Coupling spin defects in hexagonal boron nitride to a microwave cavity

Abstract

Optically addressable spin defects in hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) have become a promising platform for quantum sensing. While sensitivity of these defects is limited by their interactions with the spin environment in hBN, inefficient microwave delivery can further reduce their sensitivity. Here, we design and fabricate a microwave double arc resonator for efficient transferring of the microwave field at 3.8 GHz. The spin transitions in the ground state of VB− are coupled to the frequency of the microwave cavity, which result in enhanced optically detected magnetic resonance (ODMR) contrast. In addition, the linewidth of the ODMR signal further reduces, achieving a magnetic field sensitivity as low as 42.4 μT/√Hz. Our robust and scalable device engineering is promising for future employment of spin defects in hBN for quantum sensing.