MRI: Acquisition of Magento-optical-high-frequency cryogen free probe station for research and education

Probe station is an essential scientific instrument used by scientists and engineers to test and measure new materials and devices. This major research instrumentation project will acquire a high-performance closed cycle liquid cryogen free low temperature probe station with electrical, magnetic, optical and high frequency probing capabilities for high impact research and STEM education at the University at Buffalo (UB).

The state-of-the-art tool with several unique technical features will immensely improve the research infrastructure at UB. The tool will have broad impact with usage from faculties, researchers, students, and entrepreneurs at UB and other institutes in the western New York region (WNY). The unique feature of the tool is the ability to simultaneously probe magneto-optical-electrical properties across a wide range of temperatures (5 K to 500K).

The salient technical features of the tool will enable high impact research in a broad range of fields spanning engineering, physics, chemistry, materials science, and biology. The unique features of the tool are the ability to probe materials and devices with magneto-electrical, magneto-RF, electro-optical, magneto-RF-optical signals and combinations thereof.

These features are necessary for innovative research in materials and devices for quantum information science, 5G and beyond communications and next generation energy technologies. Furthermore, the tool will enable probing the fundamental science and chemistry of emergent materials and interfaces opening the avenues for new knowledge. Undergraduate and graduate students in the engineering and science discipline at UB and across WNY region will have access and training to the tool through courses and programs offered by various engineering and science departments at UB.

The tool will have positive effect across a wide range of topics of current national focus on maintaining US leadership. These include semiconductors, quantum information science, 5G and beyond communication, clean energy technologies. The research opportunity given to undergraduate and graduate students will help build the skills of the future workforce and maintain the economic competitiveness of the US.

The tool will be incorporated into and managed by the shared instrumentation and equipment portal at UB providing easy access to both academic and industrial users. The strong outreach programs underway at UB will also use this facility.

Probe stations are essential tools for engineers and scientists to investigate fundamental science through convenient, fast, repeatable measurements of electrical, optical, and magnetic properties of materials and devices producing consistent results. They are versatile, flexible but more importantly easy, fast to use research platforms that can be used by multiple researchers in electronics, photonics, engineering, materials science, physics, and chemistry departments.

The unique features of the tool are the ability to probe materials and devices with magneto-electrical, magneto-RF, electro-optical, magneto-RF-optical signals and combinations thereof. The tool will enable research in a broad range of topics: low power non-volatile high speed magneto-electric based logic and memory devices for energy efficient data intensive computing applications; next generation RF and power devices using ultawidebandgap semiconductors; tunnel FETs and cold electron transistors based on emerging 2-D materials; high power flexible electronics based on widebandgap semiconductors; room temperature mid-infrared (MIR)/THz devices based on coupling of optical phonons in III-V semiconductors to graphene plasmonic structures; understanding of the fundamental physics in correlated electron systems using noise spectroscopy; high temperature superconductors for quantum information science and characterization of 2-D materials, heterointerfaces, and devices.

These high impact research have applications that range from computing, communication, and energy. It will also help in understanding fundamental physics in the 2-D magnets and polar molecules. The proposed tool to be acquired will have high vertical magnetic fields, with DC, optical and RF probing capabilities. These unique features are essential to conduct the proposed research.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.