This paper explores the use of negatively charged boron vacancies (VB−) in hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) as atomic-scale sensors for temperature, magnetic fields, and pressure. The high-spin triplet ground state and bright spin-dependent photoluminescence of VB− enable these sensing applications. The researchers find that the frequency shift in optically detected magnetic resonance (ODMR) measurements is sensitive to temperature and pressure changes, which are related to crystal lattice parameters. The study demonstrates the potential of spin-rich hBN films as intrinsic sensors in heterostructures of functionalized 2D materials.

Andreas Gottscholl, Matthias Diez, Victor Soltamov, Christian Kasper, Dominik Krauße, Andreas Sperlich, Mehran Kianinia, Carlo Bradac, Igor Aharonovich, Vladimir Dyakonov