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Zeng L, Zhang S, Meng J, Chen J, Jiang J, Shi Y, Huang J, Yin Z, Wu J, Zhang X. Single-Photon Emission from Point Defects in Hexagonal Boron Nitride Induced by Plasma Treatment. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces 2024. [PMID: 38687622 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.4c02601] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/02/2024]
Abstract
Solid-state quantum emitters are gaining significant attention for many quantum information applications. Hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) is an emerging host material for generating bright, stable, and tunable single-photon emission with narrow line widths at room temperature. In this work, we present a facile and efficient approach to generate high-density single-photon emitters (SPEs) in mechanically exfoliated h-BN through H- or Ar-plasma treatment followed by high-temperature annealing in air. It is notable that the postannealing is essential to suppress the fluorescence background in photoluminescence spectra and enhance emitter stability. These quantum emitters exhibit excellent optical properties, including high purity, brightness, stability, polarization degree, monochromaticity, and saturation intensity. The effects of process parameters on the quality of quantum emitters were systematic investigated. We find that there exists an optimal plasma power and h-BN thickness to achieve a high SPE density. This work offers a practical avenue for generating SPEs in h-BN and holds promise for future research and applications in quantum photonics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Libin Zeng
- Key Lab of Semiconductor Materials Science, Institute of Semiconductors, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100083, P. R. China
- Center of Materials Science and Optoelectronics Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, P.R. China
| | - Siyu Zhang
- Key Lab of Semiconductor Materials Science, Institute of Semiconductors, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100083, P. R. China
- Center of Materials Science and Optoelectronics Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, P.R. China
| | - Junhua Meng
- School of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, P. R. China
| | - Jingren Chen
- Key Lab of Semiconductor Materials Science, Institute of Semiconductors, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100083, P. R. China
- Center of Materials Science and Optoelectronics Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, P.R. China
| | - Ji Jiang
- Key Lab of Semiconductor Materials Science, Institute of Semiconductors, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100083, P. R. China
- Center of Materials Science and Optoelectronics Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, P.R. China
| | - Yiming Shi
- Key Lab of Semiconductor Materials Science, Institute of Semiconductors, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100083, P. R. China
- School of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, P. R. China
| | - Jidong Huang
- Key Lab of Semiconductor Materials Science, Institute of Semiconductors, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100083, P. R. China
- Center of Materials Science and Optoelectronics Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, P.R. China
| | - Zhigang Yin
- Key Lab of Semiconductor Materials Science, Institute of Semiconductors, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100083, P. R. China
- Center of Materials Science and Optoelectronics Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, P.R. China
| | - Jinliang Wu
- Key Lab of Semiconductor Materials Science, Institute of Semiconductors, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100083, P. R. China
| | - Xingwang Zhang
- Key Lab of Semiconductor Materials Science, Institute of Semiconductors, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100083, P. R. China
- Center of Materials Science and Optoelectronics Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, P.R. China
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2
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Liu Y, Zhou S, Liu Z. Synthesis, structure, photophysical property, stability of tetraphenylethylene-based boranil, and applications in cell imaging. Spectrochim Acta A Mol Biomol Spectrosc 2024; 308:123730. [PMID: 38061107 DOI: 10.1016/j.saa.2023.123730] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2023] [Revised: 11/30/2023] [Accepted: 12/01/2023] [Indexed: 01/13/2024]
Abstract
A new family of tetraphenylethylene-based N,O-chelated boranil complexes (TPE-BAs) with aggregation-induced emission (AIE) characteristics were developed. X-ray crystallographic analysis indicated that the terminal substituents on the aniline moiety significantly affected the intermolecular stacking mode, thereby influencing the photophysical properties. The stabilities of these compounds are closely related to the substituents on the aniline moiety. Electron-donor-substituted TPE-BA-OMe exhibited the best stability, whereas the electron-acceptor-substituted compounds exhibited poor stability. Benefitting from its AIE properties and suitable lipophilicity, TPE-BA-OMe served as an excellent fluorescent probe for the specific bioimaging of lipid droplets in living cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Crystal Materials, Shandong University, Jinan 250100, China; Shenzhen Research Institute of Shandong University, Shenzhen 518057, China
| | - Shimin Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Crystal Materials, Shandong University, Jinan 250100, China; Shenzhen Research Institute of Shandong University, Shenzhen 518057, China
| | - Zhiqiang Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Crystal Materials, Shandong University, Jinan 250100, China; Shenzhen Research Institute of Shandong University, Shenzhen 518057, China.
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3
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Yang Y, Xu K, Holtzman LN, Yang K, Watanabe K, Taniguchi T, Hone J, Barmak K, Rosenberger MR. Atomic Defect Quantification by Lateral Force Microscopy. ACS Nano 2024; 18:6887-6895. [PMID: 38386278 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.3c07405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/23/2024]
Abstract
Atomic defects in two-dimensional (2D) materials impact electronic and optoelectronic properties, such as doping and single photon emission. An understanding of defect-property relationships is essential for optimizing material performance. However, progress in understanding these critical relationships is hindered by a lack of straightforward approaches for accurate, precise, and reliable defect quantification on the nanoscale, especially for insulating materials. Here, we demonstrate that lateral force microscopy (LFM), a mechanical technique, can observe atomic defects in semiconducting and insulating 2D materials under ambient conditions. We first improve the sensitivity of LFM through consideration of cantilever mechanics. With the improved sensitivity, we use LFM to locate atomic-scale point defects on the surface of bulk MoSe2. By directly comparing LFM and conductive atomic force microscopy (CAFM) measurements on bulk MoSe2, we demonstrate that point defects observed with LFM are atomic defects in the crystal. As a mechanical technique, LFM does not require a conductive pathway, which allows defect characterization on insulating materials, such as hexagonal boron nitride (hBN). We demonstrate the ability to observe intrinsic defects in hBN and defects introduced by annealing. Our demonstration of LFM as a mechanical defect characterization technique applicable to both conductive and insulating 2D materials will enable routine defect-property determination and accelerate materials research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yucheng Yang
- Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556, United States
| | - Kaikui Xu
- Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556, United States
| | - Luke N Holtzman
- Department of Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027, United States
| | - Kristyna Yang
- Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556, United States
| | - Kenji Watanabe
- Research Center for Electronic and Optical Materials, National Institute for Materials Science, 1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba 305-0044, Japan
| | - Takashi Taniguchi
- Research Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics, National Institute for Materials Science, 1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba 305-0044, Japan
| | - James Hone
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027, United States
| | - Katayun Barmak
- Department of Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027, United States
| | - Matthew R Rosenberger
- Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556, United States
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4
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Kavčič A, Podlipec R, Krišelj A, Jelen A, Vella D, Humar M. Intracellular biocompatible hexagonal boron nitride quantum emitters as single-photon sources and barcodes. Nanoscale 2024; 16:4691-4702. [PMID: 38319598 PMCID: PMC10903403 DOI: 10.1039/d3nr05305a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2024]
Abstract
