A New Quantum Materials Research System

October 3, 2025

A robot transfer arm extends between chambers in a cluster system in Washington, D.C., Sept. 9, 2025. Researchers at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory use the cluster system to transfer samples between chambers and conduct integrated quantum materials synthesis and characterization in an ultra-clean vacuum environment. (Image: U.S. Navy photo by Sarah Peterson)

Scientists at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) have a powerful new tool to accelerate discovery in quantum materials for advanced electronics. The laboratory recently completed installation of a state-of-the-art “cluster system” that allows researchers to grow and analyze materials at the atomic level, all without ever removing samples from its ultra-clean environment.

“This system is really exciting for us,” said Connie Li, Ph.D., NRL Research Scientist. “It’s like Christmas came early. For the first time, we can grow materials one atomic layer at a time and immediately study their structure and electronic properties, all within the same setup.”

(Image: U.S. Navy photo by Sarah Peterson)

The cluster system integrates multiple growth and characterization techniques under one roof, connected by a central interface chamber where a robotic transfer arm moves samples between chambers while maintaining ultra-high vacuum. This allows researchers to:

Grow new materials using molecular beam epitaxy, a method that deposits materials with atomic precision.
Characterize their properties in situ using powerful imaging and spectroscopy techniques, including scanning tunneling microscopy, which can visualize individual atoms, and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy that can map electronic band structures.
Fabricate nanoscale functional devices by layering different materials, including magnetic and electronic films, onto newly developed structures.

Traditionally, researchers had to remove samples from one instrument and ship them to specialized facilities, risking contamination and slowing progress. With NRL’s new cluster system, those steps are eliminated.

“Now we can stop in the middle of a growth process, check the surface of a material atom by atom, and then continue refining it,” Li explained. “That makes our work cleaner, faster, and far more precise than before.”

The research focuses on quantum materials, which exhibit unusual properties rooted in quantum mechanics. These include superconductors, which can carry electricity with zero energy loss, and topological insulators, which conduct only on their surfaces and are resilient against defects. Such materials have the potential to revolutionize Navy and Department of War technologies in areas like memory storage, advanced sensors, and energy-efficient electronics.

Olaf Van T Erve, Ph.D., U.S. Naval Research Laboratory scientist, monitors the sputter deposition process of magnetic thin films in a cluster system in Washington, D.C., Sept. 18, 2025. Van T Erve uses the cluster system to grow and characterize quantum materials for the fabrication of nanoscale devices with unique functionalities. (Image: U.S. Navy photo by Sarah Peterson)

“This system gives us the ability to make and study new materials for the next generation of electronics, beyond what current silicon-based technology can do,” said Olaf van ‘t Erve, Ph.D., NRL research scientist who’s also working on the system.

The installation, has now reached operational status. NRL researchers say the system will greatly accelerate discoveries and shorten the path from fundamental science to future real-world applications.

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