Abstract
Optically addressable solid-state spins are important platforms for quantum technologies, such as repeaters and sensors. Spins in two-dimensional materials offer an advantage, as the reduced dimensionality enables feasible on-chip integration into devices. Here, we report room-temperature optically detected magnetic resonance (ODMR) from single carbon-related defects in hexagonal boron nitride with up to 100 times stronger contrast than the ensemble average. We identify two distinct bunching timescales in the second-order intensity-correlation measurements for ODMR-active defects, but only one for those without an ODMR response. We also observe either positive or negative ODMR signal for each defect. Based on kinematic models, we relate this bipolarity to highly tuneable internal optical rates. Finally, we resolve an ODMR fine structure in the form of an angle-dependent doublet resonance, indicative of weak but finite zero-field splitting. Our results offer a promising route towards realising a room-temperature spin-photon quantum interface in hexagonal boron nitride.
Highlights
Addressable solid-state spins are important platforms for quantum technologies, such as repeaters and sensors
Multiple defect classes are emerging in Hexagonal boron nitride (hBN): a structure involving a single negatively charged boron vacancy (VB−) displays broad emission at 800 nm and optically detected magnetic resonance (ODMR); this defect has only been measured on the ensemble level[35,36,37,38]
The material is grown via an metal organic vapour phase epitaxy (MOVPE) process that results in hBN layers with a rough surface profile[53] and clear wrinkles that can be seen in confocal images (Supplementary Figs. 1, 2)
Summary
Addressable solid-state spins are important platforms for quantum technologies, such as repeaters and sensors. A family of narrow-band bright emitters with distinctly sharper zero-phonon lines (ZPL) in the visible spectral range[41,42,43,44,45,46,47,48,49,50,51,52] has recently received more attention; they can be created controllably via chemical vapour deposition (CVD)[44,45,46,47] and plasma treatment methods[48], display spectrally narrow bright optical emission[49], and have already been integrated into optical cavities[50,51,52] As such, they hold significant potential towards room-temperature devices for quantum-photonic applications; yet accessing their inherent spin at single-defect level is required for their implementation as a room-temperature spin-photon interface. Our results represent an important milestone for the development of room-temperature quantum optical platforms based on individually accessible qubits in two-dimensional materials
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