Deterministically Creating Single-Photon Emitters in Hexagonal Boron Nitrides on Chip-Compatible Substrates

Two-dimensional hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) that hosts room-temperature single-photon emitters (SPEs) is promising for quantum information applications. An important step towards the practical application of hBN is the on-demand, position-controlled generation of SPEs. Strategies reported for deterministic creation of hBN SPEs either rely on substrate nanopatterning that is not compatible with integrated photonics, or utilize radiation sources that might introduce unpredictable damage or contamination to hBN. Here, we report a radiation- and lithography-free route to deterministically activate hBN SPEs by nanoindentation with an atomic force microscope (AFM). The method applies to hBN flakes on flat silicon-dioxide-silicon substrates that can be readily integrated into on-chip photonic devices. The achieved SPE yields are above 30% for multiple indent sizes, and a maximum yield of 36% is demonstrated for indents around 400 nm. Our results mark an important step towards the deterministic creation and integration of hBN SPEs with photonic and plasmonic devices.