Color centers in hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) have been emerging as a multifunctional platform for various optical applications including quantum information processing, quantum computing and imaging. Simultaneously, due to its biocompatibility and biodegradability hBN is a promising material for biomedical applications. In this work, we demonstrate single-photon emission from hBN color centers embedded inside live cells and their application to cellular barcoding. The generation and internalization of multiple color centers into cells was performed via simple and scalable procedure while keeping the cells unharmed. The emission from live cells was observed as multiple diffraction-limited spots, which exhibited excellent single-photon characteristics with high single-photon purity of 0.1 and superb emission stability without photobleaching or spectral shifts over several hours. Due to different emission wavelengths and peak widths of the color centers, they were employed as barcodes. We term them Quantum Photonic Barcodes (QPBs). Each QPB can exist in one out of 470 possible distinguishable states and a combination of a few QPBs per cell can be used to uniquely tag virtually an unlimited number of cells. The barcodes developed here offer some excellent properties, including ease of production by a single-step procedure, biocompatibility and biodegradability, emission stability, no photobleaching, small size and a huge number of unique barcodes. This work provides a basis for the use of hBN color centers for robust barcoding of cells and due to the single photon emission, presented concepts could in future be extended to quantum-limited sensing and super-resolution imaging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aljaž Kavčič
- Condensed Matter Department, J. Stefan Institute, Jamova 39, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
- Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, University of Ljubljana, Jadranska 19, SI-1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Rok Podlipec
- Condensed Matter Department, J. Stefan Institute, Jamova 39, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf e.V., Ion Beam Center, Bautzner Landstrasse 400, 01328 Dresden, Germany
| | - Ana Krišelj
- Condensed Matter Department, J. Stefan Institute, Jamova 39, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
| | - Andreja Jelen
- Condensed Matter Department, J. Stefan Institute, Jamova 39, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
| | - Daniele Vella
- Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Laboratory for Laser Techniques, University of Ljubljana, Aškerčeva 6, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Matjaž Humar
- Condensed Matter Department, J. Stefan Institute, Jamova 39, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
- Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, University of Ljubljana, Jadranska 19, SI-1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- CENN Nanocenter, Jamova 39, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
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Wu Y, Zhang Y, Wang X, Hu W, Zhao S, Officer T, Luo K, Tong K, Du C, Zhang L, Li B, Zhuge Z, Liang Z, Ma M, Nie A, Yu D, He J, Liu Z, Xu B, Wang Y, Zhao Z, Tian Y. Twisted-layer boron nitride ceramic with high deformability and strength. Nature 2024; 626:779-784. [PMID: 38383626 PMCID: PMC10881384 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07036-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2023] [Accepted: 01/05/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024]
Abstract
Moiré superlattices formed by twisted stacking in van der Waals materials have emerged as a new platform for exploring the physics of strongly correlated materials and other emergent phenomena1-5. However, there remains a lack of research on the mechanical properties of twisted-layer van der Waals materials, owing to a lack of suitable strategies for making three-dimensional bulk materials. Here we report the successful synthesis of a polycrystalline boron nitride bulk ceramic with high room-temperature deformability and strength. This ceramic, synthesized from an onion-like boron nitride nanoprecursor with conventional spark plasma sintering and hot-pressing sintering, consists of interlocked laminated nanoplates in which parallel laminae are stacked with varying twist angles. The compressive strain of this bulk ceramic can reach 14% before fracture, about one order of magnitude higher compared with traditional ceramics (less than 1% in general), whereas the compressive strength is about six times that of ordinary hexagonal boron nitride layered ceramics. The exceptional mechanical properties are due to a combination of the elevated intrinsic deformability of the twisted layering in the nanoplates and the three-dimensional interlocked architecture that restricts deformation from propagating across individual nanoplates. The advent of this twisted-layer boron nitride bulk ceramic opens a gate to the fabrication of highly deformable bulk ceramics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yingju Wu
- Center for High Pressure Science (CHiPS), State Key Laboratory of Metastable Materials Science and Technology, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao, China
- Center for Advanced Mechanics and Materials, Applied Mechanics Laboratory, Department of Engineering Mechanics, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Yang Zhang
- Center for High Pressure Science (CHiPS), State Key Laboratory of Metastable Materials Science and Technology, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao, China
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shaanxi University of Technology, Hanzhong, China
| | - Xiaoyu Wang
- Center for High Pressure Science (CHiPS), State Key Laboratory of Metastable Materials Science and Technology, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao, China
| | - Wentao Hu
- Center for High Pressure Science (CHiPS), State Key Laboratory of Metastable Materials Science and Technology, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao, China
| | - Song Zhao
- Center for High Pressure Science (CHiPS), State Key Laboratory of Metastable Materials Science and Technology, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao, China
| | - Timothy Officer
- Center for Advanced Radiation Sources, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Kun Luo
- Center for High Pressure Science (CHiPS), State Key Laboratory of Metastable Materials Science and Technology, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao, China
| | - Ke Tong
- Center for High Pressure Science (CHiPS), State Key Laboratory of Metastable Materials Science and Technology, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao, China
| | - Congcong Du
- Clean Nano Energy Center, State Key Laboratory of Metastable Materials Science and Technology, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao, China
| | - Liqiang Zhang
- Clean Nano Energy Center, State Key Laboratory of Metastable Materials Science and Technology, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao, China
| | - Baozhong Li
- Center for High Pressure Science (CHiPS), State Key Laboratory of Metastable Materials Science and Technology, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao, China
| | - Zewen Zhuge
- Center for High Pressure Science (CHiPS), State Key Laboratory of Metastable Materials Science and Technology, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao, China
| | - Zitai Liang
- Center for High Pressure Science (CHiPS), State Key Laboratory of Metastable Materials Science and Technology, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao, China
| | - Mengdong Ma
- Center for High Pressure Science (CHiPS), State Key Laboratory of Metastable Materials Science and Technology, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao, China
| | - Anmin Nie
- Center for High Pressure Science (CHiPS), State Key Laboratory of Metastable Materials Science and Technology, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao, China
| | - Dongli Yu
- Center for High Pressure Science (CHiPS), State Key Laboratory of Metastable Materials Science and Technology, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao, China
| | - Julong He
- Center for High Pressure Science (CHiPS), State Key Laboratory of Metastable Materials Science and Technology, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao, China
| | - Zhongyuan Liu
- Center for High Pressure Science (CHiPS), State Key Laboratory of Metastable Materials Science and Technology, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao, China
| | - Bo Xu
- Center for High Pressure Science (CHiPS), State Key Laboratory of Metastable Materials Science and Technology, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao, China
| | - Yanbin Wang
- Center for Advanced Radiation Sources, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Zhisheng Zhao
- Center for High Pressure Science (CHiPS), State Key Laboratory of Metastable Materials Science and Technology, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao, China.
| | - Yongjun Tian
- Center for High Pressure Science (CHiPS), State Key Laboratory of Metastable Materials Science and Technology, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao, China.
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Fischer M, Sajid A, Iles-Smith J, Hötger A, Miakota DI, Svendsen MK, Kastl C, Canulescu S, Xiao S, Wubs M, Thygesen KS, Holleitner AW, Stenger N. Combining experiments on luminescent centres in hexagonal boron nitride with the polaron model and ab initio methods towards the identification of their microscopic origin. Nanoscale 2023; 15:14215-14226. [PMID: 37594441 PMCID: PMC10472209 DOI: 10.1039/d3nr01511d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2023] [Accepted: 07/21/2023] [Indexed: 08/19/2023]
Abstract
The two-dimensional material hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) hosts luminescent centres with emission energies of ∼2 eV which exhibit pronounced phonon sidebands. We investigate the microscopic origin of these luminescent centres by combining ab initio calculations with non-perturbative open quantum system theory to study the emission and absorption properties of 26 defect transitions. Comparing the calculated line shapes with experiments we narrow down the microscopic origin to three carbon-based defects: C2CB, C2CN, and VNCB. The theoretical method developed enables us to calculate so-called photoluminescence excitation (PLE) maps, which show excellent agreement with our experiments. The latter resolves higher-order phonon transitions, thereby confirming both the vibronic structure of the optical transition and the phonon-assisted excitation mechanism with a phonon energy ∼170 meV. We believe that the presented experiments and polaron-based method accurately describe luminescent centres in hBN and will help to identify their microscopic origin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Moritz Fischer
- Department of Electrical and Photonics Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark.
