Start-up Quantum Technologies: Turck duotec relies on quantum sensors

The electronics service provider Turck duotec has acquired a stake in the Leipzig start-up Quantum Technologies. Together, the industrial market maturity of novel quantum sensors is to be advanced.

With the signing of the participation agreement between the E²MS service provider Turck duotec GmbH and Quantum Technologies® UG, non-high-precision possibilities for the detection of magnetic fields and currents as well as completely new electronic sensor solutions open up. As Turck duotec GmbH reports, the company has become a strategic investor in the start-up Quantum Technologies® UG from Leipzig. It was only at the end of 2020 that duotec strengthened its manufacturing services with the purchase of shares in the EMS service provider ml&s manufacturing logistics & services from Greifswald. Now, with the investment in Quantum Technologies, there is an expansion of competencies in the technology sector.

Sensor the size of a sugar cube with a cost-effective design

The contracts required for this were signed at the beginning of March 2021. The two companies are working together on the development and industrialization of a first quantum sensor for commercial use. “Our goal is to develop a sensor about the size of a sugar cube that can be used practically anywhere. The extremely cost-effective design of the sensor also helps here. The application possibilities this opens up are immense,” says Philipp Mirliauntas, CSO of duotec. "We are at the beginning of a new era in measurement technology."

Cooling system-free, working at room temperature, space-saving and cost-effective - these are the essential features of the quantum-based magnetometer developed jointly by duotec and Quantum Technologies. "The high detection sensitivity and the wide detection range of current, for example, predestine the quantum sensor for areas of application for which there is currently no adequate solution," explains Arthur Rönisch, CIO of duotec. "The sensor is suitable, for example, for use in battery management systems in e-mobility or for measuring current in high-voltage networks. Here, the developed system is characterized by the optical functional principle, which systemically ensures the galvanic isolation.” In addition, quantum sensors for electronic assemblies in medical technology are also extremely interesting.

Participation enables faster market entry

The division of labor between the two companies is clearly described: Quantum Technologies deals with sensitive material and magnetic field detection and the processing of diamonds for quantum-based sensors, so-called high-density NV centers and their use. duotec takes over the industrialization of the sensor for commercial use. Robert Staacke, Managing Director of Quantum Technologies, worked as a research assistant at the University of Leipzig on the subject of quantum sensors. He is happy about the cooperation, in which his company acts as a material and component supplier for the highly sensitive magnetic field sensor, while duotec contributes comprehensive development know-how. "As a start-up by employees of the University of Leipzig, we benefit from duotec's many years of experience. The cooperation makes it easier for us to enter the industrial market, to which we can offer a scientifically based and revolutionary new measurement method.”

The sensor does not require cooling, the quantum effects can be evaluated under room temperature conditions. Nevertheless, the sensitive diamond layers can be used at the highest and lowest temperatures and under the most adverse chemical environmental conditions. Another positive feature: The sensor already has a miniaturized structure – comparable in size to a matchbox – and can therefore be produced inexpensively. This installation space contains all of the electronics for operating the sensor. This sensor does not require any additional modules, as are required for other solutions in this area. This technical solution is protected by a large number of intellectual property rights.

Source: Press article medtech zwo from March 23.03.2021rd, XNUMX