Equipment: MRI Track 1: Acquisition of an integrated physical property measurement system for the electrical, optical, and magnetic characterization of materials

The acquisition of a cryogen-free and integrated Physical Property Measurement System (PPMS) at the University of Utah is a significant advancement that bolsters the research activities in quantum science, bioengineering, and manufacturing at various universities and companies across Utah and the surrounding States. The state-of-the-art PPMS tool enables researchers to investigate the behavior of materials at low temperatures without the need for helium to operate and under various external conditions such as magnetic fields, pressure, and sample rotating angles.

The utilization of multifunctional characterization tools like the PPMS is crucial for pushing the frontiers of material understanding and designing new materials with controllable properties. The PPMS's ability to provide conclusive insights into electrical, optical, thermal, and magnetic properties with high spatial resolution greatly benefits the research community within the Intermountain West region.

The instrument meets the critical needs of research, education, and training by a diverse and large group of faculty within the Colleges of Science, Mines & Earth Sciences, Engineering, and the School of Medicine.

The inclusion of several magneto-optic interfaces adds even more value to the PPMS acquisition. The ability to investigate the ferromagnetic responses of quantum materials using a cryo-ferromagnetic resonance spectroscopy probe is a unique capability that currently does not exist in any facility in the State of Utah and its surrounding regions. This specific feature makes the PPMS a unique capability that fosters collaboration with major semiconducting companies in the area.

As such, the PPMS serves as a major open-access user facility where students and staff are constantly trained in the areas of microelectronics, semiconductors, and device engineering. More importantly, students and postdocs across many institutions (R1, R2, and primarily undergraduate institutions) strongly overlap with scientists at regional companies and government laboratories, which allow them to seek internships and job opportunities in the region, furthering scientific advancements and innovation in material science.

Pushing the frontiers of understanding the physical behavior of materials and designing new materials with controllable properties demands the utilization of multifunctional characterization tools that can provide conclusive electrical, optical, thermal, and magnetic property insights with sufficient spatial resolution. The cryogen-free and integrated PPMS provides a powerful capability to characterize the physical properties of materials at very low temperatures (100 mK-400 K) and as a function of magnetic fields, pressure, and sample rotating angles.

The location of the PPMS within the Materials Core Laboratory at the University of Utah boosts the research of regional companies, promote collaborative research, enhances existing lab outreach activities to underrepresented students in STEM fields, and expands educational programs. The PPMS includes several magneto-optic interfaces to investigate the ferromagnetic responses of quantum materials using a cryo-ferromagnetic resonance spectroscopy probe, a unique capability not present in any facility in the State of Utah and its surroundings.

There are currently 11 regional companies that make use of PPMS and help to spur the State’s burgeoning technology industry.

The University of Utah offers certificates in microscopy, diffraction, and nanotechnology which are enriched by the addition of the PPMS. Finally, the PPMS data acquired by underrepresented undergrads are presented to the public in a Spanish seminar series where various Spanish-speaking professors and students doing cutting-edge science deliver seminars to inform Hispanic families about the importance of a particular scientific topic.

Finally, the cryogen-free PPMS allows users to decrease helium consumption in research activities as well as train and expand the microelectronic workforce in coordination with industry and national laboratories within the State and its surroundings.

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.