- Centre for Nanostructured Graphene, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
- NanoPhoton - Center for Nanophotonics, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Ali Sajid
- Centre for Nanostructured Graphene, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
- Department of Physics, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kgs. Lynby, Denmark
- School of Physics and Astronomy, Monash University, Victoria 3800, Australia
| | - Jake Iles-Smith
- Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, The University of Manchester, Sackville Street Building, Manchester M1 3BB, UK
| | - Alexander Hötger
- Walter Schottky Institute and Physics Department, Technical University of Munich, 85748 Garching, Germany
| | - Denys I Miakota
- Department of Electrical and Photonics Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark.
| | - Mark K Svendsen
- Department of Physics, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kgs. Lynby, Denmark
| | - Christoph Kastl
- Walter Schottky Institute and Physics Department, Technical University of Munich, 85748 Garching, Germany
| | - Stela Canulescu
- Department of Electrical and Photonics Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark.
| | - Sanshui Xiao
- Department of Electrical and Photonics Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark.
- Centre for Nanostructured Graphene, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
- NanoPhoton - Center for Nanophotonics, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Martijn Wubs
- Department of Electrical and Photonics Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark.
- Centre for Nanostructured Graphene, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
- NanoPhoton - Center for Nanophotonics, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Kristian S Thygesen
- Centre for Nanostructured Graphene, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
- Department of Physics, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kgs. Lynby, Denmark
| | - Alexander W Holleitner
- Walter Schottky Institute and Physics Department, Technical University of Munich, 85748 Garching, Germany
| | - Nicolas Stenger
- Department of Electrical and Photonics Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark.
- Centre for Nanostructured Graphene, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
- NanoPhoton - Center for Nanophotonics, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
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7
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Kim SH, Park KH, Lee YG, Kang SJ, Park Y, Kim YD. Color Centers in Hexagonal Boron Nitride. Nanomaterials (Basel) 2023; 13:2344. [PMID: 37630929 PMCID: PMC10458833 DOI: 10.3390/nano13162344] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2023] [Revised: 08/10/2023] [Accepted: 08/13/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023]
Abstract
Atomically thin two-dimensional (2D) hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) has emerged as an essential material for the encapsulation layer in van der Waals heterostructures and efficient deep ultraviolet optoelectronics. This is primarily due to its remarkable physical properties and ultrawide bandgap (close to 6 eV, and even larger in some cases) properties. Color centers in hBN refer to intrinsic vacancies and extrinsic impurities within the 2D crystal lattice, which result in distinct optical properties in the ultraviolet (UV) to near-infrared (IR) range. Furthermore, each color center in hBN exhibits a unique emission spectrum and possesses various spin properties. These characteristics open up possibilities for the development of next-generation optoelectronics and quantum information applications, including room-temperature single-photon sources and quantum sensors. Here, we provide a comprehensive overview of the atomic configuration, optical and quantum properties, and different techniques employed for the formation of color centers in hBN. A deep understanding of color centers in hBN allows for advances in the development of next-generation UV optoelectronic applications, solid-state quantum technologies, and nanophotonics by harnessing the exceptional capabilities offered by hBN color centers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suk Hyun Kim
- Department of Physics, Kyung Hee University, Seoul 02447, Republic of Korea; (S.H.K.)
- Department of Information Display, Kyung Hee University, Seoul 02447, Republic of Korea
| | - Kyeong Ho Park
- Department of Physics, Kyung Hee University, Seoul 02447, Republic of Korea; (S.H.K.)
| | - Young Gie Lee
- Department of Physics, Kyung Hee University, Seoul 02447, Republic of Korea; (S.H.K.)
| | - Seong Jun Kang
- Department of Advanced Materials Engineering for Information and Electronics, Kyung Hee University, Yongin 17101, Republic of Korea;
| | - Yongsup Park
- Department of Physics, Kyung Hee University, Seoul 02447, Republic of Korea; (S.H.K.)
- Department of Information Display, Kyung Hee University, Seoul 02447, Republic of Korea
| | - Young Duck Kim
- Department of Physics, Kyung Hee University, Seoul 02447, Republic of Korea; (S.H.K.)
- Department of Information Display, Kyung Hee University, Seoul 02447, Republic of Korea
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8
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Neumann M, Wei X, Morales-Inostroza L, Song S, Lee SG, Watanabe K, Taniguchi T, Götzinger S, Lee YH. Organic Molecules as Origin of Visible-Range Single Photon Emission from Hexagonal Boron Nitride and Mica. ACS Nano 2023. [PMID: 37276077 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.3c02348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
The discovery of room-temperature single-photon emitters (SPEs) hosted by two-dimensional hexagonal boron nitride (2D hBN) has sparked intense research interest. Although emitters in the vicinity of 2 eV have been studied extensively, their microscopic identity has remained elusive. The discussion of this class of SPEs has centered on point defects in the hBN crystal lattice, but none of the candidate defect structures have been able to capture the great heterogeneity in emitter properties that is observed experimentally. Employing a widely used sample preparation protocol but disentangling several confounding factors, we demonstrate conclusively that heterogeneous single-photon emission at ∼2 eV associated with hBN originates from organic molecules, presumably aromatic fluorophores. The appearance of those SPEs depends critically on the presence of organic processing residues during sample preparation, and emitters formed during heat treatment are not located within the hBN crystal as previously thought, but at the hBN/substrate interface. We further demonstrate that the same class of SPEs can be observed in a different 2D insulator, fluorophlogopite mica.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Neumann
- Center for Integrated Nanostructure Physics, Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea
- Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea
| | - Xu Wei
- Center for Integrated Nanostructure Physics, Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea
- Department of Energy Science, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea
| | | | - Seunghyun Song
- Center for Integrated Nanostructure Physics, Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea
- Department of Electronics Engineering, Sookmyung Women's University, Seoul 04310, Republic of Korea
| | - Sung-Gyu Lee
- Center for Integrated Nanostructure Physics, Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea
- Department of Energy Science, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea
| | - Kenji Watanabe
- Research Center for Functional Materials, National Institute for Materials Science, 1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba 305-0044, Japan
| | - Takashi Taniguchi
- International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics, National Institute for Materials Science, 1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba 305-0044, Japan
| | - Stephan Götzinger
- Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light, D-91058 Erlangen, Germany
- Department of Physics, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), D-91058 Erlangen, Germany
- Graduate School in Advanced Optical Technologies (SAOT), Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), D-91052 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Young Hee Lee
- Center for Integrated Nanostructure Physics, Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea
- Department of Energy Science, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea
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9
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Gherabli R, Indukuri SRKC, Zektzer R, Frydendahl C, Levy U. MoSe 2/WS 2 heterojunction photodiode integrated with a silicon nitride waveguide for near infrared light detection with high responsivity. Light Sci Appl 2023; 12:60. [PMID: 36869032 PMCID: PMC9984525 DOI: 10.1038/s41377-023-01088-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2022] [Revised: 01/09/2023] [Accepted: 02/01/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
We demonstrate experimentally the realization and the characterization of a chip-scale integrated photodetector for the near-infrared spectral regime based on the integration of a MoSe2/WS2 heterojunction on top of a silicon nitride waveguide. This configuration achieves high responsivity of ~1 A W-1 at the wavelength of 780 nm (indicating an internal gain mechanism) while suppressing the dark current to the level of ~50 pA, much lower as compared to a reference sample of just MoSe2 without WS2. We have measured the power spectral density of the dark current to be as low as ~1 × 10-12 A Hz-0.5, from which we extract the noise equivalent power (NEP) to be ~1 × 10-12 W Hz-0.5. To demonstrate the usefulness of the device, we use it for the characterization of the transfer function of a microring resonator that is integrated on the same chip as the photodetector. The ability to integrate local photodetectors on a chip and to operate such devices with high performance at the near-infrared regime is expected to play a critical role in future integrated devices in the field of optical communications, quantum photonics, biochemical sensing, and more.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rivka Gherabli
- Department of Applied Physics, The Faculty of Science, The Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, 91904, Israel
| | - S R K C Indukuri
- Department of Applied Physics, The Faculty of Science, The Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, 91904, Israel
| | - Roy Zektzer
- Department of Applied Physics, The Faculty of Science, The Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, 91904, Israel
| | - Christian Frydendahl
- Department of Applied Physics, The Faculty of Science, The Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, 91904, Israel
| | - Uriel Levy
- Department of Applied Physics, The Faculty of Science, The Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, 91904, Israel.
