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Quantum materials

Spinning up quantum defects in 2D materials

Nature Materials volume 19, pages 487–489 (2020)Cite this article

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Two studies shed light on quantum defects in two-dimensional hexagonal boron nitride, identifying an optically addressable spin centre at room temperature and offering microscopic insights into different classes of single-photon emitters.

During the past three decades, a rapidly increasing effort has been dedicated to investigating promising systems for quantum technologies, architectures able to take advantage of the counterintuitive properties of quantum mechanics and accomplish feats not classically achievable. One platform that has gained traction is based on atomic defects in wide-bandgap semiconductors, with an initial focus on three-dimensional crystals, such as diamond and SiC (refs. 1,2), and more recently involving layered two-dimensional materials such as hexagonal boron nitride (hBN)3,4. Point defects in atomically thin layers are expected to exhibit remarkable advantages compared to those found in bulk materials, but a number of fundamental unknowns are currently limiting technological progress in the field. Now, writing in Nature Materials, two groups, Andreas Gottscholl and colleagues5 as well as Fariah Hayee and colleagues6, expand our understanding of the properties of quantum defects in hBN, showing promising results for the future implementation of quantum technologies in this layered material.

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Fig. 1: Optically detected magnetic resonance for a quantum defect in hBN.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA

    M. E. Turiansky

  2. Center for Physical Sciences and Technology (FTMC), Vilnius, Lithuania

    A. Alkauskas

  3. Materials Department, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA

    C. G. Van de Walle

Authors
  1. M. E. Turiansky
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  2. A. Alkauskas
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  3. C. G. Van de Walle
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Correspondence to C. G. Van de Walle.

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Turiansky, M.E., Alkauskas, A. & Van de Walle, C.G. Spinning up quantum defects in 2D materials. Nat. Mater. 19, 487–489 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41563-020-0668-x

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