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Published on: October 12, 2019
Electrical Generation of Color Centers in Hexagonal Boron Nitride
Ivan Zhigulin1, Gyuna Park2,3, Karin Yamamura1,4
1School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, New South Wales 2007, Australia.
Defects in hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) crystals enable electrical excitation of color centers for quantum photonics. This study details fabrication of hBN electroluminescence devices for stable, narrowband color centers, advancing quantum technology integration.
Area of Science:
- Quantum photonics
- Materials science
- Solid-state physics
Background:
- Wide band gap crystals host color centers for quantum applications.
- Hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) is a van der Waals material suitable for heterostructures.
- Unconventional charge injection in hBN bypasses p-n junctions for electrical excitation of color centers.
Purpose of the Study:
- To fabricate hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) electroluminescence (EL) devices.
- To generate narrowband color centers within hBN suitable for electrical excitation.
- To identify optimal conditions for device operation and color center stability.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of hBN electroluminescence (EL) devices.
- Engineering of hBN flakes to localize color centers at tunneling current hotspots.
- Characterization of device operation and color center stability.
Main Results:
- Successfully fabricated hBN EL devices exhibiting narrowband color centers.
- Localized color centers to engineered tunneling current hotspots within the hBN flake.
- Identified optimal operating conditions for device performance and color center stability, minimizing background emission.
Conclusions:
- Demonstrated electrical excitation of hBN color centers via engineered tunneling hotspots.
- Provided insights into optimal device operation and color center stability for prolonged use.
- Marked a significant step towards integrating hBN color centers into quantum photonic technologies.
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