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10
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Kozawa D, Li SX, Ichihara T, Rajan AG, Gong X, He G, Koman VB, Zeng Y, Kuehne M, Silmore KS, Parviz D, Liu P, Liu AT, Faucher S, Yuan Z, Warner J, Blankschtein D, Strano MS. Discretized hexagonal boron nitride quantum emitters and their chemical interconversion. Nanotechnology 2023; 34:115702. [PMID: 36595236 DOI: 10.1088/1361-6528/aca984] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2022] [Accepted: 12/06/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Quantum emitters in two-dimensional hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) are of significant interest because of their unique photophysical properties, such as single-photon emission at room temperature, and promising applications in quantum computing and communications. The photoemission from hBN defects covers a wide range of emission energies but identifying and modulating the properties of specific emitters remain challenging due to uncontrolled formation of hBN defects. In this study, more than 2000 spectra are collected consisting of single, isolated zero-phonon lines (ZPLs) between 1.59 and 2.25 eV from diverse sample types. Most of ZPLs are organized into seven discretized emission energies. All emitters exhibit a range of lifetimes from 1 to 6 ns, and phonon sidebands offset by the dominant lattice phonon in hBN near 1370 cm-1. Two chemical processing schemes are developed based on water and boric acid etching that generate or preferentially interconvert specific emitters, respectively. The identification and chemical interconversion of these discretized emitters should significantly advance the understanding of solid-state chemistry and photophysics of hBN quantum emission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daichi Kozawa
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, United States of America
- Quantum Optoelectronics Research Team, RIKEN Center for Advanced Photonics, Saitama 3510198, Japan
| | - Sylvia Xin Li
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, United States of America
| | - Takeo Ichihara
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, United States of America
- Energy and System R&D Department, Chemistry and Chemical Process Laboratory, Corporate R&D, Asahi Kasei Corporation, Kurashiki, Okayama 7118510, Japan
| | - Ananth Govind Rajan
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, United States of America
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560012, India
| | - Xun Gong
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, United States of America
| | - Guangwei He
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, United States of America
| | - Volodymyr B Koman
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, United States of America
| | - Yuwen Zeng
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, United States of America
| | - Matthias Kuehne
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, United States of America
| | - Kevin S Silmore
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, United States of America
| | - Dorsa Parviz
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, United States of America
| | - Pingwei Liu
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, United States of America
- College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province 310027, People's Republic of China
| | - Albert Tianxiang Liu
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, United States of America
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, United States of America
| | - Samuel Faucher
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, United States of America
| | - Zhe Yuan
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, United States of America
| | - Jamie Warner
- Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, United States of America
- Materials Graduate Program, Texas Materials Institute, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, United States of America
| | - Daniel Blankschtein
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, United States of America
| | - Michael S Strano
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, United States of America
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11
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Abstract
Hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) has emerged as a fascinating platform to explore quantum emitters and their applications. Beyond being a wide-bandgap material, it is also a van der Waals crystal, enabling direct exfoliation of atomically thin layers─a combination which offers unique advantages over bulk, 3D crystals. In this Mini Review we discuss the unique properties of hBN quantum emitters and highlight progress toward their future implementation in practical devices. We focus on engineering and integration of the emitters with scalable photonic resonators. We also highlight recently discovered spin defects in hBN and discuss their potential utility for quantum sensing. All in all, hBN has become a front runner in explorations of solid-state quantum science with promising future prospects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Igor Aharonovich
- School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, New South Wales 2007, Australia
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Transformative Meta-Optical Systems, Faculty of Science, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, New South Wales 2007, Australia
| | | | - Milos Toth
- School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, New South Wales 2007, Australia
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Transformative Meta-Optical Systems, Faculty of Science, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, New South Wales 2007, Australia
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12
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Pandey D, Xiao S, Wubs M. Graphene multilayers for coherent perfect absorption: effects of interlayer separation. Opt Express 2022; 30:44504-44517. [PMID: 36522874 DOI: 10.1364/oe.475046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2022] [Accepted: 11/07/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
We present a model study to estimate the sensitivity of the optical absorption of multilayered graphene structure to the subnanometer interlayer separation. Starting from a transfer-matrix formalism we derive semi-analytical expressions for the far-field observables. Neglecting the interlayer separation, results in upper bounds to the absorption of 50% for real-valued sheet conductivities, exactly the value needed for coherent perfect absorption (CPA), while for complex-valued conductivities we identify upper bounds that are always lower. For pristine graphene the number of layers required to attain this maximum is found to be fixed by the fine structure constant. For finite interlayer separations we find that this upper bound of absorption only exists until a particular value of interlayer separation (Dlim) which is less than the realistic interlayer separation in graphene multilayers. Beyond this value, we find a strong dependence of absorption with the interlayer separation. For an infinite number of graphene layers a closed-form analytical expression for the absorption is derived, based on a continued-fraction analysis that also leads to a simple expression for Dlim. Our comparison with experiments illustrates that multilayer Van der Waals crystals suitable for CPA can be more accurately modelled as electronically independent layers and more reliable predictions of their optical properties can be obtained if their subnanometer interlayer separations are carefully accounted for.
