Ultraviolet Cathodoluminescence of Ion-Induced Defects in Hexagonal Boron Nitride

Hexagonal boron nitride is distinguished among solid-state materials with luminescent properties as a material to create single-photon sources efficiently emitting at room temperature. In this work, it is demonstrated that helium ion irradiation with fluences of (1–5) × 1014 ion/cm2 increases the ultraviolet radiation intensity with a maximum at a wavelength of 320 nm due to the formation of new luminescent centers. The subsequent electron irradiation further increases the intensity of 320 nm luminescence apparently due to the formation of carbon-containing defects in the volume of hBN through recombination-enhanced migration. On the contrary, the intense helium ion irradiation stimulates the formation of nonradiative recombination centers, which reduce the lifetime of nonequilibrium charge carriers.