Article Observation of Boron Vacancy Concentration in Hexagonal Boron Nitride at Nanometer Scale

Jun Kikkawa SAMURAI ORCID (Center for Basic Research on Materials/Advanced Materials Characterization Field/Electron Microscopy Group, National Institute for Materials Science) ; Chikara Shinei SAMURAI ORCID (Research Center for Electronic and Optical Materials/Optical Materials Field/Semiconductor Defect Design Group, National Institute for Materials Science) ; Jun Chen SAMURAI ORCID (Research Center for Electronic and Optical Materials/Optical Materials Field/Semiconductor Defect Design Group, National Institute for Materials Science) ; Yuta Masuyama (National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology) ; Yuichi Yamazaki (National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology) ; Teruyasu Mizoguchi (Univ. Tokyo, Institute for Industrial Science) ; Koji Kimoto SAMURAI ORCID (Center for Basic Research on Materials, National Institute for Materials Science) ; Takashi Taniguchi SAMURAI ORCID (Research Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics (MANA), National Institute for Materials Science) ; Tokuyuki Teraji SAMURAI ORCID (Research Center for Electronic and Optical Materials/Optical Materials Field/Semiconductor Defect Design Group, National Institute for Materials Science)

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Jun Kikkawa, Chikara Shinei, Jun Chen, Yuta Masuyama, Yuichi Yamazaki, Teruyasu Mizoguchi, Koji Kimoto, Takashi Taniguchi, Tokuyuki Teraji. Observation of Boron Vacancy Concentration in Hexagonal Boron Nitride at Nanometer Scale. NANO LETTERS. 2025, (), . https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.nanolett.5c02988

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(abstract)

Negatively charged boron vacancy (NV-) ensembles in hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) have attracted considerable attention as a promising platform for quantum sensing. Current challenges include the experimental validation of the spatial distribution and electronic states of optically active VB- and optically inactive neutral boron vacancy VB0 defects. To address these issues, we employ electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) combined with scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) using monochromated 30-keV electrons, effectively reducing background interference. This approach unveils distinct spectral peaks at 2.5 and 1.9 eV, corresponding to VB- and VB0 defects, respectively. Furthermore, we achieve nanometer-scale concentration mapping for VB- and VB0 defects, advancing insights into spin defect configurations crucial for optimizing quantum sensor performance.

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Keyword: hexagonal boronnitride, boron vacancy, electron energy loss spectroscopy, scanning transmission electron microscopy, frist-principles simulation

Date published: 2025-09-03

Publisher: American Chemical Society

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  • 日本学術振興会 JP22H01959
  • 日本学術振興会 JP23H02052

Manuscript type: Publisher's version (Version of record)

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First published URL: https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.nanolett.5c02988

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Updated at: 2025-09-08 13:41:17 +0900

Published on MDR: 2025-08-27 16:18:56 +0900

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