Physics and Materials Science applications of synchrotron light

Determining the properties and morphology of buried layers and interfaces remains an important area in solid-state science. Many of the technological products of materials science are based on thin-film devices, which consist of a series of such layers. Structural studies of in-situ processing of semiconducting polymer films is also likely to be an important area of growth in the coming decade.

Diffraction of high-intensity x-ray beams is an ideal technique to study spin, charge and orbital ordering in single crystal samples to understand high temperature superconductivity.

Magnetic contrast in images will be provided by exploiting either circular or linear dichroism. At 10 nm resolution, the nanoscience beamline provides high quality images of the magnetic domains of thin films and multilayers, clusters, exchange-biased films, giant magnetoresistive metals and metal-semiconductor spintronic materials. At higher spatial resolutions it is possible to conduct experiments on individual nanoclusters. Through X-ray PEEM, Diamond’s nanoscience beamline is significantly advancing our understanding of the formation, composition, structure and properties of nanostructures. Spectroscopy on nanosized particles will unravel their electronic and chemical properties which may be dominated by the surface due to a large surface to volume ratio.

To discuss possible physics and materials science experiments at Diamond, please contact the relevant beamline scientist or Andy Dent.

Potential industrial users should contact Elizabeth Shotton.

Listen to Diamond staff and users talk about nanoscience applications in the Diamond podcast

Physics and Materials Science Highlights

• Light revolution: Getting the right kind of white light
  09 Nov 2011
  With the phase-out of incandescent light bulbs becoming more common around the world, there is a need to investigate more efficient and robust alternatives. Thanks to their low energy consumption, prolonged Read more...
• Complex multicolor tilings and critical phenomena in tetraphilic liquid crystals
  02 Jun 2011
  Solid-state materials, particularly those performing useful functions (e.g. zeolites), often form frameworks or cellular structures on the nanoscale1. These frameworks are usually rigid. Liquid crystals Read more...
• Understanding the magnetostructural transition in epitaxial FeRh films
  02 Jun 2011
  Magnetic recording lies at the heart of many modern electronic devices. The density at which information can be stored is directy related to the size of the magnetic particles within the storage devices. Read more...
• Characterization of Medipix3 with synchrotron radiation
  02 Jun 2011
  Synchrotron applications such as coherent X-ray diffraction and X-ray photon-correlation spectroscopy require detectors with a very small pixel size. Furthermore, the detector should have a high frame Read more...
• Dynamics of crystallization and disorder in photovoltaic polymer blends during in-situ annealing
  02 Jun 2011
  Organic photovoltaic (PV) materials have long-term promise for large area devices on flexible substrates produced by low-cost processes such as inkjet printing.  Control of order and morphology at Read more...