Fabrication of a Freestanding Boron Nitride Single Layer and Its Defect Assignments

Abstract

A freestanding single layer of hexagonal boron nitride ($h$-BN) has been successfully fabricated by controlled energetic electron irradiation through a layer-by-layer sputtering process. We have successfully resolved atomic defects in $h$-BN with triangle shapes by means of an aberration corrected high-resolution transmission electron microscopy with exit-wave reconstruction. Boron monovacancies are found to be preferably formed and the dominating zigzag-type edges are proved to be nitrogen terminated.