Handheld Device for Noncontact Thermometry via Optically Detected Magnetic Resonance of Proximate Diamond Sensors

Optically detected magnetic resonance (ODMR) spectroscopy of defect-rich semiconductors is being increasingly exploited for realizing a variety of practical quantum sensing devices. A prime example is the on-going development of compact magnetometers based on the nitrogen-vacancy (N-V) defect in diamond for the remote sensing of magnetic signals with high accuracy and sensitivity. In these applications, the ODMR-active material is integrated into the overall apparatus to form a self-contained sensor. However, some emerging applications require the sensing material to be in physical contact with an external object of interest, thus requiring an independent readout device. Here we present an ODMR meter, a compact device specially designed to allow convenient, contactless monitoring of ODMR in a target object, and demonstrate its application to temperature monitoring with N-V defects. Our prototype is composed of a handheld readout head (integrating all the necessary optical components and a microwave antenna) and a control box connected to a laptop computer, all made primarily from commercial off-the-shelf components. We test our device using a N-V-rich bulk diamond as the object, demonstrate a temperature sensitivity of 10mK/Hz in static conditions, and demonstrate the feasibility of handheld operation. The limitations to measurement speed, sensitivity, and accuracy are discussed. The presented device may find immediate use in medical and industrial applications where accurate thermometry is required, and can be extended to magnetic field measurements.