Creating Quantum Emitters in Hexagonal Boron Nitride Deterministically on Chip-Compatible Substrates

TL;DR

This paper introduces a radiation- and lithography-free method using AFM nanoindentation to deterministically create single-photon emitters in hexagonal boron nitride on chip-compatible substrates, advancing integrated quantum photonics.

Contribution

The authors demonstrate a novel AFM nanoindentation technique to reliably generate hBN single-photon emitters without damaging substrates, compatible with on-chip photonic integration.

Findings

Achieved over 30% yield of SPEs with multiple indent sizes.

Maximum yield of 36% for 400 nm indent size.

Method is compatible with integrated photonic devices.

Abstract

Two-dimensional hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) that hosts bright room-temperature single-photon emitters (SPEs) is a promising material platform for quantum information applications. An important step towards the practical application of hBN is the on-demand, position-controlled generation of SPEs. Several strategies have been reported to achieve the deterministic creation of hBN SPEs. However, they either rely on a substrate nanopatterning procedure that is not compatible with integrated photonic devices or utilize a radiation source that might cause unpredictable damage to hBN and underlying substrates. Here, we report a radiation- and lithography-free route to deterministically activate hBN SPEs by nanoindentation with an atomic force microscope (AFM) tip. The method is applied to thin hBN flakes (less than 25 nm in thickness) on flat silicon-dioxide-silicon substrates that can be readily integrated into on-chip photonic devices. The achieved SPEs yields are above 30% by utilizing multiple indent sizes, and a maximum yield of 36% is demonstrated for the indent size of around 400 nm. Our results mark an important step towards the deterministic creation and integration of hBN SPEs with photonic and plasmonic on-chip devices.