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13
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Sigger F, Amersdorffer I, Hötger A, Nutz M, Kiemle J, Taniguchi T, Watanabe K, Förg M, Noe J, Finley JJ, Högele A, Holleitner AW, Hümmer T, Hunger D, Kastl C. Ultra-Sensitive Extinction Measurements of Optically Active Defects in Monolayer MoS 2. J Phys Chem Lett 2022; 13:10291-10296. [PMID: 36305703 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.2c02386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
We utilize cavity-enhanced extinction spectroscopy to directly quantify the optical absorption of defects in MoS2 generated by helium ion bombardment. We achieve hyperspectral imaging of specific defect patterns with a detection limit below 0.01% extinction, corresponding to a detectable defect density below 1 × 1011 cm-2. The corresponding spectra reveal a broad subgap absorption, being consistent with theoretical predictions related to sulfur vacancy-bound excitons in MoS2. Our results highlight cavity-enhanced extinction spectroscopy as efficient means for the detection of optical transitions in nanoscale thin films with weak absorption, applicable to a broad range of materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florian Sigger
- Walter Schottky Institute and Physics Department, Technical University of Munich, Am Coulombwall 4a, 85748Garching, Germany
- Munich Center for Quantum Science and Technology (MCQST), Schellingstr. 4, 80799Munich, Germany
| | - Ines Amersdorffer
- Munich Center for Quantum Science and Technology (MCQST), Schellingstr. 4, 80799Munich, Germany
- Qlibri GmbH, Maistr. 67, 80337Munich, Germany
- Faculty of Physics, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Schellingstraße 4, 80799Munich, Germany
| | - Alexander Hötger
- Walter Schottky Institute and Physics Department, Technical University of Munich, Am Coulombwall 4a, 85748Garching, Germany
- Munich Center for Quantum Science and Technology (MCQST), Schellingstr. 4, 80799Munich, Germany
| | - Manuel Nutz
- Munich Center for Quantum Science and Technology (MCQST), Schellingstr. 4, 80799Munich, Germany
- Qlibri GmbH, Maistr. 67, 80337Munich, Germany
- Faculty of Physics, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Schellingstraße 4, 80799Munich, Germany
| | - Jonas Kiemle
- Walter Schottky Institute and Physics Department, Technical University of Munich, Am Coulombwall 4a, 85748Garching, Germany
- Munich Center for Quantum Science and Technology (MCQST), Schellingstr. 4, 80799Munich, Germany
| | - Takashi Taniguchi
- International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics, National Institute for Materials Science, Tsukuba 305-0044, Japan
| | - Kenji Watanabe
- Research Center for Functional Materials, National Institute for Materials Science, Tsukuba305-0044, Japan
| | - Michael Förg
- Munich Center for Quantum Science and Technology (MCQST), Schellingstr. 4, 80799Munich, Germany
- Qlibri GmbH, Maistr. 67, 80337Munich, Germany
- Faculty of Physics, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Schellingstraße 4, 80799Munich, Germany
| | - Jonathan Noe
- Munich Center for Quantum Science and Technology (MCQST), Schellingstr. 4, 80799Munich, Germany
- Qlibri GmbH, Maistr. 67, 80337Munich, Germany
- Faculty of Physics, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Schellingstraße 4, 80799Munich, Germany
| | - Jonathan J Finley
- Walter Schottky Institute and Physics Department, Technical University of Munich, Am Coulombwall 4a, 85748Garching, Germany
- Munich Center for Quantum Science and Technology (MCQST), Schellingstr. 4, 80799Munich, Germany
| | - Alexander Högele
- Munich Center for Quantum Science and Technology (MCQST), Schellingstr. 4, 80799Munich, Germany
- Faculty of Physics, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Schellingstraße 4, 80799Munich, Germany
| | - Alexander W Holleitner
- Walter Schottky Institute and Physics Department, Technical University of Munich, Am Coulombwall 4a, 85748Garching, Germany
- Munich Center for Quantum Science and Technology (MCQST), Schellingstr. 4, 80799Munich, Germany
| | - Thomas Hümmer
- Munich Center for Quantum Science and Technology (MCQST), Schellingstr. 4, 80799Munich, Germany
- Qlibri GmbH, Maistr. 67, 80337Munich, Germany
- Faculty of Physics, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Schellingstraße 4, 80799Munich, Germany
| | - David Hunger
- Physikalisches Institut, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Wolfgang-Gaede-Str. 1, 76131Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - Christoph Kastl
- Walter Schottky Institute and Physics Department, Technical University of Munich, Am Coulombwall 4a, 85748Garching, Germany
- Munich Center for Quantum Science and Technology (MCQST), Schellingstr. 4, 80799Munich, Germany
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14
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Klaiss R, Ziegler J, Miller D, Zappitelli K, Watanabe K, Taniguchi T, Alemán B. Uncovering the morphological effects of high-energy Ga + focused ion beam milling on hBN single-photon emitter fabrication. J Chem Phys 2022; 157:074703. [DOI: 10.1063/5.0097581] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Many techniques to fabricate complex nanostructures and quantum emitting defects in low dimensional materials for quantum information technologies rely on the patterning capabilities of focused ion beam (FIB) systems. In particular, the ability to pattern arrays of bright and stable room temperature single-photon emitters (SPEs) in 2D wide-bandgap insulator hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) via high-energy heavy-ion FIB allows for direct placement of SPEs without structured substrates or polymer-reliant lithography steps. However, the process parameters needed to create hBN SPEs with this technique are dependent on the growth method of the material chosen. Moreover, morphological damage induced by high-energy heavy-ion exposure may further influence the successful creation of SPEs. In this work, we perform atomic force microscopy to characterize the surface morphology of hBN regions patterned by Ga+ FIB to create SPEs at a range of ion doses and find that material swelling, and not milling as expected, is most strongly and positively correlated with the onset of non-zero SPE yields. Furthermore, we simulate vacancy concentration profiles at each of the tested doses and propose a qualitative model to elucidate how Ga+ FIB patterning creates isolated SPEs that is consistent with observed optical and morphological characteristics and is dependent on the consideration of void nucleation and growth from vacancy clusters. Our results provide novel insight into the formation of hBN SPEs created by high-energy heavy-ion milling that can be leveraged for monolithic hBN photonic devices and could be applied to a wide range of low-dimensional solid-state SPE hosts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachael Klaiss
- Department of Physics, Material Science Institute, Center for Optical, Molecular, and Quantum Science, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403, USA
| | - Joshua Ziegler
- Department of Physics, Material Science Institute, Center for Optical, Molecular, and Quantum Science, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403, USA
| | - David Miller
- Department of Physics, Material Science Institute, Center for Optical, Molecular, and Quantum Science, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403, USA
| | - Kara Zappitelli
- Department of Physics, Material Science Institute, Center for Optical, Molecular, and Quantum Science, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403, USA
| | - Kenji Watanabe
- Research Center for Functional Materials, National Institute for Materials Science, Tsukuba 305-0044, Japan
| | - Takashi Taniguchi
- International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics, National Institute for Materials Science, Tsukuba 305-0044, Japan
| | - Benjamín Alemán
- Department of Physics, Material Science Institute, Center for Optical, Molecular, and Quantum Science, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403, USA
- Phil and Penny Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403, USA
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15
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Cholsuk C, Suwanna S, Vogl T. Tailoring the Emission Wavelength of Color Centers in Hexagonal Boron Nitride for Quantum Applications. Nanomaterials (Basel) 2022; 12:2427. [PMID: 35889651 DOI: 10.3390/nano12142427] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2022] [Revised: 07/08/2022] [Accepted: 07/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Optical quantum technologies promise to revolutionize today’s information processing and sensors. Crucial to many quantum applications are efficient sources of pure single photons. For a quantum emitter to be used in such application, or for different quantum systems to be coupled to each other, the optical emission wavelength of the quantum emitter needs to be tailored. Here, we use density functional theory to calculate and manipulate the transition energy of fluorescent defects in the two-dimensional material hexagonal boron nitride. Our calculations feature the HSE06 functional which allows us to accurately predict the electronic band structures of 267 different defects. Moreover, using strain-tuning we can tailor the optical transition energy of suitable quantum emitters to match precisely that of quantum technology applications. We therefore not only provide a guide to make emitters for a specific application, but also have a promising pathway of tailoring quantum emitters that can couple to other solid-state qubit systems such as color centers in diamond.
