Single photon emitters based on defects in hBN

• Grant number: 23/04168-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: September 01, 2023
• End date: January 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Physics - Condensed Matter Physics
• Principal Investigator: Luiz Fernando Zagonel
• Grantee: Victor Feitosa Marques de Oliveira
• Host Institution: Instituto de Física Gleb Wataghin (IFGW). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 21/06893-3 - Optically active materials studied by scanning tunnelling microscopy, AP.JP2
• Associated scholarship(s): 24/16698-1 - Electrically-driven quantum light sources explored at the atomic scale, BE.EP.MS

Abstract

Single photon sources are receiving a lot of attention recently due to several potential technological applications such as cryptography and quantum computing. In these applications, it is desirable to obtain, at room temperature, individual photons in a fast and controlled way, something not yet available with current technologies. The hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) presents itself as an interesting material for these applications because it has a large electronic gap and is known to host several types of defects emitting in a wide energy range and to host single photon emitters even at room temperature. Our proposal aims, in a first step, to elucidate which type of defect is responsible for the emission of single photons through a correlation between optical spectroscopy associated with temporal correlation, electronic spectroscopy and morphology with atomic resolution, the latter performed through Scanning Tunneling Microscopy carried out at low temperatures. We hope to image individual defects emitting single photons with atomic resolution and control this emission electrically. In parallel, we will investigate whether these same defects can be similarly excited for single photon emission at room temperature, a more technologically relevant condition but potentially less favorable for single photon emission with good temporal correlation. With these results, we hope to evaluate such defects as single photon sources, both at low temperatures and at room temperature, and possibly indicate how they should be prepared for their use in devices.