Single-Photon Nanoantenna with in Situ Fabrication of Plasmonic Ag Nanoparticle at an hBN Defect Center

TL;DR

This paper introduces a practical method for fabricating plasmonic nanoantennas on hBN defect centers, enabling controlled emission modification of single quantum emitters with a low-cost, in situ approach.

Contribution

The study presents a novel in situ fabrication technique for plasmonic nanoantennas on hBN defect centers, demonstrating controlled emission enhancement and quenching effects.

Findings

Controlled nanoantenna fabrication via dewetting silver films.

Demonstrated emission modification of single defect centers.

Validated coupling effects with electromagnetic simulations.

Abstract

We present a practical new method for fabricating a coupled single quantum emitter-plasmonic nanoantenna system. Emission characteristics of a single defect center embedded in hexagonal Boron Nitride (hBN) multilayers is modified using plasmonic nanoantennas. By dewetting thin silver films on hBN multilayers, plasmonic nanoantennas are obtained in a size controlled way with no adverse effects on the defects. A very same single defect center is investigated with and without nanoantenna in order to demonstrate the modification of its emission characteristics. Based on the initial silver film thickness in dewetting process, on-demand enhancement and quenching effects are observed. For attaining deterministic coupling strengths, an electromagnetic simulation model is employed in the light of experiments. Fluorescence lifetime, radiative and nonradiative emission rate calculations are used for estimating the spatial configuration of the defect-nanoantenna system as well as for confirming the experimental findings. Our approach provides a low-cost and uncomplicated coupling scheme as an alternative to the scanning probe tip antenna technique.