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16
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Liang C, Sha Y, Huang J, Zhang C, Su S, Li H, Wang G, Liu K, Wang F, Wang H, Luo W, Chen G, Wu T, Xie X, Qian D, Tao H. Oxidizing Hexagonal Boron Nitride into Fluorescent Structures by Photodissociated Directional Oxygen Radical. J Phys Chem Lett 2022; 13:3369-3376. [PMID: 35404049 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.2c00284] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Modifying the wide band gap semiconductor hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) can bring new chances in photonics. By virtue of the solvothermal/hydrothermal oxidation or functionalization, hBN can be converted into fluorescent nanodots. Until now, it has been a big challenge to drily oxidize hBN and turn it into bright fluorescent structures due to its superior chemical stability. Here, we report the oxidation of multilayer hBN into fluorescent structures by ultraviolet (UV, λ = 172 nm) photodissociated directional oxygen radical [O(3P)] in a gradient magnetic field. The paramagnetic O(3P), produced in a low-pressure O2 atmosphere, drifts toward hBN and then converts it into boron nitride oxide (BNO) micro/nanometer structures constituted by BO, BO2, and O-doped hBN. For a properly oxidized BNO substance, bright and photostable wide-band photoluminescence is realized with nanosecond-scaled lifetimes under the excitation of UV and visible lights.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chenhui Liang
- Key Laboratory of Artificial Structures and Quantum Control (Ministry of Education), Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, School of Physics and Astronomy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 200240 Shanghai, China
| | - Yating Sha
- Key Laboratory of Artificial Structures and Quantum Control (Ministry of Education), Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, School of Physics and Astronomy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 200240 Shanghai, China
| | - Jingxian Huang
- Key Laboratory of Artificial Structures and Quantum Control (Ministry of Education), Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, School of Physics and Astronomy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 200240 Shanghai, China
| | - Chao Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Functional Materials for Informatics, Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 200050 Shanghai, China
| | - Shubin Su
- State Key Laboratory of Advanced Optical Communication Systems and Networks, School of Physics and Astronomy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 200240 Shanghai, China
| | - Hao Li
- State Key Laboratory of Advanced Optical Communication Systems and Networks, School of Physics and Astronomy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 200240 Shanghai, China
| | - Guohua Wang
- Key Laboratory of Artificial Structures and Quantum Control (Ministry of Education), Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, School of Physics and Astronomy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 200240 Shanghai, China
| | - Kaihui Liu
- State Key Laboratory for Mesoscopic Physics, Collaborative Innovation Center of Quantum Matter, School of Physics, Peking University, 100871 Beijing, China
| | - Fei Wang
- International Laboratory for Quantum Functional Materials of Henan, School of Physics and Microelectronics, Zhengzhou University, 450001 Zhengzhou, China
| | - Haomin Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Functional Materials for Informatics, Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 200050 Shanghai, China
| | - Weidong Luo
- Key Laboratory of Artificial Structures and Quantum Control (Ministry of Education), Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, School of Physics and Astronomy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 200240 Shanghai, China
| | - Guorui Chen
- Key Laboratory of Artificial Structures and Quantum Control (Ministry of Education), Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, School of Physics and Astronomy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 200240 Shanghai, China
| | - Tianru Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Functional Materials for Informatics, Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 200050 Shanghai, China
| | - Xiaoming Xie
- State Key Laboratory of Functional Materials for Informatics, Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 200050 Shanghai, China
| | - Dong Qian
- Key Laboratory of Artificial Structures and Quantum Control (Ministry of Education), Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, School of Physics and Astronomy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 200240 Shanghai, China
- Tsung-Dao Lee Institute, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 200240 Shanghai, China
| | - Haihua Tao
- Key Laboratory of Artificial Structures and Quantum Control (Ministry of Education), Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, School of Physics and Astronomy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 200240 Shanghai, China
- State Key Laboratory of Advanced Optical Communication Systems and Networks, School of Physics and Astronomy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 200240 Shanghai, China
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17
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Glushkov E, Macha M, Räth E, Navikas V, Ronceray N, Cheon CY, Ahmed A, Avsar A, Watanabe K, Taniguchi T, Shorubalko I, Kis A, Fantner G, Radenovic A. Engineering Optically Active Defects in Hexagonal Boron Nitride Using Focused Ion Beam and Water. ACS Nano 2022; 16:3695-3703. [PMID: 35254820 PMCID: PMC8945698 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.1c07086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) has emerged as a promising material platform for nanophotonics and quantum sensing, hosting optically active defects with exceptional properties such as high brightness and large spectral tuning. However, precise control over deterministic spatial positioning of emitters in hBN remained elusive for a long time, limiting their proper correlative characterization and applications in hybrid devices. Recently, focused ion beam (FIB) systems proved to be useful to engineer several types of spatially defined emitters with various structural and photophysical properties. Here we systematically explore the physical processes leading to the creation of optically active defects in hBN using FIB and find that beam-substrate interaction plays a key role in the formation of defects. These findings are confirmed using transmission electron microscopy, which reveals local mechanical deterioration of the hBN layers and local amorphization of ion beam irradiated hBN. Additionally, we show that, upon exposure to water, amorphized hBN undergoes a structural and optical transition between two defect types with distinctive emission properties. Moreover, using super-resolution optical microscopy combined with atomic force microscopy, we pinpoint the exact location of emitters within the defect sites, confirming the role of defected edges as primary sources of fluorescent emission. This lays the foundation for FIB-assisted engineering of optically active defects in hBN with high spatial and spectral control for applications ranging from integrated photonics, to nanoscale sensing, and to nanofluidics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evgenii Glushkov
- Laboratory
of Nanoscale Biology, Institute of Bioengineering, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
- E-mail:
| | - Michal Macha
- Laboratory
of Nanoscale Biology, Institute of Bioengineering, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Esther Räth
- Laboratory
of Nano-Bio Instrumentation, Institute of
Bioengineering, EPFL, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Vytautas Navikas
- Laboratory
of Nanoscale Biology, Institute of Bioengineering, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Nathan Ronceray
- Laboratory
of Nanoscale Biology, Institute of Bioengineering, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Cheol Yeon Cheon
- Laboratory
of Nanoscale Electronics and Structures, Electrical Engineering Institute and Institute of Materials Science,
EPFL, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Aqeel Ahmed
- Laboratory
of Quantum Nano-Optics, Institute of Physics,
EPFL, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Ahmet Avsar
- Laboratory
of Nanoscale Electronics and Structures, Electrical Engineering Institute and Institute of Materials Science,
EPFL, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
- School of
Mathematics, Statistics and Physics, Newcastle
University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 7RU, United Kingdom
| | - Kenji Watanabe
- National
Institute for Materials Science, 305-0044 Tsukuba, Japan
| | | | - Ivan Shorubalko
- Laboratory
for Transport at Nanoscale Interfaces, Empa−Swiss
Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Andras Kis
- Laboratory
of Nanoscale Electronics and Structures, Electrical Engineering Institute and Institute of Materials Science,
EPFL, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Georg Fantner
- Laboratory
of Nano-Bio Instrumentation, Institute of
Bioengineering, EPFL, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Aleksandra Radenovic
- Laboratory
of Nanoscale Biology, Institute of Bioengineering, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
- E-mail:
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18
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Blundo E, Surrente A, Spirito D, Pettinari G, Yildirim T, Chavarin CA, Baldassarre L, Felici M, Polimeni A. Vibrational Properties in Highly Strained Hexagonal Boron Nitride Bubbles. Nano Lett 2022; 22:1525-1533. [PMID: 35107287 PMCID: PMC8880391 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.1c04197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2021] [Revised: 01/25/2022] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) is widely used as a protective layer for few-atom-thick crystals and heterostructures (HSs), and it hosts quantum emitters working up to room temperature. In both instances, strain is expected to play an important role, either as an unavoidable presence in the HS fabrication or as a tool to tune the quantum emitter electronic properties. Addressing the role of strain and exploiting its tuning potentiality require the development of efficient methods to control it and of reliable tools to quantify it. Here we present a technique based on hydrogen irradiation to induce the formation of wrinkles and bubbles in hBN, resulting in remarkably high strains of ∼2%. By combining infrared (IR) near-field scanning optical microscopy and micro-Raman measurements with numerical calculations, we characterize the response to strain for both IR-active and Raman-active modes, revealing the potential of the vibrational properties of hBN as highly sensitive strain probes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Blundo
