Our Facilities

Our lab (2000 ft2) is well equipped for a variety of spectroscopic measurements. Our major infrared bench is a Bruker 113V Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometer (22 - 5000 cm-1). It is equipped with a reflectance/transittance stage, far- and mid-infrared polarizer/analyzer sets, a high sensitivity liquid helium cooled bolometer detector, and a liquid helium cooled boron-doped Si detector. Both an open-flow variable-temperature cryostat (4 - 800 K) and an immersion cryostat (1.5 - 30 K), complete with transfer line and temperature controller, can be easily inserted. An infrared microscope complements the aforementioned spectroscopic capabilities and is ideal for studying small samples or materials inside a diamond anvil cell over the 600 - 15000 cm-1 frequency range. This instrument can be run in both transmission and reflectance mode, and it is outfitted for both polarized and variable temperature experiments (4 - 500 K). A Perkin-Elmer Lambda-1050 grating spectrometer covers the 3800 - 50000 cm-1 frequency range; it is set up for both transmission and reflectance measurements. Variable temperature (2 - 800 K) and polarization capability are also available on this instrument, and a diamond anvil cell can be easily inserted into the condensor optics. A ruby fluorimeter is available for pressure determination. Sample holders and the like are generally inter-changeable between all of our instruments, and a long working distance Leica stereo microscope is available to mount crystals and load pressure cells. A dedicated Horiba LabRAM HR Raman scattering spectrometer recently arrived as well and is fully operational (with low profile cryostats to change temperature between 4 and 500 K, pressure cells, and various polarizer/analyzer combinations). To complement our spectroscopic work, we have a Netzsch thermal analysis system (combined differential scanning calorimetry and thermal gravimetric analysis) as well as a home-built photoconductivity setup. The former is for exploring the thermodynamics of quantum materials, and the latter is for revealing light on/light off relationships. The photoconductivity setup is equipped with a low power xenon source, adjustable microprobes, a multimeter and power meter, a variety of optics, and a set of narrow pass filters. A sputtering system allows deposition of Pt and Au contacts. We also use this system to evaporate aluminum for scattering corrections.

Bruker 113v, Leica stereo microscope, 300 K photoconductivity setup, Bruker equinox 55 with microscope, Horiba LabRAM HR Raman scattering system, and Perkin Elmer lambda-1050 spectrometer.