Nanoscale Sensors for a Quantum World

Probing the interactions between quantum phenomena requires an extraordinary sensor. My research focuses on magnetic vortices in superconductors – miniscule quantum objects each possessing only the fundamental limit of magnetic flux. I am designing and building sensors appropriate for the near-unimaginably precise measurements I aim to perform.

The composite false-colour electron micrograph presented here, made up from 20 source images captured between two and twelve thousand times magnification, showcases the product of nearly three years of work towards this goal. Each smaller than a human skin cell in total size, the smallest elements of these devices are less than one-quarter the wavelength of visible light. When cooled to half a degree above absolute zero, the sensors will detect variations in torque of 30 yocto-Nm; equivalent to a single viral particle alighting on the end of a lever arm shorter than three one-millionths of a metre.

The entire sensor package is shown on the left, with higher-magnification insets of critical elements on the right. Each part of making these devices, from fabrication to microscopy, is performed by me in the University of Alberta’s nanoFAB.