QuantumDiamonds

It was a joy to welcome the bright, entrepreneurial minds from START Munich! Sharing our technology and journey with such an engaged group was truly a pleasure.💎

“While DC imaging is well understood, AC sensing requires more complex protocols. However, AC sensing allows for the detection of weak, oscillating magnetic fields down to the nanotesla scale with enhanced frequency selectivity. This facilitates highly sensitive examinations of near-surface defects in flip-chip integrated circuits and multi-layer printed circuit boards at the nanoscale." We’re thrilled to welcome Ruben Wernsdorfer to our hardware team as he works on his master’s thesis with us - actively working hands-on from day 1! Currently completing his M.Sc. in Quantum Science & Technology at Technical University of Munich and Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Ruben brings a strong foundation in engineering and quantum sensing from his B.Sc. in Engineering Science at TUM as well as internships at KIT and qutools. Outside of work, Ruben stays active and energized through sports, including tennis, volleyball, ice hockey, and karate 🥷 Ready to take your master’s thesis to the next level? Apply via the link in the comments to work in the intersection of quantum and semiconductors in a dynamic, real-world environment 💎

Were you right in last week's poll? 🤓 Last week, we asked you how many individual sensors we have in our 1x1x0.5mm diamond lenses. Of those who guessed in our recent post, 23% correctly got it right – congratulations! We have over 70bn individual sensors in our synthetic diamond! But how do we fit 70 billion sensors in such a tiny space? Nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers are remarkably tiny—each one is formed by just two atoms: a nitrogen atom and an adjacent vacancy, or "missing" carbon atom, in the diamond crystal lattice. This tiny structure makes NV centers ideal for nanoscale sensing because they occupy such a minuscule space within the diamond, allowing us to place billions of these sensors within even the smallest areas. Why does this matter? Each NV center in our diamond lens acts as an atomic-scale magnetometer, detecting tiny variations in magnetic and electric fields. Think of them as a billions of compass needles that change based on their surrounding magnetic field. When illuminated with green light, these NV centers emit red fluorescence that changes based on local field strengths, allowing us to map these fields with nanoscale precision. This remarkable stability and density—over 70 billion sensors in a space smaller than a poppy seed—makes our diamond lens a powerful tool for high-resolution imaging of current paths and defects in semiconductor analysis! 💎✨

Eggs, Atoms, and AI: Women in the Future of Tech 🚀 We are excited to team up with Omegga and SUMM AI, two fellow deep tech startups in the Munich ecosystem, for an inspiring evening that puts women at the forefront of deep tech innovation! Women only occupy 22% of all European tech jobs - we need to improve on this! Visit our offices at WERK1 – the most startup-friendly place in Munich to hear the stories of the three exceptional women Katharina Maria Hesseler, Flora Geske and Marwa Garsi who have made a significant impact in the world of deep tech 💪 Register via the link in the comment! 💎

“If they become half as successful as ASML, a new tech company with several billion turnover could emerge” 👩💻 When we opened the German Handelsblatt this morning, we were extremely excited to see our feature in the top news section, showcasing our work in commercial quantum sensing. It is a great read for non-quantum-physicists to understand our sensors' relevance in next-gen chip manufacturing. After an onsite visit by Handelsblatt's chip expert in September, they dubbed us the "ASML for chip testing." While it's a very bold comparison, it serves as a powerful motivator for our team 💪

Quantum Sensing Geeks: Assemble 💎 As you know, our sensors are quite small in size, but we did the job and counted them all. What do you think?

