Grant: Research Tools and Instruments - Category 1 (<$150,000)

X-ray diffraction, with its ability of providing complete information on the crystal structure of solids, is one of the most fundamental and widespread tools in materials science and materials processing. To this end, and among the many modern applications, two standard techniques are available for single crystals: - Single-crystal diffractometry. This is oldest and yet most precise method for the complete determination of the structure of single crystals (including atomic positions, bond lengths, and bond angles). - Laue diffractometry. Although not well suited for determining a yet unknown crystal structure, especially for complex materials, it provides a great deal of information in a very short exposure. Laue allows the fast characterization, alignment, and processing of already known single crystals, for which purposes the use of single-crystal diffractometry is too time consuming and thus inefficient. At UBC no Laue diffractometry facility is currently available in any of the departments on campus. This has become a critical impediment in much of the ongoing materials research work relying on 'well aligned' single crystals either for advanced-spectroscopy experiments or for further materials processing, such as the growth of novel oxides heterostructures and quantum materials. We are here proposing the purchase of a state-of-the-art real-time Laue camera system. Based on a position sensitive x-ray proportional counter connected to a custom computer system, and joystick controlled motorized orientation stages, this instrument allows orienting a single crystal extremely rapidly, while observing the corresponding Laue pattern evolve truly in real time. This also represents the ideal replacement for the Polaroid XR-7 back-reflection cassette of the previous generation Laue cameras, for which films will eventually no longer be available since Polaroid ceased production in 2008.