Grant: Research Tools and Instruments

This proposal is for the purchase of an electron-beam (e-beam) evaporator that will be used as an add-on to the molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) cluster located in Stewart Blusson Quantum Matter Institute (SBQMI) at UBC. The cluster tool is the central infrastructure of the Quantum Materials and Devices Foundry (QMDF), designed to tackle the most challenging questions in engineered quantum material systems. The proposed evaporator is necessary for depositing high-melting temperature 4d and 5d refractory metals that are essential in topological materials, such as WTe2 and SrIrO3, because they introduce strong spin-orbit coupling into the electronic structure. We aim to build a world¬-class research program that has the ability to routinely design, induce, and control new properties and functionalities, such as superconductivity and topologically protected states, in transition¬ metal chalcogenides and oxides and other novel two¬-dimensional materials systems. These goals underlie many of the core research directives currently in vigor at SBQMI. The major obstacle to MBE growth of materials containing elements such as Ta, Ru, Ir and Mo is the metals' intrinsically unstable evaporation rates at the required high temperatures (~2500°C). The evaporator, and our innovative application of in situ electron diffraction developed at QMDF, solves this critical issue and provides a versatile approach to guarantee perfect stoichiometry. With the possibility of stabilizing new phases containing refractory metals, we aim to achieve major breakthroughs in the synthesis of quantum materials. Research on new materials and devices has been supporting the rapid economic growth of Canada with technological innovations for example in semiconductor industries in the past, and new quantum materials are key to Canada's roadmap for quantum technologies in the future. QMDF's research program will be central to HQP training. With its emphasis on complex materials, nanoscience, MBE, and advanced spectroscopy, of strategic importance to UBC and Canada, the QMDF plays a key role in HQP training. The acquisition of the e-beam evaporator for the MBE + ARPES cluster will offer HQP access to a unique suite of highly-specialized infrastructure, providing training in critical skills for both research and industry.