Imaging Heat Transport in Suspended Diamond Nanostructures with Integrated Spin Defect Thermometers
We report a method to spatially resolve heat transport in suspended diamond nanostructures by integrating nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center spin defects as local thermometric probes. In our paper, “Imaging Heat Transport in Suspended Diamond Nanostructures with Integrated Spin Defect Thermometers,” we combine nanoscale device engineering and nanoofabrication with quantum sensing to obtain highly detailed maps of temperature under controlled thermal gradients.
Our approach exploits the temperature dependence of the NV center’s spin resonance to perform local thermometry with sub-micron spatial resolution. By leveraging these spin defects directly within suspended diamond nano-structures, we probe intrinsic thermal transport without substrate-induced losses, enabling access to regimes where phonon-boundary scattering and non-diffusive effects become significant.
Using this platform, we measure steady-state temperature profiles and extract thermal transport characteristics in geometries where conventional optical or electrical thermometry lacks spatial resolution. The combination of suspended architectures and in situ quantum sensors allows us to directly compare experimental temperature fields with models of phonon-mediated heat conduction at the nanoscale.
Beyond fundamental studies of phonon transport, this technique establishes a route toward integrated thermal metrology in nanoscale and quantum devices, where local temperature control and dissipation critically impact performance.
The full paper is available at: https://journals.aps.org/prl/abstract/10.1103/3s96-7ghm