Excited to welcome four new gems in our team 💎 Yi Lin Lee Lin joins us as a Software Engineering Intern from Singapore, where she’s in her third year of Computer Science at the National University of Singapore. We're grateful to the National University of Singapore Enterprise program and our partnership with Peng Kee Gay for making this opportunity possible. Louis von Nordeck joins us as the Founder’s Associate Intern. He holds a BBA from Esade in Spain, with experience in both startups and VC firms. Max Gert Richter will be our Business Development Intern for the next six months. He is currently pursuing a Master’s in Quantum Science and Technology at Technical University of Munich and LMU. Lukas Schiml is joining as a Hardware Engineering Working Student. He’s a second-year Electrical Engineering student at Technical University of Munich and eager to gain hands-on experience in our lab. Welcome aboard, everyone! If you're interested in joining our team, check out our career page on LinkedIn or our website for opportunities that might be a fit 💎 #QuantumDiamonds #TeamGrowth #Innovation #Welcome

Let us share a little bit more about the world’s first commercial quantum sensing tool for the semiconductor industry. What is QD m.0? 💎 It is an innovative electrical failure analysis (EFA) tool designed to address the biggest challenges in testing advanced chips of our era. Why is QD m.0 needed? 💎 The new generation of microelectronics relies on heterogeneous integration and advanced packaging to sustain the demands of AI, high-performance computing, and IoT. They involve stacking different chips on top of and beside each other within the same package. Before this transition, chips were tested throughout manufacturing and after packaging. However, advanced chip designs introduce "blind spots" that prevent thorough testing until packaging, hindering effective yield management. What makes chips assessments even more challenging is that conventional testing methods often lack the precision needed for complex 2.5D and 3D chips. With such designs, faults can occur in layers that light cannot penetrate without complex and destructive processing. This process, which involves removing each layer sequentially, is time-consuming, requires specific expertise, and risks destroying critical evidence. Due to the 3D nature of these faults, testing should deliver both lateral and depth information. An ideal EFA tool would analyze chip stacks and provide precise 3D fault coordinates. QD m.0 offers such capabilities, either for testing over the package (completely non-destructive) or testing after de-capsulation (minimally invasive). How does it work? 💎 QD m.0 leverages diamond-based quantum sensing to perform highly precise magnetic field measurements on integrated circuits. It then uses this data to create an image of the electrical activity within the chip. Since magnetic fields penetrate CMOS materials unimpeded, the QD m.0 can access different layers activity. At the core of the technology lies quantum-grade synthetic diamonds with atomic defects within the lattice that enable quantum sensing at room temperature. What can it do for me as an EFA engineer? 💎 QD m.0 is designed with the needs of the failure analysis engineer in mind. It comes with an xyz stage, as well as a working space for micro and nano-probers to bias your samples. The system operates at room conditions, has robust instrumentation and does not require complicated vacuum or cryogenics. It also comes with an easy-to-use interface and intuitive analysis tools. Our system can be utilized both for coarse fault localization (over-the-package or de-capsulated), as well as, fine fault localization (de-layered) in 3D. Faults, such as shorts, will be displayed as “magnetic hotspots” or “anomalies” within the region, with xy and z information. Hence, QD m.0 greatly accelerates the testing process of advanced chips by precise localization before root-cause analysis (FIB, SEM, etc.). Interested in learning more? 💎 Contact us!

