@article{0f12a792a43644369eaabf5c167002dd,
title = "Controlled generation of luminescent centers in hexagonal boron nitride by irradiation engineering",
abstract = "Luminescent centers in the two-dimensional material hexagonal boron nitride have the potential to enable quantum applications at room temperature. To be used for applications, it is crucial to generate these centers in a controlled manner and to identify their microscopic nature. Here, we present a method inspired by irradiation engineering with oxygen atoms. We systematically explore the influence of the kinetic energy and the irradiation fluence on the generation of luminescent centers. We find modifications of their density for both parameters, while a fivefold enhancement is observed with increasing fluence. Molecular dynamics simulations clarify the generation mechanism of these centers and their microscopic nature. We infer that VNCB and V-B are the most likely centers formed. Ab initio calculations of their optical properties show excellent agreement with our experiments. Our methodology generates quantum emitters in a controlled manner and provides insights into their microscopic nature.",
author = "M. Fischer and Caridad, {J. M.} and A. Sajid and S. Ghaderzadeh and M. Ghorbani-Asl and L. Gammelgaard and P. B{\o}ggild and Thygesen, {K. S.} and Krasheninnikov, {A. V.} and S. Xiao and M. Wubs and N. Stenger",
note = "Funding Information: This work was funded by the Danish National Research Foundation through the Center for Nanostructured Graphene (grant number DNRF103) and through NanoPhoton - Center for Nanophotonics (grant number DNRF147). N.S. acknowledges support from VILLUM FONDEN (grant no. 00028233). M.W. and N.S. acknowledge support from the Independent Research Fund Denmark - Natural Sciences (project no. 0135-004038). J.M.C. acknowledges support from Vinnova (grant no. 2019-02878) and MINECO Ram{\'o}n y Cajal program (project no. RYC2019- 028443-I). S.X. acknowledges the support from Independent Research Fund Denmark (project no. 9041-00333B). J.M.C., L.G., and P.B. acknowledge the support from EU H2020 Graphene Flagship, grant agreements 785219 (Core 2) and 881603 (Core 3). A.S. and K.S.T. acknowledge the support from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (grant no. 773122, LIMA). A.V.K. acknowledges the financial support of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) through project KR 4866/2-1. Parts of our optical setup are financed through the IDUN Center of Excellence funded by the Danish National Research Foundation (project no. DNRF122) and VILLUM FONDEN (Grant No. 9301). Publisher Copyright: Copyright {\textcopyright} 2021 The Authors, some rights reserved.",
year = "2021",
month = feb,
day = "17",
doi = "10.1126/sciadv.abe7138",
language = "English",
volume = "7",
journal = "Science Advances",
issn = "2375-2548",
publisher = "American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)",
number = "8",
}