Piezoelectric-based uniaxial pressure cell with integrated force and displacement sensors

TL;DR

This paper introduces a compact piezoelectric uniaxial pressure cell with integrated force and displacement sensors, enabling precise stress application and measurement at various temperatures, including cryogenic conditions.

Contribution

The design combines force and displacement sensing in a small, versatile pressure cell suitable for cryogenic and ambient environments, improving in situ stress tuning capabilities.

Findings

Sample deformation remains elastic up to 2 GPa at 5 K.

The device can apply up to 245 N force and 45 μm displacement.

In situ tuning allows stress adjustments after cooling.

Abstract

We present a design for a piezoelectric-driven uniaxial stress cell suitable for use at ambient and cryogenic temperatures, and that incorporates both a displacement and a force sensor. The cell has a diameter of 46 mm and a height of 13 mm. It can apply a zero-load displacement of up to ~45 $\mu$m, and a zero-displacement force of up to ~245 N. With combined knowledge of the displacement and force applied to the sample, it can quickly be determined whether the sample and its mounts remain within their elastic limits. In tests on the oxide metal Sr$_2$RuO$_4$, we found that at room temperature serious plastic deformation of the sample onset at a uniaxial stress of ~0.2 GPa, while at 5 K the sample deformation remained elastic up to almost 2 GPa. This result highlights the usefulness of in situ tuning, in which the force can be applied after cooling samples to cryogenic temperatures.