English

Deterministic integration of quantum emitters and optical cavities in a van der Waals crystal

Optics 2026-01-08 v1

Abstract

Single-photon emitters in hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) combine bright optical emission with optically addressable spin states, offering a promising platform for integrated quantum photonics. However, their stochastic creation and spectral variability have prevented deterministic integration with photonic cavities. Here we demonstrate a fabrication protocol that enables precise, deterministic coupling of pre-selected visible emitters to circular Bragg grating (CBG) cavities in hBN. By patterning etched alignment markers and performing prefabrication confocal mapping, we locate emitters with sub-micron accuracy and design cavity geometries matched to their zero-phonon line wavelengths. The resulting devices show enhanced emission and reliable spectral alignment between emitter and cavity mode. This work establishes a deterministic cavity-emitter integration scheme in a van der Waals material and provides a scalable route towards on-chip quantum photonic and spin-based platforms using hBN.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2601.03803,
  title  = {Deterministic integration of quantum emitters and optical cavities in a van der Waals crystal},
  author = {James Liddle-Wesolowski and Otto Cranwell Schaeper and Nathan Coste and Benjamin Whitefield and Evan Williams and Helen Zhi Jie Zeng and Mehran Kianinia and Anastasiia Zalogina and Igor Aharonovich},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2601.03803},
  year   = {2026}
}

Comments

11 pages, 4 figures