Fiber-integrated NV magnetometer with a microcontroller-based software lock-in technique

Fiber-integrated nitrogen-vacancy (NV) magnetometers possess high sensitivity, integration, and flexibility, and thus have been explored extensively for industrial applications. While most studies have focused on the optimization of the quantum sensing head, less attention has been paid to the frequently employed professional, expensive, and bulky electronics, which hinder their practical applications. In this article, we fabricate a fiber-integrated NV magnetometer and develop a low-cost microcontroller-based software lock-in technique. In this technique, a microcontroller coordinates efficiently a microwave source chip and an analog-to-digital converter, and a program mimicking the lock-in mechanism realizes microwave frequency-modulated optically detected magnetic resonance of NV centers. As a result, with our setup and technique, we have realized the detection of weak magnetic field with a sensitivity of 93 nT/Hz^{1/2}, which is comparable to what obtained with bulky and professional devices. Furthermore, we demonstrated real-time magnetic field detection, achieving a standard deviation of 488 nT. Our work provides a novel and cost-effective technique for electronic miniaturization, thereby potentially accelerating the industrial application of NV magnetometers.