- Nitride Global is developing a centimeter-scale quantum sensor to address navigation when GPS signals are unavailable.
- The project will assess the feasibility of a microwave atom-chip quantum sensor and is backed by a US Air Force contract.
- The A-MAC architecture aims to integrate the microwave chain onto a single circuit board, advancing miniaturization.
- The technology could be applied across multiple fields, including hypersonic aircraft, drones and autonomous vehicles.
Nitride Global, a US company focused on developing advanced thermal management, dielectric and semiconductor materials, will research a centimeter-scale quantum sensor designed to support navigation when GPS signals are unavailable. The company announced on September 14 that it has received a Phase I Small Business Innovation Research contract from AFWERX, an arm of the US Department of the Air Force. The project will assess the feasibility of a microwave atom-chip quantum sensor for precision navigation and long-range gravimetry. The device, called the Atom-interferometric Microwave Atom Chip (A-MAC), will be evaluated using Nitride Global's aluminum-oxynitride platform.
Navigation without satellite signals
Tackling the GPS-denied challenge
The project addresses challenges faced by Air Force and Space Force personnel in environments where GPS signals may be jammed, spoofed or completely unavailable. Conventional inertial navigation systems accumulate drift over time, and the lack of periodic satellite updates leads to growing position uncertainty, limiting how long and how far platforms can operate independently. Atom interferometers offer a potential alternative because they measure acceleration and rotation based on the wavelength of matter waves. Nitride Global said these systems are among the most stable inertial sensors demonstrated to date.
However, most leading systems still require more than a meter of laboratory bench space. According to the company, the main obstacle to miniaturization lies in packaging materials rather than the underlying physics.
Integrating microwave hardware onto a single circuit board
Integrating microwave hardware
Nitride Global's A-MAC architecture is designed to consolidate a dispersed microwave chain onto a single integrated circuit board. Its thin, conformal AlON dielectric material will allow microwave routing, coupling structures and trap geometries to sit within the same stack. Heat will be conducted outward through metal rather than through large ceramic substrates. The goal is a centimeter-scale architecture suited to platforms with stringent size, weight and power requirements. Nitride Global will partner with Dr. Seth Aubin, associate professor of physics at the College of William & Mary.
Aubin's atomic physics group will participate as a subcontractor and research partner, bringing more than a decade of experience in microwave atom-chip trapping and related trapping physics.
From the lab to contested environments
Potential applications and commercial value
The technology could ultimately support satellite-independent positioning, navigation and timing, with applications spanning hypersonic aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles, orbital systems, underwater platforms, autonomous ground vehicles and drone interceptors. Commercial uses could include resource exploration, infrastructure monitoring and subsurface mapping. "Quantum inertial sensing is constrained by the same thing that power electronics were a decade ago: the limits are packaging, not physics. If microwave routing and thermal management can happen in the same material system, the instrument can shrink to something flyable," said Nitride Global CEO Mahyar Khosravi.
The company is currently seeking input from aerospace and defense integrators to define the sensor's form factor, environmental requirements and performance thresholds.
The future potential of quantum sensor technology
As global demand for high-precision navigation grows, Nitride Global's quantum sensor technology shows significant potential. The technology can not only provide reliable navigation solutions in environments where GPS signals are limited, but also be applied across a range of high-tech fields, such as drones and hypersonic aircraft. This miniaturized quantum sensor is expected to break through the limitations of traditional inertial navigation systems and drive innovation in aerospace and defense. Through collaboration with academia, the company can accelerate the commercialization of the technology and further strengthen its market competitiveness.