Let us share a little bit more about the world’s first commercial quantum sensing tool for the semiconductor industry. What is QD m.0? 💎 It is an innovative electrical failure analysis (EFA) tool designed to address the biggest challenges in testing advanced chips of our era. Why is QD m.0 needed? 💎 The new generation of microelectronics relies on heterogeneous integration and advanced packaging to sustain the demands of AI, high-performance computing, and IoT. They involve stacking different chips on top of and beside each other within the same package. Before this transition, chips were tested throughout manufacturing and after packaging. However, advanced chip designs introduce "blind spots" that prevent thorough testing until packaging, hindering effective yield management. What makes chips assessments even more challenging is that conventional testing methods often lack the precision needed for complex 2.5D and 3D chips. With such designs, faults can occur in layers that light cannot penetrate without complex and destructive processing. This process, which involves removing each layer sequentially, is time-consuming, requires specific expertise, and risks destroying critical evidence. Due to the 3D nature of these faults, testing should deliver both lateral and depth information. An ideal EFA tool would analyze chip stacks and provide precise 3D fault coordinates. QD m.0 offers such capabilities, either for testing over the package (completely non-destructive) or testing after de-capsulation (minimally invasive). How does it work? 💎 QD m.0 leverages diamond-based quantum sensing to perform highly precise magnetic field measurements on integrated circuits. It then uses this data to create an image of the electrical activity within the chip. Since magnetic fields penetrate CMOS materials unimpeded, the QD m.0 can access different layers activity. At the core of the technology lies quantum-grade synthetic diamonds with atomic defects within the lattice that enable quantum sensing at room temperature. What can it do for me as an EFA engineer? 💎 QD m.0 is designed with the needs of the failure analysis engineer in mind. It comes with an xyz stage, as well as a working space for micro and nano-probers to bias your samples. The system operates at room conditions, has robust instrumentation and does not require complicated vacuum or cryogenics. It also comes with an easy-to-use interface and intuitive analysis tools. Our system can be utilized both for coarse fault localization (over-the-package or de-capsulated), as well as, fine fault localization (de-layered) in 3D. Faults, such as shorts, will be displayed as “magnetic hotspots” or “anomalies” within the region, with xy and z information. Hence, QD m.0 greatly accelerates the testing process of advanced chips by precise localization before root-cause analysis (FIB, SEM, etc.). Interested in learning more? 💎 Contact us!

QuantumDiamonds Launches the World’s First Commercial Quantum Device for Semiconductor Failure Analysis 💎 We are proud to announce the launch of QD m.0—the world’s first commercial quantum sensing device designed for semiconductor failure analysis! This advanced system utilizes diamond-based quantum microscopy to deliver unprecedented precision in detecting and localizing faults in integrated circuits, meeting the increasing testing demands of 2.5D/3D chip stacks, advanced packaging, and heterogeneous integration in modern semiconductor fabrication. The launch event, held last Thursday, kicked off with an inspiring speech by Bavaria’s Minister of Digital Affairs, Dr. Fabian Mehring, followed by an engaging presentation from our CEO, Kevin Berghoff, and CTO, Fleming Bruckmaier, who shared QuantumDiamonds' journey over the past two years, unveiled the device, and talked about future plans. The event continued with a lively panel discussion moderated by Bartu Bisgin, our founders' associate: our panelists—Philipp Gerbert (CEO, TUM Venture Labs), Benedikt Kläs (Investment Manager, Zeiss), Axel Fischer (Former VP and GM, Samsung Semi Europe), and Inga vom Holtz (Investment Director, UnternehmerTUM)—shared their insights on Europe's strategic role in semiconductor manufacturing. We are deeply grateful to everyone who helped make this milestone a success, including our investors, partners, esteemed guests, and the incredible QuantumDiamonds team—a special thanks to Mey Maschinenbau, our strategic manufacturing partner. This launch marks a new chapter for QuantumDiamonds, and we can’t wait to see what the future holds! 💎 Want to learn more about the QD m.0? Connect with our CTO, Fleming Bruckmaier, at Semicon Europa (November 12-15) in Munich, Germany. — Jordan Billiald, Moritz von Klot, Mauricio Fleischer Acuña, Paolo Oppelt, Andrea Lenz, Christopher Trummer, David Meiborg, Michael Hinderer, Dr. Maximilian Ochs, Alois Eder, Jens Haertel, Soeren Jehmlich, Dieter Leikermoser Earlybird Venture Capital, IQ Capital, Onsight Ventures, First Momentum Ventures, Creator Fund, Munich Quantum Valley, UnternehmerTUM, SPRIND - Bundesagentur für Sprunginnovationen, Intel Ignite Venue credit: WERK1 – the most startup-friendly place in Munich Picture credits: Frame by Frame, © Munich Quantum Valley | Sascha Mehlhase