New UBC Facility Revolutionizes Quantum Material Discovery

The Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) and the B.C. Knowledge Development Fund (BCKDF) has invested $5.8 million to support the development of a world-class crystal growth facility headed by material scientists at UBC’s Stewart Blusson Quantum Matter Institute (Blusson QMI).

The investment, according to Blusson QMI Scientific Director Andrea Damascelli, will solidify Canada’s standing as a pioneer in quantum science and technology.

The funding enables the establishment of state-of-the-art research infrastructure that is unique in Canada and will deliver exceptional impact for quantum material design, technology development, and training of the quantum workforce.

Andrea Damascelli, Scientific Director, Stewart Blusson Quantum Matter Institute

Led by Blusson QMI investigators Alannah Hallas and Doug Bonn, the new facility represents a total investment of $7.3 million and will incorporate specialized apparatus designed for high-pressure synthesis.

Just as the silicon age launched multiple trillion-dollar industries, the age of quantum materials is likely to foster intense economic development. The new facility will accelerate this search by enabling us to synthesize quantum materials that have remained out of reach in the high-quality single-crystal form that is needed to characterize them and ultimately fashion them into technological devices.

Alannah Hallas, Investigator, Stewart Blusson Quantum Matter Institute

Scientists can rarely significantly increase pressure, so they usually use techniques that involve changing the temperature or the material's chemical composition to tune the formation and structure of new materials.

Hallas added, “Adding pressure as a third tuning parameter during synthesis will vastly expand the frontier across which we can discover novel quantum materials. At elevated pressures, materials can often form into new stable phases that are not accessible at lower pressures. A good example of this is diamonds that are formed as a result of squeezing carbon under extreme pressure and high heat.”

The new facility opens up an end-to-end scientific workflow from the design and synthesis of new quantum materials to the clarification of their properties and the engineering of prototype devices. It complements the characterization tools and theoretical know-how that already exist at UBC’s Blusson QMI.

Five new material synthesis furnaces have been added to the lab under the direction of Hallas and Bonn, putting UBC Blusson QMI researchers and Canadian researchers at the forefront of achieving the technological potential of quantum materials.

The facility will house three of the five first-of-its-kind furnaces in the nation, including the first high-pressure floating zone furnace in Canada. For the first time, the facility's other high-pressure furnace, an anvil press, will be devoted to the discovery of quantum materials rather than geosciences.

The Honorable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, congratulated the researchers who were awarded funds to advance their projects.

Their pioneering research will further establish Canada’s position as a global leader in innovation while helping to drive our economy and achieve our shared vision of a brighter, healthier future for all Canadians.

François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry

The CFI Innovation Fund continues to support infrastructure investments in all areas of research, from basic to applied to technological development. The British Columbia government continues to support post-secondary institutions by boosting productivity and competitiveness and advancing the transition to an innovative, sustainable, and inclusive future by funding research infrastructure projects through the BCKDF.

In addition to helping Canada and British Columbia stay at the forefront of exploration and knowledge generation, projects funded by the Innovation Fund and the BCKDF will significantly contribute to addressing global challenges and producing social, health, environmental, and economic benefits.