Single-photon emission from two-dimensional hexagonal boron nitride annealed in a carbon-rich environment
Chao Lyu, Yaozheng Zhu, Pingfan Gu, Jiandong Qiao, Kenji Watanabe, Takashi Taniguchi, Yu Ye
Abstract
For quantum photonic applications, such as quantum communication, optical quantum information processing, and metrology, solid-state sources of single-photon emitters are highly needed. Recently, single-photon emitters in two-dimensional (2D) van der Waals materials have attracted tremendous attention because of their atomic thickness, allowing for high photon extraction efficiency and easy integration into photonic circuits. In particular, a defect hosted by 2D hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) is expected to be a promising candidate for next-generation single-photon sources due to its chemical and thermal stability and high brightness at room temperature. Here, we report an effective method for generating single-photon emission in mechanically exfoliated hBN flakes by annealing in a carbon-rich environment. The one-step annealing in a mixed atmosphere (Ar:CH4:H2 = 15:5:1) greatly increases the single-photon emitter density in hBN. The resulting single-photon emission shows high stability and brightness. Our results provide an effective method for generating room-temperature single-photon emitters in 2D hBN.