Executive Summary : | Two-dimensional Van der Waals materials, particularly hexagonal Boron Nitride (hBN), have emerged as promising hosts for single photon emitter (SPEs). These luminous point defects, known as color centers, are highly efficient stable bright emission, with potential applications in quantum computation, quantum nano photonics, quantum communication, and quantum sensing. This research proposal aims to synthesize hBN nanosheets/films using CVD and liquid exfoliation techniques, with a high density of SPEs distributed throughout the layers. Electron/ion irradiation/implantation will be conducted using accelerator facilities at NISER, Bhubaneswar, and IUAC, New Delhi. The electronic structure of intrinsic and extrinsic defects will be studied using DFT calculations and VASP simulations. Optical characterization facilities such as UV/Visible absorption spectrophotometer and FTIR will be used for confirmation of synthesized hBN multilayers/monolayers/flakes. Raman scattering studies will be conducted using confocal Raman spectrometer at AIRF, JNU. Structural and morphological studies will be conducted using AFM and XRD facilities at SPS, JNU. The magnetic nature of externally induced defects will be studied using EPR facility at AIRF, JNU. Defect induced Fermi level modulation will be explored using SKPM facility. The study of single photon emission from color centers will be conducted using a laser-based micro PL spectrophotometer. Comparing the properties of SPEs present in hBN grown by different methods can help understand defect formation and structure. Controlling the ion/electron beam will enable the generation and engineering of luminescent color centers, enabling tuning of SPEs for applications in quantum technologies like nanophotonics and nanosensors. |