Microscopy optical cryostat and heating stage

Procurement Summary

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Physical Measurement Laboratory (PML), Nanoscale Device Characterization Division (NDCD), Nanoscale Spectroscopy Group (NSG) requires a microscopy optical cryostat and heating stage for spectroscopic measurement of color centers and excitonic devices. This equipment is necessary to determine the performance of these optoelectronic materials as quantum sensors. The measurements require spatial resolution that is not achievable without coupling them to an optical microscope. Temperature control is essential to this research. In many cases, the sensor performance improves dramatically at reduced temperatures due to a decrease in phonon noise. While helium cooling would be prohibitively expensive for these sensors to be used commercially, liquid nitrogen is acceptably priced. Additional research will require elevated temperatures. This includes optical measurements of color centers in wide band gap semiconductors for power electronics operating at temperatures up to 600 °C. Fine control of temperature is required to develop optical thermometry at high temperatures. The need for optical measurements of electronic devices necessitates that the optical cryostat and heating stage has four built-in connections for electrical measurements. The sample holder must also be small enough to be easily incorporated into our existing spectroscopic microscopes. The new temperature-control capability afforded by this equipment will support the development and advancement of optical, electrical, and magnetic spectroscopic measurement methods for nanoscale characterization of materials and will apply this knowledge to nanoscale devices. This new characterization capability is an essential component of the NDCD’s ongoing efforts to develop color centers and excitonic materials as a platform for future quantum sensing technologies.

Yes

Yes