Laser manufacturing of spatial resolution approaching quantum limit

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Quantum Engineering
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Atomic-scale manufacturing is crucial for developing advanced quantum devices like single-photon emitters and quantum bits.
• Laser manufacturing offers advantages but is constrained by optical diffraction limits, hindering sub-wavelength feature creation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To overcome optical diffraction limits in laser manufacturing for atomic-scale precision.
• To achieve deterministic fabrication of atomic point defect complexes for quantum applications.

Main Methods:

• Development and application of a threshold tracing and lock-in method.
• Exploitation of local atom thermal motion to dominate electron excitation.
• Utilizing hexagonal boron nitride as a material platform.

Main Results:

• Achieved spatial resolution below 5nm, surpassing the optical diffraction limit by two orders of magnitude.
• Transformed color center generation in hexagonal boron nitride from stochastic to deterministic.
• Enabled the creation of single color centers in regular arrays with unity yield and high positional accuracy.

Conclusions:

• The developed method enables deterministic, high-precision manufacturing at the quantum limit.
• This advancement is a significant step towards integrated quantum technological applications.
• Understanding the role of atomic thermal motion is key to overcoming current manufacturing limitations.