;

forming at least one MEMS structural resonator beam carried by the MEMS substrate within the resonator cavity; and

coupling a diamond layer to the MEMS substrate above the resonator cavity and comprising at least one nitrogen vacancy center (NVC) aligned with the at least one MEMS structural resonator beam.

19 . The method of claim 18 wherein the MEMS substrate comprises a Silicon-On-Insulator (SOI) MEMS substrate.

20 . The method of claim 18 wherein the MEMS substrate comprises a silicon layer and at least one spacer between the silicon layer and the diamond layer.

21 . The method of claim 20 wherein the at least one MEMS structural resonator beam comprises a conductive silicon layer and a ferromagnetic body carried thereby.

22 . The method of claim 21 wherein the at least one spacer defines a gap between the at least one nitrogen vacancy center and the ferromagnetic body within a range of 50-500 nm.

23 . The method of claim 18 wherein the diamond layer comprises a rigid diamond plate.

24 . A microelectromechanical system (MEMS) device comprising:

a MEMS substrate having a resonator cavity formed therein;

at least one MEMS resonator beam carried by the MEMS substrate within the resonator cavity, the at least one resonator beam comprising a conductive silicon layer and a ferromagnetic body carried thereby; and

a diamond layer carried by the MEMS substrate above the resonator cavity and comprising at least one nitrogen vacancy center (NVC) aligned with the at least one MEMS resonator beam.

25 . The MEMS device of claim 24 wherein the MEMS substrate comprises a Silicon-On-Insulator (SOI) MEMS substrate.

26 . The MEMS device of claim 24 wherein the MEMS substrate comprises a silicon layer and at least one spacer between the silicon layer and the diamond layer.

Assignments (2)

Continuity (1)

References Cited (18)