Coupling Spin Defects in a Layered Material to Nanoscale Plasmonic Cavities

Abstract Spin defects in hexagonal boron nitride, and specifically the negatively charged boron vacancy (V_B^‐) centers, are emerging candidates for quantum sensing. However, the V_B^‐ defects suffer from low quantum efficiency and, as a result, exhibit weak photoluminescence. In this work, a scalable approach is demonstrated to dramatically enhance the V_B^‐ emission by coupling to a plasmonic gap cavity. The plasmonic cavity is composed of a flat gold surface and a silver cube, with few‐layer hBN flakes positioned in between. Employing these plasmonic cavities, two orders of magnitude are extracted in photoluminescence enhancement associated with a corresponding twofold enhancement in optically detected magnetic resonance contrast. The work will be pivotal to progress in quantum sensing employing 2D materials, and in realization of nanophotonic devices with spin defects in hexagonal boron nitride.