- Physics
Department, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Alessandro Surrente
- Physics
Department, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
- Department
of Experimental Physics, Faculty of Fundamental Problems of Technology, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, Wroclaw 50-370, Poland
| | - Davide Spirito
- IHP-Leibniz
Institut fur Innovative Mikroelektronik, Im Technologiepark 25, 15236 Frankfurt (Oder), Germany
| | - Giorgio Pettinari
- Institute
for Photonics and Nanotechnologies (CNR-IFN), National Research Council, 00156 Rome, Italy
| | - Tanju Yildirim
- Center
for Functional Sensor & Actuator (CFSN), National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0044, Japan
| | - Carlos Alvarado Chavarin
- IHP-Leibniz
Institut fur Innovative Mikroelektronik, Im Technologiepark 25, 15236 Frankfurt (Oder), Germany
| | - Leonetta Baldassarre
- Physics
Department, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
- IHP-Leibniz
Institut fur Innovative Mikroelektronik, Im Technologiepark 25, 15236 Frankfurt (Oder), Germany
| | - Marco Felici
- Physics
Department, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Antonio Polimeni
- Physics
Department, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
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19
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Kretschmer S, Ghaderzadeh S, Facsko S, Krasheninnikov AV. Threshold Ion Energies for Creating Defects in 2D Materials from First-Principles Calculations: Chemical Interactions Are Important. J Phys Chem Lett 2022; 13:514-519. [PMID: 35005978 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.1c03995] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The characteristics of two-dimensional (2D) materials can be tuned by low-energy ion irradiation provided that the ion energy is correctly chosen. The optimum ion energy is related to Ethion, the minimum kinetic energy the ion should have to displace an atom from the material. Ethion can be assessed using the binary collision approximation (BCA) when the displacement threshold of the atom is known. However, for some ions the experimental data contradict the BCA results. Using density functional theory molecular dynamics (DFT-MD), we study the collisions of low-energy ions with graphene and hexagonal boron nitride and demonstrate that the BCA can strongly overestimate Ethion because energy transfer takes a finite time, and therefore, chemical interactions of the ion with the target are important. Finally, for all projectiles from H up to Ar, we calculate the values of Ethion required to displace an atom from graphene and h-BN, the archetypal 2D materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvan Kretschmer
- Institute of Ion Beam Physics and Materials Research, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, 01328 Dresden, Germany
| | - Sadegh Ghaderzadeh
- Institute of Ion Beam Physics and Materials Research, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, 01328 Dresden, Germany
| | - Stefan Facsko
- Institute of Ion Beam Physics and Materials Research, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, 01328 Dresden, Germany
| | - Arkady V Krasheninnikov
- Institute of Ion Beam Physics and Materials Research, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, 01328 Dresden, Germany
- Department of Applied Physics, Aalto University, 00076 Aalto, Finland
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20
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Liu H, Mendelson N, Abidi IH, Li S, Liu Z, Cai Y, Zhang K, You J, Tamtaji M, Wong H, Ding Y, Chen G, Aharonovich I, Luo Z. Rational Control on Quantum Emitter Formation in Carbon-Doped Monolayer Hexagonal Boron Nitride. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces 2022; 14:3189-3198. [PMID: 34989551 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.1c21781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Single-photon emitters (SPEs) in hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) are promising candidates for quantum light generation. Despite this, techniques to control the formation of hBN SPEs down to the monolayer limit are yet to be demonstrated. Recent experimental and theoretical investigations have suggested that the visible wavelength single-photon emitters in hBN originate from carbon-related defects. Here, we demonstrate a simple strategy for controlling SPE creation during the chemical vapor deposition growth of monolayer hBN via regulating surface carbon concentration. By increasing the surface carbon concentration during hBN growth, we observe increases in carbon doping levels by 2.4-fold for B-C bonds and 1.6-fold for N-C bonds. For the same samples, we observe an increase in the SPE density from 0.13 to 0.30 emitters/μm2. Our simple method enables the reliable creation of hBN SPEs in monolayer samples for the first time, opening the door to advanced two-dimensional (2D) quantum state engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongwei Liu
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Joint Laboratory for Intelligent Micro-Nano Optoelectronic Technology, William Mong Institute of Nano Science and Technology, and Hong Kong Branch of Chinese National Engineering Research Center for Tissue Restoration and Reconstruction, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong 999077, P. R. China
| | - Noah Mendelson
- School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, New South Wales 2007, Australia
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, United States
| | - Irfan H Abidi
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Joint Laboratory for Intelligent Micro-Nano Optoelectronic Technology, William Mong Institute of Nano Science and Technology, and Hong Kong Branch of Chinese National Engineering Research Center for Tissue Restoration and Reconstruction, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong 999077, P. R. China
- Centre for Advanced 2D Materials, National University of Singapore, 117542 Singapore
| | - Shaobo Li
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, P. R. China
| | - Zhenjing Liu
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Joint Laboratory for Intelligent Micro-Nano Optoelectronic Technology, William Mong Institute of Nano Science and Technology, and Hong Kong Branch of Chinese National Engineering Research Center for Tissue Restoration and Reconstruction, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong 999077, P. R. China
| | - Yuting Cai
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Joint Laboratory for Intelligent Micro-Nano Optoelectronic Technology, William Mong Institute of Nano Science and Technology, and Hong Kong Branch of Chinese National Engineering Research Center for Tissue Restoration and Reconstruction, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong 999077, P. R. China
| | - Kenan Zhang
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Joint Laboratory for Intelligent Micro-Nano Optoelectronic Technology, William Mong Institute of Nano Science and Technology, and Hong Kong Branch of Chinese National Engineering Research Center for Tissue Restoration and Reconstruction, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong 999077, P. R. China
| | - Jiawen You
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Joint Laboratory for Intelligent Micro-Nano Optoelectronic Technology, William Mong Institute of Nano Science and Technology, and Hong Kong Branch of Chinese National Engineering Research Center for Tissue Restoration and Reconstruction, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong 999077, P. R. China
| | - Mohsen Tamtaji
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Joint Laboratory for Intelligent Micro-Nano Optoelectronic Technology, William Mong Institute of Nano Science and Technology, and Hong Kong Branch of Chinese National Engineering Research Center for Tissue Restoration and Reconstruction, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong 999077, P. R. China
| | - Hoilun Wong
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Joint Laboratory for Intelligent Micro-Nano Optoelectronic Technology, William Mong Institute of Nano Science and Technology, and Hong Kong Branch of Chinese National Engineering Research Center for Tissue Restoration and Reconstruction, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong 999077, P. R. China
| | - Yao Ding
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, P. R. China
| | - Guojie Chen
- Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Joint Laboratory for Intelligent Micro-Nano Optoelectronic Technology, Foshan University, Foshan 528225, P. R. China
- School of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Foshan University, Foshan 528225, P. R. China
| | - Igor Aharonovich
- School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, New South Wales 2007, Australia
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Transformative Meta-Optical Systems (TMOS), University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, New South Wales 2007, Australia
| | - Zhengtang Luo
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Joint Laboratory for Intelligent Micro-Nano Optoelectronic Technology, William Mong Institute of Nano Science and Technology, and Hong Kong Branch of Chinese National Engineering Research Center for Tissue Restoration and Reconstruction, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong 999077, P. R. China
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21
