CVD Growth of Isotopically Engineered Carbon-Doped hBN Single-Photon Emitters

About the project

About the Project This PhD develops a new chemical vapour deposition (CVD) route to wafer-scale, quantum-grade hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) for room-temperature single-photon emitters, the building blocks of quantum communication and photonics. The student will grow single-crystal hBN on molten copper and copper-tin alloys, whose atomically smooth surface removes grain boundaries, and engineer the emitters using 10B isotopic enrichment to sharpen emission and pulsed delta-doping to confine carbon defects to a single atomic plane. The goal is reproducible, wafer-uniform, position-controlled emitters verified by Raman, photoluminescence and single-photon (g²(0) < 0.1) measurements, providing a scalable supply of identical quantum light sources for secure communication and integrated quantum photonics. Candidates with strong backgrounds in one or more of the following areas are encouraged to apply: • Highly motivated student with a background in Electrical/Electronic Engineering, Materials Science, Applied Physics, or Chemistry • Hands-on experience in thin-film growth (CVD of 2D materials) and cleanroom nanofabrication would be ideal • Familiarity with materials characterisation such as Raman, photoluminescence or SEM/AFM is an advantage.

Research areas