Defect Engineering in Large‐Scale CVD‐Grown Hexagonal Boron Nitride: Formation, Spectroscopy, and Spin Relaxation Dynamics
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Recently, numerous techniques have been reported for generating optically active defects in exfoliated hexagonal boron nitride (hBN), which hold transformative potential for quantum photonic devices. However, achieving on‐demand generation of desirable defect types in scalable hBN films remains a significant challenge. Here, it is demonstrated that formation of negative boron vacancy defects, V B − , in suspended, large‐area CVD‐grown hBN is strongly dependent on the type of bombarding particles (ions, neutrons, and electrons) and irradiation conditions. In contrast to suspended hBN, defect formation in substrate‐supported hBN is more complex due to the uncontrollable generation of secondary particles from the substrate, and the outcome strongly depends on the thickness of the hBN. Different defect types are identified by correlating spectroscopic and optically detected magnetic resonance features, distinguishing boron vacancies (formed by light ions and neutrons and emitting at 800 nm) from other optically active defects emitting at 650 nm assigned to anti‐site nitrogen vacancy ( N B V N ) and reveal the presence of additional “dark” paramagnetic defects that influence spin‐lattice relaxation time ( T 1 ) and zero‐field splitting parameters, all of which strongly depend on the defect density. These results underscore the potential for precisely engineered defect formation in large‐scale CVD‐grown hBN, paving the way for the scalable fabrication of quantum photonic devices.
Source: Small
Authors: Ivan V. Vlassiouk, Yueh‐Chun Wu, Alexander Puretzky, Liangbo Liang, John Lasseter, Bogdan Dryzhakov, Ian Gallagher, Sujoy Ghosh, Nickolay Lavrik, Ondrej Dyck, Andrew R. Lupini, Marti Checa, Liam Collins, Harry M. Meyer, Huan Zhao, Farzana Likhi, Kai Xiao, Ilia Ivanov, David Glasgow, Alexander Tselev, Benjamin Lawrie, Sergei Smirnov, Steven J. Randolph
Language: English
Subfield: Materials Chemistry
Field: Materials Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $5,790
Funders: U.S. Department of Energy, Universidade de Aveiro, National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center, Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Ensino Superior, Office of Science, Centro de Investigação em Materiais Cerâmicos e Compósitos, Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, Basic Energy Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Awards: G1019100964, G121915436, G122673668, G1286236842, G1286251239, G1645119126, G1677143136, G1918496035, G203625172, G2988778103, G30714459, G3083819904, G3283876815, G4046065984, G404710190, G419881185, G42916606, G4317831669, CICECO-Instituto de Materiais de Aveiro, G4423657506, G4501827968, G4769391458, G498139845, G5076365615, CICECO – Instituto de Materiais de Aveiro, G6410266313, G650090426, G660579501, G675320460, G6997658380, G7403097962, G7651947074, Unveiling Nano- and Mesoscopic-Scales Properties and Processes in Ferroic, Low-Dimensional, and Energy Materials, G807938293, G8103039852, G8222313181, G8269158468, G8906985441, G969889393
OpenAlex ID: W4415730925