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Chen Y, Li C, White S, Nonahal M, Xu ZQ, Watanabe K, Taniguchi T, Toth M, Tran TT, Aharonovich I. Generation of High-Density Quantum Emitters in High-Quality, Exfoliated Hexagonal Boron Nitride. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces 2021; 13:47283-47292. [PMID: 34549932 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.1c14863] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Single-photon emitters in hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) are promising constituents for integrated quantum photonics. Specifically, engineering these emitters in large-area, high-quality, exfoliated hBN is needed for their incorporation into photonic devices and two dimensional heterostructures. Here, we report on two different routes to generate high-density quantum emitters with excellent optical properties-including high brightness and photostability. We study in detail high-temperature annealing and plasma treatments as an efficient means to generate dense emitters. We show that both an optimal oxygen flow rate and annealing temperature are required for the formation of high-density quantum emitters. In parallel, we demonstrate that the plasma treatment in various environments, followed by standard annealing is also an effective route for emission engineering. Our work provides vital information for the fabrication of quantum emitters in high-quality, exfoliated hBN flakes and paves the way toward the integration of the quantum emitters with photonic devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongliang Chen
- School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, New South Wales 2007, Australia
| | - Chi Li
- School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, New South Wales 2007, Australia
| | - Simon White
- School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, New South Wales 2007, Australia
| | - Milad Nonahal
- School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, New South Wales 2007, Australia
| | - Zai-Quan Xu
- School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, New South Wales 2007, Australia
| | - Kenji Watanabe
- Research Center for Functional Materials, National Institute for Materials Science, 1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba 305-0044, Japan
| | - Takashi Taniguchi
- International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics, National Institute for Materials Science, 1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba 305-0044, Japan
| | - Milos Toth
- School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, New South Wales 2007, Australia
- ARC Center of Excellence for Transformative Meta-Optical Systems (TMOS), Faculty of Science, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, New South Wales 2007, Australia
| | - Toan Trong Tran
- School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, New South Wales 2007, Australia
| | - Igor Aharonovich
- School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, New South Wales 2007, Australia
- ARC Center of Excellence for Transformative Meta-Optical Systems (TMOS), Faculty of Science, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, New South Wales 2007, Australia
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22
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Krečmarová M, Canet-Albiach R, Pashaei-Adl H, Gorji S, Muñoz-Matutano G, Nesládek M, Martínez-Pastor JP, Sánchez-Royo JF. Extrinsic Effects on the Optical Properties of Surface Color Defects Generated in Hexagonal Boron Nitride Nanosheets. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces 2021; 13:46105-46116. [PMID: 34520163 PMCID: PMC8485329 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.1c11060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2021] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) is a wide-band gap van der Waals material able to host light-emitting centers behaving as single photon sources. Here, we report the generation of color defects in hBN nanosheets dispersed on different kinds of substrates by thermal treatment processes. The optical properties of these defects have been studied using microspectroscopy techniques and far-field simulations of their light emission. Using these techniques, we have found that subsequent ozone treatments of the deposited hBN nanosheets improve the optical emission properties of created defects, as revealed by their zero-phonon linewidth narrowing and reduction of background emission. Microlocalized color defects deposited on dielectric substrates show bright (≈1 MHz) and stable room-temperature light emission with zero-phonon line peak energy varying from 1.56 to 2.27 eV, being the most probable value 2.16 eV. In addition to this, we have observed a substrate dependence of the optical performance of the generated color defects. The energy range of the emitters prepared on gold substrates is strongly reduced, as compared to that observed in dielectric substrates or even alumina. We attribute this effect to the quenching of low-energy color defects (these of energies lower than 1.9 eV) when gold substrates are used, which reveals the surface nature of the defects created in hBN nanosheets. Results described here are important for future quantum light experiments and their integration in photonic chips.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie Krečmarová
- Instituto
de Ciencia de Materiales, Universidad de
Valencia (ICMUV), P.O. Box 22085, 46071 Valencia, Spain
| | - Rodolfo Canet-Albiach
- Instituto
de Ciencia de Materiales, Universidad de
Valencia (ICMUV), P.O. Box 22085, 46071 Valencia, Spain
| | - Hamid Pashaei-Adl
- Instituto
de Ciencia de Materiales, Universidad de
Valencia (ICMUV), P.O. Box 22085, 46071 Valencia, Spain
| | - Setatira Gorji
- Instituto
de Ciencia de Materiales, Universidad de
Valencia (ICMUV), P.O. Box 22085, 46071 Valencia, Spain
| | - Guillermo Muñoz-Matutano
- Instituto
de Ciencia de Materiales, Universidad de
Valencia (ICMUV), P.O. Box 22085, 46071 Valencia, Spain
| | - Miloš Nesládek
- Institute
for Materials Research, Material Physics
Division University of Hasselt, Wetenschapspark 1, B 3590 Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Juan P. Martínez-Pastor
- Instituto
de Ciencia de Materiales, Universidad de
Valencia (ICMUV), P.O. Box 22085, 46071 Valencia, Spain
| | - Juan F. Sánchez-Royo
- Instituto
de Ciencia de Materiales, Universidad de
Valencia (ICMUV), P.O. Box 22085, 46071 Valencia, Spain
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23
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Stewart JC, Fan Y, Danial JSH, Goetz A, Prasad AS, Burton OJ, Alexander-Webber JA, Lee SF, Skoff SM, Babenko V, Hofmann S. Quantum Emitter Localization in Layer-Engineered Hexagonal Boron Nitride. ACS Nano 2021; 15:13591-13603. [PMID: 34347438 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.1c04467] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) is a promising host material for room-temperature, tunable solid-state quantum emitters. A key technological challenge is deterministic and scalable spatial emitter localization, both laterally and vertically, while maintaining the full advantages of the 2D nature of the material. Here, we demonstrate emitter localization in hBN in all three dimensions via a monolayer (ML) engineering approach. We establish pretreatment processes for hBN MLs to either fully suppress or activate emission, thereby enabling such differently treated MLs to be used as select building blocks to achieve vertical (z) emitter localization at the atomic layer level. We show that emitter bleaching of ML hBN can be suppressed by sandwiching between two protecting hBN MLs, and that such thin stacks retain opportunities for external control of emission. We exploit this to achieve lateral (x-y) emitter localization via the addition of a patterned graphene mask that quenches fluorescence. Such complete emitter site localization is highly versatile, compatible with planar, scalable processing, allowing tailored approaches to addressable emitter array designs for advanced characterization, monolithic device integration, and photonic circuits.
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Affiliation(s)
- James Callum Stewart
- Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, 9 JJ Thomson Avenue, Cambridge CB3 0FA, United Kingdom
| | - Ye Fan
- Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, 9 JJ Thomson Avenue, Cambridge CB3 0FA, United Kingdom
| | - John S H Danial
- The Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, United Kingdom
| | - Alexander Goetz
- Institute of Atomic and Subatomic Physics, Vienna University of Technology, Stadionallee 2, 1020 Vienna, Austria
| | - Adarsh S Prasad
- Institute of Atomic and Subatomic Physics, Vienna University of Technology, Stadionallee 2, 1020 Vienna, Austria
| | - Oliver J Burton
- Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, 9 JJ Thomson Avenue, Cambridge CB3 0FA, United Kingdom
| | - Jack A Alexander-Webber
- Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, 9 JJ Thomson Avenue, Cambridge CB3 0FA, United Kingdom
| | - Steven F Lee
- The Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, United Kingdom
| | - Sarah M Skoff
- Institute of Atomic and Subatomic Physics, Vienna University of Technology, Stadionallee 2, 1020 Vienna, Austria
| | - Vitaliy Babenko
- Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, 9 JJ Thomson Avenue, Cambridge CB3 0FA, United Kingdom
| | - Stephan Hofmann
- Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, 9 JJ Thomson Avenue, Cambridge CB3 0FA, United Kingdom
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24
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Ghaderzadeh S, Kretschmer S, Ghorbani-Asl M, Hlawacek G, Krasheninnikov AV. Atomistic Simulations of Defect Production in Monolayer and Bulk Hexagonal Boron Nitride under Low- and High-Fluence Ion Irradiation. Nanomaterials (Basel) 2021; 11:1214. [PMID: 34064369 DOI: 10.3390/nano11051214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2021] [Revised: 04/27/2021] [Accepted: 04/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Controlled production of defects in hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) through ion irradiation has recently been demonstrated to be an effective tool for adding new functionalities to this material, such as single-photon generation, and for developing optical quantum applications. Using analytical potential molecular dynamics, we study the mechanisms of vacancy creation in single- and multi-layer h-BN under low- and high-fluence ion irradiation. Our results quantify the densities of defects produced by noble gas ions in a wide range of ion energies and elucidate the types and distribution of defects in the target. The simulation data can directly be used to guide the experiment aimed at the creation of defects of particular types in h-BN targets for single-photon emission, spin-selective optical transitions and other applications by using beams of energetic ions.
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