MRI: Acquisition of optical access in a cryogenic scanning probe microscope for quantum sensing capabilities

材料科学正处于第二次量子革命之中，其中宏观尺度上的量子现象使新形式的量子材料和量子技术能够在医学，银行和国防中产生革命性的影响，这是由于量子使信息技术，传感，通信，计算，模拟和密码学的进步，仅举几个例子。该主要研究仪器奖支持内布拉斯加大学林肯分校，该大学拥有内布拉斯加州材料和纳米科学中心（NCMN）及其NSF资助的新兴量子材料和技术EPSCoR中心。通过这项MRI奖项，研究人员将充分利用现有的低温扫描探针显微镜，该显微镜可以在4至300 K的温度和高达9 T的磁场下进行原子，磁力和压电力显微镜，并利用它来创建商业高分辨率量子传感平台。这种多功能表征工具是一种量子传感应用，可以对新型量子材料进行最先进的表征。该仪器使内布拉斯加州成为量子材料科学许多领域的先驱。由于该仪器是NCMN核心设施的一部分，因此内部和外部用户都可以使用。使用这种仪器为内布拉斯加州新兴的基于量子技术的经济铺平了道路，该经济建立在硅草原现有的高科技产业基础上。同样重要的是，使用这种仪器可以教育学生和培训量子工程师，以满足急需的量子劳动力。 这个轨道1主要研究仪器奖是为了收购氮空位（NV）-Attocube（Atto）原子力显微镜（AFM）与共聚焦显微镜（CFM）集成，它允许在纳米尺度上进行磁性，光学和量子测量。该仪器将位于内布拉斯加州林肯大学（UNL）内布拉斯加州材料和纳米科学中心（NCMN）的表面和材料表征部门。该模块的收购将把现有的NSF资助的低温高磁场多功能扫描探针显微镜转变为NV量子传感和量子纠缠基础研究的多功能平台。NV中心的点缺陷原子性质及其自旋毫秒量子相干寿命允许以高灵敏度和空间分辨率（40 nm）测量宽范围的量子材料。此外，它在高磁场和广泛的温度范围内工作。该系统可以支持各种实验，包括固态材料和生物分子的磁成像，以及映射低维材料的光学和热特性。目前，美国有五种类似的仪器，但在研究的材料类型方面存在局限性（例如，仅超导体）或磁场范围（仅0.5 T）。收购NV-AttoAFM/CFM的目标是将UNL定位在量子传感能力的最前沿，引领内布拉斯加州和美国中西部应用量子技术的时代。NCMN是一个服务于中西部研究社区和初创公司的用户设施，其基础设施包括一名经过博士培训的扫描探针显微镜专家的技术支持，这确保了长期维护、可持续性和用户支持。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Materials science is in the midst of a second quantum revolution where quantum phenomena on a macroscopic scale enable new forms of quantum materials and quantum technologies with revolutionizing impact in medicine, banking, and defense due to quantum enabled advances in information technology, sensing, communication, computation, simulation and cryptography to name just a few examples. This Major Research Instrumentation award supports the University of Nebraska-Lincoln which hosts the Nebraska Center for Materials and Nanoscience (NCMN) and its NSF funded EPSCoR center on emerging quantum materials and technologies. With this MRI award, researchers will take full advantage of the existing cryogenic scanning probe microscope which enables atomic, magnetic and piezo force microscopy at temperatures between 4 and 300K and magnetic fields up to 9T, and utilize it to create a commercial high-resolution quantum sensing platform. This versatile characterization tool is a quantum sensing application which enables state-of-the-art characterization of novel quantum materials. The instrument puts Nebraska on the map as a pioneer in many areas of quantum materials science. Because the instrument is part of NCMN’s core facilities, it becomes accessible to internal and external users. Access to this instrumentation paves the way for Nebraska’s emerging quantum technology-based economy, which builds on the existing high-tech industry within the Silicon Prairie. Equally important is the fact that the access to this instrument allows educating students and training quantum engineers for the much-needed quantum workforce. This Track 1 Major Research Instrumentation award is for the acquisition of a Nitrogen Vacancy (NV)-Attocube (Atto) atomic force microscope (AFM) integrated with a confocal microscope (CFM), which allows magnetic, optical, and quantum measurements at the nanometer scale. The instrument will be located at the Surface and Materials Characterization division of the Nebraska Center for Materials and Nanoscience (NCMN) at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL). The acquisition of the module will transform the existing NSF-funded low-temperature high-magnetic-field multifunctional scanning probe microscope into a versatile platform for NV quantum sensing and fundamental research on quantum entanglement. The point defect atomic nature of the NV center and its spin millisecond quantum coherence lifetime allow measurements of a wide range of quantum materials with high sensitivity and spatial resolution ( 40 nm). Additionally, it operates at high magnetic fields and across a wide range of temperatures. The system can support various experiments, including magnetic imaging of solid-state materials and biomolecules as well as mapping optical and thermal properties of low-dimensional materials. Currently, there are five similar instruments in the U.S. with limitations in types of materials studied (e.g., only superconductors) or magnetic field range (only 0.5 T). In acquiring the NV-AttoAFM/CFM, the goal is to position UNL at the forefront of quantum sensing capabilities ushering in the age of applied quantum technologies in Nebraska and U.S. Midwest. The infrastructure of NCMN, a user facility serving the Midwest research community and startup companies, includes the technical support of a PhD-trained expert in scanning probe microscopy, which ensures long-term maintenance, sustainability, and user support.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.