Abstract
Quantum emitters in two-dimensional hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) are attractive for a variety of quantum and photonic technologies because they combine ultra-bright, room-temperature single-photon emission with an atomically thin crystal. However, the emitter's prominence is hindered by large, strain-induced wavelength shifts. We report the discovery of a visible-wavelength, single-photon emitter (SPE) in a zero-dimensional boron nitride allotrope (the boron nitride nanococoon, BNNC) that retains the excellent optical characteristics of few-layer hBN while possessing an emission line variation that is lower by a factor of 5 than the hBN emitter. We determined the emission source to be the nanometer-size BNNC through the cross-correlation of optical confocal microscopy with high-resolution scanning and transmission electron microscopy. Altogether, this discovery enlivens color centers in BN materials and, because of the BN nanococoon's size, opens new and exciting opportunities in nanophotonics, quantum information, biological imaging, and nanoscale sensing.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 2683-2688 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | Nano Letters |
| Volume | 18 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Apr 11 2018 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Funding
The authors thank Rudy Resch and Kara Zappitelli for review of this manuscript, and Larry Scatena for scientific discussions and technical assistance. This work was supported by the University of Oregon and the National Science Foundation (NSF) under grant no. DMR-1532225. This work was supported in part by the Director, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Materials Sciences and Engineering Division, of the U.S. Department of Energy under contract no. DE-AC02-05-CH11231, within the sp2-Bonded Materials Program (KC2207), which provided for synthesis of the BNNCs. This material is based on work supported by the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program under grant no. 1309047. The authors acknowledge facilities and staff at the Center for Advanced Materials Characterization in Oregon and the use of the University of Oregon’s Rapid Materials Prototyping facility, funded by the Murdock Charitable Trust. This work was supported by the University of Oregon and the National Science Foundation (NSF) under grant no. DMR-1532225. This work was supported in part by the Director, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Materials Sciences and Engineering Division, of the U.S. Department of Energy under contract no. DE-AC02-05-CH11231, within the sp2-Bonded Materials Program (KC2207) which provided for synthesis of the BNNCs. This material is based on work supported by the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program under grant no. 1309047.
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| National Science Foundation | DMR-1532225 |
| U.S. Department of Energy | DE-AC02-05-CH11231, KC2207, 1309047 |
| M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust | |
| Office of Science | |
| Basic Energy Sciences | |
| University of Oregon | |
| Division of Materials Sciences and Engineering | |
| National Science Foundation |