MRI: Acquisition of a Low-Vibration, Cryogen-Free Cryostat Microscope System

University Of California-Berkeley, Berkeley CA

Investigators

Abstract

Non-Technical Description: This Major Research Instrumentation project supports the acquisition of a low-vibration, cryogen-free measurement system at the University of California - Berkeley for studying emerging two-dimensional materials such as graphene and transition metal dichalcogenides. The system enables optical and electrical measurements of materials properties with high precision under large magnetic fields, and offers precise control of charge and novel intrinsic properties of electrons in the two-dimensional materials. The trifecta of magnetic field, electrical contacts, and optical excitation offers new research opportunities for probing the quantum phenomena of these novel materials as well as exploring their optoelectronic applications. In the meanwhile, the system provides a platform for forging new collaborations, student training and workforce development. The research positively impacts society through the development of new atomically-thin materials that revolutionize major areas of computing, electronics and human healthcare. Technical Description: The emerging, atomically-thin two-dimensional crystals of graphene and transition metal dichalcogenides offer exciting opportunities to develop novel optoelectronic devices by engineering quantum phenomena at the atomic scale. Owing to their reduced dimensionality, two-dimensional materials process unprecedented properties through their enhanced many-body interactions and quantum confinement. To fully explore two-dimensional materials, researchers must understand the interplay among the electrons, lattice phonons, and excitons in such reduced dimensions. The research enabled by this instrument acquisition spans materials science, physics and device engineering. With a novel combination of magnetic field, electrical contacts, and optical pump of materials at low temperatures, the critical quantum behaviors and transport properties of two-dimensional materials can be revealed, which is the key to developing future optoelectronic devices such as valley light-emitting diode, wearable piezoelectric generator, and ultrathin optical sensors.