Quantum microscopy with van der Waals heterostructures

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel quantum microscopy platform using van der Waals heterostructures with embedded quantum sensors in hBN, enabling nanoscale imaging of magnetic, thermal, and electronic properties with close sample interaction.

Contribution

The authors demonstrate a versatile quantum microscope based on hBN quantum sensors within vdW heterostructures, allowing for enhanced proximity and new applications in nanoscale sensing.

Findings

Successful temperature and magnetic imaging near Curie temperature of vdW ferromagnet

Mapping charge currents and Joule heating in graphene

Potential for in-situ chemical analysis and noise spectroscopy

Abstract

Quantum microscopes based on solid-state spin quantum sensors have recently emerged as powerful tools for probing material properties and physical processes in regimes not accessible to classical sensors, especially on the nanoscale. Such microscopes have already found utility in a variety of problems, from imaging magnetism and charge transport in nanoscale devices, to mapping remanent magnetic fields from ancient rocks and biological organisms. However, applications of quantum microscopes have so far relied on sensors hosted in a rigid, three-dimensional crystal, typically diamond, which limits their ability to closely interact with the sample under study. Here we demonstrate a versatile and robust quantum microscope using quantum sensors embedded within a thin layer of a van der Waals (vdW) material, hexagonal boron nitride (hBN). To showcase the capabilities of this platform, we assemble several active vdW heterostructures, with an hBN layer acting as the quantum sensor. We demonstrate time-resolved, simultaneous temperature and magnetic imaging near the Curie temperature of a vdW ferromagnet as well as apply this unique microscope to map out charge currents and Joule heating in graphene. By enabling intimate proximity between sensor and sample, potentially down to a single atomic layer, the hBN quantum sensor represents a paradigm shift for nanoscale quantum sensing and microscopy. Moreover, given the ubiquitous use of hBN in modern materials and condensed matter physics research, we expect our technique to find rapid and broad adoption in these fields, further motivated by the prospect of performing in-situ chemical analysis and noise spectroscopy using advanced quantum sensing protocols.