A research team involving POSTECH Electrical Engineering Professors Dong-Yeop Na (principal investigator), Suyong Chae, and Moonjoo Lee, together with ATS Co., Ltd., NodeTalks Co., Ltd., and pre-startup venture QuantumPro, has been selected for “Development of an Ion-Trap-Based Quantum Electric Field Sensor in the 10 kHz–10 MHz Band,” a project under the Institute of Information & Communications Technology Planning & Evaluation’s quantum sensor commercialization technology development program.

The project aims to develop and achieve the world’s first commercialization of a portable, modular quantum sensor using ion-trap technology. It will precisely measure multitone electric field distributions in three-dimensional space in real time, with greater sensitivity than conventional dipole-based sensors, reaching at least 0.5 mV/m.

Key research areas include electric field sensing based on ion trapping and Doppler laser cooling, integration of FPGA-based control systems, performance validation using low-frequency electromagnetic field simulations, sensor networking, and improvements to vibration-related facilities. Applications are anticipated in early fault detection for power semiconductors, batteries, inverters, electric vehicle charging, wireless power transfer, and PCB circuits.

The research period is up to four years, structured as two plus two years, with a total budget of KRW 4.31 billion (KRW 2.01 billion plus KRW 2.3 billion).

The project is one of 15 strategic initiatives promoted by the Ministry of Science and ICT to strengthen Korea’s competitiveness in quantum science and technology. It aims to build a quantum technology ecosystem that expands international cooperation and secures world-class technologies.

December 2025