Quantum Emitters in Flux Grown hBN

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates a method for controlled carbon doping during flux growth of hBN to efficiently produce high-quality B-center quantum emitters suitable for quantum technologies.

Contribution

It introduces a flux-based carbon doping technique to enhance B-center creation in hBN during growth, reducing reliance on post-growth modifications.

Findings

Single B-centers with g^{(2)}(0) < 0.5 achieved in as-grown hBN

Linewidths of 3.5 GHz with moderate spectral diffusion observed

Carbon doping >2.5 wt.% C increases B-center creation efficiency

Abstract

Hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) is an emerging material for use in quantum technologies, hosting bright and stable single photon emitters (SPEs). The B-center is one promising SPE in hBN, due to the near-deterministic creation methods and regular emission wavelength. However, incorporation of B-centers in high-quality crystals remains challenging, typically relying on additional post-growth methods to increase creation efficiency. Here, we have demonstrated controlled carbon doping of hBN during growth, using a metal flux based method to increase the efficiency of B-center creation. Importantly, single B-centers with $g^{(2)}(0) < 0.5$ were able to be generated in the as-grown hBN when carbon additions during growth exceeded 2.5 wt.% C. Resonant excitation measurements revealed linewidths of 3.5 GHz with only moderate spectral diffusion present, demonstrating the applicability of the as-grown hBN as a host for high quality B-centers.