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Register a new userUnraveling Ultrafast Photoionization in Hexagonal Boron Nitride
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The non-linear response of dielectrics to intense, ultrashort electric fields has been a sustained topic of interest for decades with one of its most important applications being femtosecond laser micro/nano-machining. More recently, renewed interests in strong field physics of solids were raised with the advent of mid-infrared femtosecond laser pulses, such as high-order harmonic generation, optical-field-induced currents, etc. All these processes are underpinned by photoionization (PI), namely the electron transfer from the valence to the conduction bands, on a time scale too short for phononic motion to be of relevance. Here, in hexagonal boron nitride, we reveal that the bandgap can be finely manipulated by femtosecond laser pulses as a function of field polarization direction with respect to the lattice, in addition to the fields intensity. It is the modification of bandgap that enables the ultrafast PI processes to take place in dielectrics. We further demonstrate the validity of the Keldysh theory in describing PI in dielectrics in the few TW/cm2 regime.
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Hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) is an emerging layered material that plays a key role in a variety of two-dimensional devices, and has potential applications in nanophotonics and nanomechanics. Here, we demonstrate the first cavity optomechanical system incorporating hBN. Nanomechanical resonators consisting of hBN beams with predicted thickness between 8 nm and 51 nm were fabricated using electron beam induced etching and positioned in the optical nearfield of silicon microdisk cavities. A 160 fm/$sqrt{text{Hz}}$ sensitivity to the hBN nanobeam motion is demonstrated, allowing observation of thermally driven mechanical resonances with frequencies between 1 and 23 MHz, and mechanical quality factors reaching 1100 at room temperature in high vacuum. In addition, the role of air damping is studied via pressure dependent measurements. Our results constitute an important step towards realizing integrated optomechanical circuits employing hBN.
Hexagonal boron nitride (hBN)-long-known as a thermally stable ceramic-is now available as atomically smooth, single-crystalline flakes, revolutionizing its use in optoelectronics. For nanophotonics, these flakes offer strong nonlinearities, hyperbolic dispersion, and single-photon emission, providing unique properties for optical and quantum-optical applications. For nanoelectronics, their pristine surfaces, chemical stability, and wide bandgap have made them the key substrate, encapsulant, and gate dielectric for two-dimensional electronic devices. However, while exploring these advantages, researchers have been restricted to flat flakes or those patterned with basic slits and holes, severely limiting advanced architectures. If freely varying flake profiles were possible, the hBN structure would present a powerful design parameter to further manipulate the flow of photons, electrons, and excitons in next-generation devices. Here, we demonstrate freeform nanostructuring of hBN by combining thermal scanning-probe lithography and reactive-ion etching to shape flakes with surprising fidelity. We leverage sub-nanometer height control and high spatial resolution to produce previously unattainable flake structures for a broad range of optoelectronic applications. For photonics, we fabricate microelements and show the straightforward transfer and integration of such elements by placing a spherical hBN microlens between two planar mirrors to obtain a stable, high-quality optical microcavity. We then decrease the patterning length scale to introduce Fourier surfaces for electrons, creating sophisticated, high-resolution landscapes in hBN, offering new possibilities for strain and band-structure engineering. These capabilities can advance the discovery and exploitation of emerging phenomena in hyperbolic metamaterials, polaritonics, twistronics, quantum materials, and 2D optoelectronic devices.
High pressure Raman experiments on Boron Nitride multi-walled nanotubes show that the intensity of the vibrational mode at ~ 1367 cm-1 vanishes at ~ 12 GPa and it does not recover under decompression. In comparison, the high pressure Raman experiments on hexagonal Boron Nitride show a clear signature of a phase transition from hexagonal to wurtzite at ~ 13 GPa which is reversible on decompression. These results are contrasted with the pressure behavior of carbon nanotubes and graphite.
We report second-harmonic generation (SHG) from thick hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) flakes with approximately 109-111 layers. The resulting effective second-order susceptibility is similar to previously reported few-layer experiments. This confirms that thick hBN flakes can serve as a platform for nonlinear optics, which is useful because thick flakes are easy to exfoliate while retaining a large flake size. We also show spatial second-harmonic maps revealing that SHG remains a useful tool for the characterization of the layer structure even in the case of a large number of layers.
Color centers in hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) are becoming an increasingly important building block for quantum photonic applications. Herein, we demonstrate the efficient coupling of recently discovered spin defects in hBN to purposely designed bullseye cavities. We show that the all monolithic hBN cavity system exhibits an order of magnitude enhancement in the emission of the coupled boron vacancy spin defects. In addition, by comparative finite difference time domain modelling, we shed light on the emission dipole orientation, which has not been experimentally demonstrated at this point. Beyond that, the coupled spin system exhibits an enhanced contrast in optically detected magnetic resonance readout and improved signal to noise ratio. Thus, our experimental results supported by simulations, constitute a first step towards integration of hBN spin defects with photonic resonators for a scalable spin photon interface.
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