We present a combined scanning force and tunneling microscope working in a dilution refrigerator that is optimized for the study of individual electronic nano-devices. This apparatus is equipped with commercial piezo-electric positioners enabling the displacement of a sample below the probe over several hundred microns at very low temperature, without excessive heating. Atomic force microscopy based on a tuning fork resonator probe is used for cryogenic precise alignment of the tip with an individual device. We demonstrate the local tunneling spectroscopy of a hybrid Josephson junction as a function of its current bias.

Superconducting heat switches with extremely low normal state resistances are needed for constructing continuous nuclear demagnetization refrigerators with high cooling power. Aluminum is a suitable superconductor for the heat switch because of its high Debye temperature and its commercial availability in high purity. We have constructed a high quality Al heat switch whose design is significantly different than that of previous heat switches. In order to join the Al to Cu with low contact resistance, we plasma etched the Al to remove its oxide layer and then immediately deposited Au without breaking the vacuum of the e-beam evaporator. In the normal state of the heat switch, we measured a thermal conductance of 8 T W/K2, which is equivalent to an electrical resistance of 3 nΩ according to the Wiedemann–Franz law. In the superconducting state, we measured a thermal conductance that is 2 × 106 times lower than that of the normal state at 50 mK.

We report on a versatile experimental set-up for the study of the electro-magneto-elastothermal coupling for bulk materials having coupling properties. The set-up enables measurement of stress and electrical resistivity in a 80 K -450 K temperature range under controlled uniaxial pressure in a magnetic field up to 8 T.The strong influence of uniaxial pressure and magnetic field on strain and transport properties is shown for Ni-Co-Mn-In Heusler single crystal material. Phase transformation, magnetostress and Magnetic Field Induced Phase Transformation and elastocaloric effect can be estimated using this versatile set-up. This device is very complementary to the studies focused on the modeling of Thermo-Electro-Magneto-Mechanical behavior for functional materials.