Optimisation, Stabilisation, and Localisation of Quantum Emitters in Layer-Engineered Hexagonal Boron Nitride
type: CreativeWork
description: For a long time, hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) has been considered the silent sister material of graphene, but recently an appreciation for it is starting to grow within the scientific community for the properties it possesses and not just its functionality as graphene’s supporting partner. The discovery of its ability to host quantum emitters from defect sites within its crystal structure has stimulated a recent increase in publications exploring their properties. The large bandgap hBN possesses, so juxtaposed to the conductive properties of graphene, and its ability to host energy levels at defects sites that are isolated from the band-edges, allows for single-photon emission (SPE) to occur at room temperature; thus, providing an exciting alternative to diamond for hosting quantum emission at these conditions. To date, most of the research on hBN and its emissive defects has revolved around thick, exfoliated hBN flakes. Theses samples are limited in area and combined with empirical SPE activation steps or from grown multi-layer hBN of typically, not well-defined structure and purity. The precise nature of such quantum emitters is still under debate because their generation or activation mechanisms remain poorly understood and their deterministic and scalable spatial positioning, both laterally and vertically, remains a scientific challenge. Spatial positioning is particularly important to enable effective and refined fundamental studies of the emissive defects, their stability and response to strain and coupling to e.g., external electric or magnetic fields, but also to open pathways to integrated device technology. Neither exfoliated hBN flakes or grown multilayers offer precise emitter position control (in zdirection) across the film thickness. Currently, investigations and characterisations of the material and emission sites are slow, utilising low-throughput techniques, which is why the development of fast analysis techniques combined with high-quality large-a…
abstract: For a long time, hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) has been considered the silent sister material of graphene, but recently an appreciation for it is starting to grow within the scientific community for the properties it possesses and not just its functionality as graphene’s supporting partner. The discovery of its ability to host quantum emitters from defect sites within its crystal structure has stimulated a recent increase in publications exploring their properties. The large bandgap hBN possesses, so juxtaposed to the conductive properties of graphene, and its ability to host energy levels at defects sites that are isolated from the band-edges, allows for single-photon emission (SPE) to occur at room temperature; thus, providing an exciting alternative to diamond for hosting quantum emission at these conditions. To date, most of the research on hBN and its emissive defects has revolved around thick, exfoliated hBN flakes. Theses samples are limited in area and combined with empirical SPE activation steps or from grown multi-layer hBN of typically, not well-defined structure and purity. The precise nature of such quantum emitters is still under debate because their generation or activation mechanisms remain poorly understood and their deterministic and scalable spatial positioning, both laterally and vertically, remains a scientific challenge. Spatial positioning is particularly important to enable effective and refined fundamental studies of the emissive defects, their stability and response to strain and coupling to e.g., external electric or magnetic fields, but also to open pathways to integrated device technology. Neither exfoliated hBN flakes or grown multilayers offer precise emitter position control (in zdirection) across the film thickness. Currently, investigations and characterisations of the material and emission sites are slow, utilising low-throughput techniques, which is why the development of fast analysis techniques combined with high-quality large-a…
author: Stewart, James
language: eng
keywords: Chemical Vapour Deposition, Single Photon Emitters, Hexagonal Boron Nitride, Quantum Emitters, 2d materials, Graphene, Layered Material, Nanofabrication, Super-resolution Microscopy
license: https://apollo8-f-pro.lib.cam.ac.uk/bitstreams/34075183-5f2d-44aa-8f9c-ada54d66d26c/download
license: http://purl.org/NET/rdflicense/allrightsreserved
date published: 2022-07-01
date modified: 2026-07-22T22:24:31Z
provider: Cambridge University
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: University of Cambridge

PropertyValue
property ID: DOI
value: 10.17863/CAM.97025