Facilities

Solid state synthesis

Materials for thin film targets are synthesized using high temperature box furnace and tube furnaces (with provision for oxygen rich atmosphere for heating)

Epitaxial thin film growth

      The thin film growths are performed using a pulsed laser deposition system, the heart of it being a KrF excimer laser. An in-situ Reflection High Energy Electron Diffraction system (RHEED) is installed to monitor layer by layer growth. 

Transport measurements

A number of setups are present in the lab to carry out extensive transport measurements

  • A closed cycle cryostat operating on Gifford McMahon refrigeration cycle, to measure electrical transport from 300 K to 4 K temperature.
  • Liquid Nitrogen dipstick setups to measure electrical transport from 300 K to 77 K.
  • A superconducting magnet running on liquid Helium that can measure upto 2 K temperature and ramp magnetic field from -9 to 9 Tesla. Both in-plane and out of plane magnetic field for magneto-transport measurements are feasible.

Department Central facilities

Several department central facilities are used.

  • Rigaku based X-ray diffraction facility using Cu K-∝ rays to carry out thin film and powder X-ray diffraction and X ray-reflectivity for film characterization.
  • Atomic Force Microscopy to characterize surface properties of the thin film.
  • MPMS for magnetic measurements.
  • Wire bonder for bonding purpose.

Large scale facilities

We also perform various x-ray based experiments and muon spin rotation spectroscopy at synchrotron and muon sources around the globe.