Directing functional defect formation in 2D quantum materials

Andrew Mannix, Assistant Professor of Materials Science and Engineering
Jelena Vuckovic, Jensen Huang Professor of Global Leadership, Professor of Electrical Engineering, by courtesy, of Applied Physics
Tony Heinz, Professor of Applied Physics and Photon Science, by courtesy, of Electrical Engineering

Summary: We aim to advance quantum technologies by developing a method to deterministically place individual color center point defects with nanometer precision, which will overcome a major barrier in color center devices. Our technique, based on an atomic force microscope (AFM), will apply a precisely regulated voltage to initiate local breakdown and create defects at specific locations in hexagonal boron nitride (hBN), which hosts color centers useful for quantum sensing and single photon emission. This approach is feasible based on preliminary experiments, is likely applicable to many 2D materials, and can initiate the synthesis of diverse color centers by chemically reacting the patterned defect sites (e.g., annealing in controlled gas environments). This seed project will enable our multidisciplinary team to refine this method, establish the quantum-optical and spin properties of color centers created, and apply them to a variety of additional materials and to quantum device applications.