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Solid-state single-quantum emitters are a crucial resource for on-chip photonic quantum technologies and require efficient cavity-emitter coupling to realize quantum networks beyond the single-node level 1,2 . Previous approaches to enhance light-matter interactions rely on forming nanocavities around randomly located quantum dots 3-8 or color centers 9,10 but lack spatial control of the quantum emitter itself that is required for scaling. Here we demonstrate a deterministic approach to achieve Purcell-enhancement at lithographically defined locations using the sharp corner of a metal nanocube for both electric field enhancement and to deform a two-dimensional material. For a 3×4 array of strain-induced exciton quantum emitters formed into monolayer WSe2 we show spontaneous emission rate enhancement with Purcell-factors (FP) up to FP=1050 (average FP=272), single-photon purification, and cavity-enhanced quantum yields increasing from initially 1% to 15%. The utility of our nanoplasmonic platform is applicable to other 2D material, including boron nitride, opening new inroads in quantum photonics.

Higher-order correlated excitonic states arise from the mutual interactions of excitons, which generally requires a significant exciton density and therefore high excitation levels. Here, we report the emergence of two biexcitons species, one neutral and one charged, in monolayer tungsten diselenide under moderate continuous-wave excitation. The efficient formation of biexcitons is facilitated by the long lifetime of the dark exciton state associated with a spin-forbidden transition, as well as improved sample quality from encapsulation between hexagonal boron nitride layers. From studies of the polarization and magnetic field dependence of the neutral biexciton, we conclude that this species is composed of a bright and a dark excitons residing in opposite valleys in momentum space. Our observations demonstrate that the distinctive features associated with biexciton states can be accessed at low light intensities and excitation densities.

Two dimensional (2D) transition-metal dichalcogenide (TMD) based semiconductors have generated intense recent interest due to their novel optical and electronic properties, and potential for applications. In this work, we characterize the atomic and electronic nature of intrinsic point defects found in single crystals of these materials synthesized by two different methods-chemical vapor transport and self-flux growth. Using a combination of scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), we show that the two major intrinsic defects in these materials are metal vacancies and chalcogen antisites. We show that by control of the synthetic conditions, we can reduce the defect concentration from above 10 13 /cm 2 to below 10 11 /cm 2. Because these point defects act as centers for non-radiative recombination of excitons, this improvement in material quality leads to a hundred-fold increase in the radiative recombination efficiency.

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