Switzerland – Laboratory, optical and precision equipments (excl. glasses) – Deux réfrigérateurs à dilution sans cryogène

The EPFL intends to acquire two cryogen-free dilution cryostats for advanced low-temperature research. Both systems must enable operation in the millikelvin range and be equipped with superconducting magnets. The first system should be a large-capacity cryogen-free dilution cryostat equipped with a superconducting vector magnet that provides nominal magnetic fields of at least 6 T along the main axis and 1 T along each of the two transverse axes. This system should also include a bottom-loading system or an equivalent system for rapid sample exchange that allows for the exchange of samples without warming up the entire cryostat and enables the cooling of the loaded sample holder to below 20 mK in less than 8 h. The second system should be a smaller cryogen-free dilution cryostat equipped with a single-axis superconducting solenoid magnet that provides a nominal magnetic field of at least 8 T. This system should enable a fast experimental throughput, with a cool-down time from room temperature to base temperature of approximately 12 h or less without an installed magnet. The supplier must specify the cool-down time with the magnet installed. The equipment will support cutting-edge research on quantum magnetic materials, superconducting quantum circuits, semiconductor quantum devices, and hybrid microwave-semiconductor-quantum technologies. Given the needs of the EPFL and the specific scientific goals of the LQM, HQC, and LQP laboratories, particular emphasis will be placed on the following research areas: • Correlated electron materials, from local spin clusters to novel superconductors • Semiconductor quantum systems at millikelvin temperatures and high magnetic fields • Superconducting quantum circuits at microwave frequencies • Hybrid semiconductor-superconductor quantum devices • Quantum materials and devices based on III-V and group-IV semiconductor heterostructures, superconducting metals, and Josephson contacts.