For more than seven decades, hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) has been employed as an inert, thermally stable engineering ceramic; since 2010, it has also been used as the optimal substrate for graphene in nanoelectronic and optoelectronic devices. Recent research has revealed that hBN exhibits a unique combination of optical properties that enable novel (nano)photonic functionalities. Specifically, hBN is a natural hyperbolic material in the mid-IR range, in which photonic material options are sparse. Furthermore, hBN hosts defects that can be engineered to obtain room-temperature, single-photon emission; exhibits strong second-order nonlinearities with broad implications for practical devices; and is a wide-bandgap semiconductor well suited for deep UV emitters and detectors. Inspired by these promising attributes, research on the properties of hBN and the development of large-area bulk and thin-film growth techniques has dramatically expanded. This Review offers a snapshot of current research exploring the properties underlying the use of hBN for future photonics functionalities and potential applications, and covers some of the remaining obstacles.

七十多年来，六方氮化硼（hBN）被用作惰性，热稳定的工程陶瓷。自2010年以来，它还被用作纳米电子和光电设备中石墨烯的最佳基材。最近的研究表明，hBN具有独特的光学性能组合，可实现新颖的（纳米）光子功能。具体而言，hBN是中红外范围内的自然双曲材料，其中光子材料选项很少。此外，hBN包含可以设计为获得室温单光子发射的缺陷。表现出很强的二阶非线性，对实际设备具有广泛的意义；并且是一种宽带隙半导体，非常适合深紫外发射器和检测器。受到这些有前途的属性的启发，关于hBN特性的研究以及大面积本体和薄膜生长技术的发展已大大扩展。这篇综述提供了当前研究的概况，探讨了将hBN用于未来光子学功能和潜在应用的潜在特性，并涵盖了一些尚存的障碍。