Rapid and high-sensitive NV-based microwave field imaging via digital lock-in amplification for on-chip microstrip diagnostics
Abstract
High-resolution, high-sensitivity microwave (MW) magnetic field imaging is indispensable for non-destructive integrated circuit (IC) testing, radio-frequency device characterization, and spintronic research. Yet, the practical utility of these techniques is severely constrained by the pervasive challenge of isolating weak magnetic signatures from intense optical and electronic noise, which fundamentally limits both acquisition speed and detection sensitivity. Here, we overcome this barrier by introducing a wide-field imaging scheme based on an ensemble of diamond nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers, synergistically combined with digital lock-in amplification (DLA). By exploiting digital demodulation, the DLA precisely extracts the MW-field response at a specific modulation frequency from background noise (e.g., laser intensity fluctuations), dramatically improving the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Consequently, our system attains a magnetic field sensitivity of 126 nT/√(Hz). Critically, the unprecedented SNR permits a pixel dwell time of under one millisecond, allowing full-field images to be acquired within seconds-more than an order of magnitude faster than state-of-the-art NV-based wide-field techniques. This combination of speed, sensitivity, and micron-scale spatial resolution (1.6 μm) paves the way for quasi-real-time, non-invasive diagnostics of dynamic MW devices and integrated circuits.
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BibTeX
@misc{fu2026rapid,
title = {{Rapid and high-sensitive NV-based microwave field imaging via digital lock-in amplification for on-chip microstrip diagnostics}},
author = {Zijin Fu and Yanjie Liu and Hongliang Wu and Yuchen Han and Zhengtao Wang and Haolin Li and Dezhi Zheng and Bo Zhang and Jun Zhang},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2609.05886},
eprint = {2609.05886},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.05886},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Rapid and high-sensitive NV-based microwave field imaging via digital lock-in amplification for on-chip microstrip diagnostics
AU - Zijin Fu
AU - Yanjie Liu
AU - Hongliang Wu
AU - Yuchen Han
AU - Zhengtao Wang
AU - Haolin Li
AU - Dezhi Zheng
AU - Bo Zhang
AU - Jun Zhang
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/05
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2609.05886
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.05886
AB - High-resolution, high-sensitivity microwave (MW) magnetic field imaging is indispensable for non-destructive integrated circuit (IC) testing, radio-frequency device characterization, and spintronic research. Yet, the practical utility of these techniques is severely constrained by the pervasive challenge of isolating weak magnetic signatures from intense optical and electronic noise, which fundamentally limits both acquisition speed and detection sensitivity. Here, we overcome this barrier by introducing a wide-field imaging scheme based on an ensemble of diamond nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers, synergistically combined with digital lock-in amplification (DLA). By exploiting digital demodulation, the DLA precisely extracts the MW-field response at a specific modulation frequency from background noise (e.g., laser intensity fluctuations), dramatically improving the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Consequently, our system attains a magnetic field sensitivity of 126 nT/√(Hz). Critically, the unprecedented SNR permits a pixel dwell time of under one millisecond, allowing full-field images to be acquired within seconds-more than an order of magnitude faster than state-of-the-art NV-based wide-field techniques. This combination of speed, sensitivity, and micron-scale spatial resolution (1.6 μm) paves the way for quasi-real-time, non-invasive diagnostics of dynamic MW devices and integrated circuits.
ER -