Quantum Emitters in Rhombohedral Boron Nitride

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that rhombohedral boron nitride hosts optically addressable spin defects and single-photon emitters, offering a new platform for integrated quantum and nonlinear photonics with unique properties.

Contribution

It is the first to show deterministic fabrication of spin defects and SPEs in rBN and compares them to hBN, elucidating defect structures with computational models.

Findings

rBN hosts optically addressable spin defects

rBN contains high-quality single-photon emitters

Comparison of defect spectra between rBN and hBN

Abstract

Rhombohedral boron nitride (rBN) is an emerging wide-bandgap van der Waals (vdW) material that combines strong second-order nonlinear optical properties with the structural flexibility of layered 2D systems. Here we show that rBN hosts optically-addressable spin defects and single-photon emitters (SPEs). Both are fabricated deterministically, using site-specific techniques, and are compared to their analogues in hexagonal boron nitride (hBN). Emission spectra in hBN and rBN are compared, and computational models of defects in hBN and rBN are used to elucidate the debated atomic structure of the B-center SPE in BN. Our results establish rBN as a monolithic vdW platform that uniquely combines second-order nonlinear optical properties, optically addressable spin defects, and high-quality SPEs, opening new possibilities for integrated quantum and nonlinear photonics.