Synthesis
Our group is dedicated to the synthesis of high purity single crystals of quantum materials. In a nut shell these are materials with physical properties that escape a description based on classical physics, but can be understood in terms of quantum physics. The quantum Hall effect and superconductivity are prominent examples. Our current research is focused on topological insulators, Weyl semimetals, van der Waals heterostructures, and strongly correlated electron materials. High quality crystals are key for the discovery of fine details and new phenomena, in particular in the case of quantum effects that are inherently fragile towards impurities and disorder. We employ several standard methods such as CVT and flux growth, as well as a laser based TSFZ method. In addition we are developing specialized synthesis techniques.
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Characterization of bulk crystals
We perform a multidude of measurements for quality check and in-depth studies of our bulk materials. This includes magnetic and various transport properties, with particular interest in quantum oscillation measurements. Several of these properties can also be measured at high pressure. Detailed atomic and magnetic structure studies are performed at synchrotron and neutron facilities around the world. For chemical and strucutral analysis we are using state of the art instrumentation of the Chemical Research Support division, including x-ray diffractometers and electron microscopes, for details see http://www.weizmann.ac.il/ChemicalResearchSupport/.
Device Fabrication
We are particularly interested in quantum transport in mesoscopic systems made of our new materials. To this end we exfoliate our bulk crystals of van der Waals materials down to few-layer and monolayer thickness, and turn them into devices consisting of stacks of crystal sheets, using setups for exfoliation, manipulation, and stacking in cleanroom environment. For the lithographic process we have access to the complete range of device fabrication tools including e-beam writer and FIB in the Braun Center for Submicron Research in our department, for details see: http://www.weizmann.ac.il/condmat/submicron/.
