Beschreibung:
<jats:p>The possibility of modification of the local properties of hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) by laser irradiation is investigated. Investigations conducted using both Raman spectroscopy and electrostatic force microscopy were performed. Laser light induced modifications are found to cause no structural changes. However, they impact the Raman spectra and local charge state of the material. They are also shown to be stable in time and during electrical grounding of the sample. A mechanism of photoionization of deep defects present in h-BN is proposed to explain the observed phenomenon. The discussed effect opens up a new method of nanostructuration of h-BN based planar heterostructures.</jats:p>