Imaging of optically active defects with nanometer resolution

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates a novel optical imaging technique using single molecule localization microscopy to precisely locate and count individual optically active defects in monolayer hexagonal boron nitride at nanometer resolution, advancing defect characterization.

Contribution

The study introduces a method for nanometer-scale localization and counting of individual defects in 2D materials using defect blinking behavior, enabling in-situ defect analysis.

Findings

Resolved two defect emitters separated by 10 nanometers.

Achieved nanometer resolution in defect localization.

Enabled quantitative defect counting in monolayer materials.

Abstract

Point defects significantly influence the optical and electrical properties of solid-state materials due to their interactions with charge carriers, which reduce the band-to-band optical transition energy. There has been a demand for developing direct optical imaging methods that would allow in-situ characterization of individual defects with nanometer resolution. Here, we demonstrate the localization and quantitative counting of individual optically active defects in monolayer hexagonal boron nitride using single molecule localization microscopy. By exploiting the blinking behavior of defect emitters to temporally isolate multiple emitters within one diffraction limited region, we could resolve two defect emitters with a point-to-point distance down to ten nanometers. The results and conclusion presented in this work add unprecedented dimensions towards future applications of defects in quantum information processing and biological imaging.