Single Photon Emitters in Ultra-Thin Hexagonal Boron Nitride Layers
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Preprint |
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2025
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| _version_ | 1866912462561869824 |
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| author | Liu, Le Khanonkin, Igor Eberle, Johannes Rizek, Bernhard Fält, Stefan Watanabe, Kenji Taniguchi, Takashi Imamoğlu, Ataç Kroner, Martin |
| author_facet | Liu, Le Khanonkin, Igor Eberle, Johannes Rizek, Bernhard Fält, Stefan Watanabe, Kenji Taniguchi, Takashi Imamoğlu, Ataç Kroner, Martin |
| contents | Single-photon emitters (SPE) in hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) are promising for applications ranging from single-photon sources to quantum sensors. Previous studies exclusively focused on the generation and characterization of SPEs in relatively thick h-BN layers ($\geq$ 30 nm). However, for electrical and magnetic sensing applications, the thickness of the h-BN limits the attainable spatial resolution. Here, we report the observation of blue-wavelength emitters (B-centers) activated by electron beam irradiation in ultra-thin ($\simeq$ 3 nm) h-BN. These SPEs in ultra-thin flakes exhibit reduced brightness, broader zero-phonon line, and enhanced photobleaching. Remarkably, upon encapsulation in thicker h-BN, we restore their brightness, narrow linewidth 230$μ$eV at 5K, resolution limited), suppress photobleaching, and confirm single-photon emission with $ g^{(2)}(0) < 0.4$ at room temperature. The possibility of generating SPEs in a few-layer h-BN and their subsequent incorporation into a van der Waals heterostructure paves the way for achieving quantum sensing with unprecedented nanometer-scale spatial resolution. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2507_02633 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Single Photon Emitters in Ultra-Thin Hexagonal Boron Nitride Layers Liu, Le Khanonkin, Igor Eberle, Johannes Rizek, Bernhard Fält, Stefan Watanabe, Kenji Taniguchi, Takashi Imamoğlu, Ataç Kroner, Martin Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics Applied Physics Single-photon emitters (SPE) in hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) are promising for applications ranging from single-photon sources to quantum sensors. Previous studies exclusively focused on the generation and characterization of SPEs in relatively thick h-BN layers ($\geq$ 30 nm). However, for electrical and magnetic sensing applications, the thickness of the h-BN limits the attainable spatial resolution. Here, we report the observation of blue-wavelength emitters (B-centers) activated by electron beam irradiation in ultra-thin ($\simeq$ 3 nm) h-BN. These SPEs in ultra-thin flakes exhibit reduced brightness, broader zero-phonon line, and enhanced photobleaching. Remarkably, upon encapsulation in thicker h-BN, we restore their brightness, narrow linewidth 230$μ$eV at 5K, resolution limited), suppress photobleaching, and confirm single-photon emission with $ g^{(2)}(0) < 0.4$ at room temperature. The possibility of generating SPEs in a few-layer h-BN and their subsequent incorporation into a van der Waals heterostructure paves the way for achieving quantum sensing with unprecedented nanometer-scale spatial resolution. |
| title | Single Photon Emitters in Ultra-Thin Hexagonal Boron Nitride Layers |
| topic | Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics Applied Physics |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2507.02633 |