Diamond has become the go-to material for quantum sensing because of its cooperative nitrogen atmosphere, controlled rotation, sensitivity to magnetic fields, and ability to be used at room temperature. With such an appropriate, easy to produce and quantity, there is no point in searching for other things in diamonds. But this goat of the quantum world has an Achilles’ heel… It’s too big. Just like an NFL running back isn’t the best athlete running in the Kentucky Derby, diamonds aren’t ideal for finding quantum sensors and information processing. When the diamond is small, the perfectly stable spots begin to disappear. There is a limit at which diamonds become worthless.
Add hBN.
HBN was initially overlooked as a quantum sensor and quantum information processing platform. That changed recently when several new defects were discovered that are shaping up to be strong competitors in the nitrogen hole complex of diamond. Among these, the boron vacancy (one atom missing from the hBN crystal lattice) has emerged as the most promising to date. However, it can exist in different charge states or only the -1 charge state is suitable for spin-based applications. Other paid states are still difficult to identify and study. This is a problem because the state of the charge can fluctuate, changing between states -1 and 0, making it unstable, especially in the typical environment of quantum devices. and sensors.
But as explained in a paper published today in Nano Letters, researchers at TMOS, the ARC Center of Excellence for Transformative Meta-Optical Systems, have developed a method (Move over the diamond: hBN is quantum’s new best friend) to stabilize the -1 state and a new experimental method to study the state load of mistakes. and hBN using optical stimulation and electron irradiation at the same time. Lead researcher Angus Gale says, “This research shows that hBN has the potential to replace diamond as the preferred material for quantum sensing and quantum information processing because we can support atomic dots of turns on these devices, resulting in 2D hBN layers that can be applied to devices where diamond cannot.
Author Dominic Scognamiglio says, “We have characterized this material and discovered some interesting and unique properties, but the study of hBN is still in its infancy. There are no other papers on switching states, switching or stability of the boron hole, so we are taking the first step to fill this gap in the literature and better understand this material.
Research director Milos Toth says, “The next part of the research will focus on the measurement of the emission probe that will allow us to improve the hBN defect for understanding and fast quantum photonics.
Quantum computing is a rapidly changing field. Quantum sensors promise better sensitivity and better spatial resolution than conventional sensors. Among its many applications, one of the most important for Industry 4.0 and the announcement of devices is the detection of temperature and electric and magnetic fields in microelectronic devices. Their sense of smell is their main control. Power management is one of the limiting factors to improve the performance of small devices. Determining accurate numbers at the nanoscale will help prevent microchip overheating and improve performance and reliability.
Quantum imaging also has important applications in the field of medical technology, where its ability to detect magnetic nanoparticles and molecules can one day be used as an injectable diagnostic tool that looks for cancer cells, or it can monitor metabolic processes. effect of therapeutic treatment. To study boron vacancy defects in hBN, the TMOS team developed a new experimental setup that combines a photoluminescent confocal microscope with an electron microscope (SEM). This allowed them to use electrons and electronic microcircuits to simulate the charged state of boron depletion at the same time, while measuring the defect. Gale says: “This method is innovative because it allows us to focus the laser on the image of individual spots on the hBN, where electronic circuits and electricity are used. This change of A special microscope; it helped a lot and improved our workflow a lot.
Source: ARC Centre of Excellence for Transformative Meta-Optical Systems
