Nanosculpted
Quantum Materials

Birch Lab · University of Warwick

Colourised electron micrograph of a purple helical device bridging gold-toned electrical contacts.
Single crystal Weyl ferromagnet sculpted into a chiral device

Reshaping emergent behaviour.

Quantum materials exhibit an extraordinary range of exotic states of matter, from intricate spin textures and topological electronic phases to unconventional charge order. Our aim is to go beyond simply characterising their intrinsic properties, and instead strive to reshape their emergent behaviour.

Focused ion beam fabrication allows us to sculpt single crystals directly into devices with arbitrary geometries and architectures. This freedom lets our scientific imagination lead the experiment, and enables us to ask new, creative questions: can we unlock new responses by breaking symmetries, select the handedness of an ordered state, or even drive materials into new electronic phases?

We welcome enquiries from prospective students, postdoctoral researchers and visitors. If you are interested in joining the group, please get in touch.