The recently discovered spin defects in hexagonal boron nitride (hBN), a layered van der Waals material, have great potential in quantum sensing. However, the photoluminescence and the contrast of the optically detected magnetic resonance (ODMR) of hBN spin defects are relatively low so far, which limits their sensitivity. Here we report a record-high ODMR contrast of 46% at room temperature, and simultaneous enhancement of the photoluminescence of hBN spin defects by up to 17-fold by the surface plasmon of a gold-film microwave waveguide. Our results are obtained with shallow boron vacancy spin defects in hBN nanosheets created by low-energy He + ion implantation, and a gold-film microwave waveguide fabricated by photolithography. We also explore the effects of microwave and laser powers on the ODMR, and improve the sensitivity of hBN spin defects for magnetic field detection. Our results support the promising potential of hBN spin defects for nanoscale quantum sensing.

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The negatively charged boron vacancy (VB –) defect in hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) with optically addressable spin states has emerged due to its potential use in quantum sensing. Remarkably, VB – preserves its spin coherence when it is implanted at nanometer-scale distances from the hBN surface, potentially enabling ultrathin quantum sensors. However, its low quantum efficiency hinders its practical applications. Studies have reported improving the overall quantum efficiency of VB – defects with plasmonics; however, the overall enhancements of up to 17 times reported to date are relatively modest. Here, we demonstrate much higher emission enhancements of VB – with low-loss nanopatch antennas (NPAs). An overall intensity enhancement of up to 250 times is observed, corresponding to an actual emission enhancement of ∼1685 times by the NPA, along with preserved optically detected magnetic resonance contrast. Our results establish NPA-coupled VB – defects as high-resolution magnetic field sensors and provide a promising approach to obtaining single VB – defects.

Spin defects like the negatively charged boron vacancy color center (VB– ) in hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) may enable new forms of quantum sensing with near-surface defects in layered van der Waals heterostructures. Here, the effect of strain on VB– color centers in hBN is revealed with correlative cathodoluminescence and photoluminescence microscopies. Strong localized enhancement and redshifting of the VB– luminescence is observed at creases, consistent with density functional theory calculations showing VB– migration toward regions with moderate uniaxial compressive strain. The ability to manipulate spin defects with highly localized strain is critical to the development of practical 2D quantum devices and quantum sensors.

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