Reproducible generation of green-emitting color centers in hBN using oxygen annealing

Abstract

The ability to generate quantum emitters with reproducible properties in solid-state matrices is crucial for quantum technologies. Here, we show that a high density of close-to-identical single-photon emitters can be created in commercial hexagonal boron nitride using annealing under oxygen atmosphere. This simple procedure yields a uniform in-plane distribution of color centers consistently emitting around 539.4 nm, with a wavelength spread smaller than 1 nm. We present an extensive characterization of their photophysical properties, showing that the emitters are bright and stable, and exhibit narrow lines at low temperatures with minimal spectral diffusion. These characteristics make this family of quantum emitters highly appealing for applications to quantum information science.