Physics microfabrication lab fuels research and discovery across OSU disciplines
Friday, August 1, 2025
Media Contact: Elizabeth Gosney | CAS Marketing and Communications Manager | 405-744-7497 | egosney@okstate.edu
The Department of Physics at Oklahoma State University recently added new equipment to its Cowboy Microfabrication Corral, which provides industry-grade tools and resources for faculty and students across the OSU campus.
Formerly known as the Crystal Growth Lab — which had been around for decades — the Cowboy Microfabrication Corral needed a rebrand after receiving an “influx of new equipment that was not specific to crystal growth,” said OSU physics assistant professor Derrick Meyers. “The CMC is run by the physics department but is set up as a user facility for anyone to be able to utilize.”
Meyers added that the facility is run by Mohammad Hadidi, a dedicated research specialist who earned his master’s in mechanical engineering from OSU and is currently working on his Ph.D.
The CMC currently houses a wide range of high-tech equipment that is worth upwards of $1.2 million and yet is accessible “at a nominal cost to all researchers on campus,” Meyers said. This includes photolithography equipment with a spin coater, vacuum mask aligner, hot plate, and all required chemical supplies to generate features down to several microns.
One of the most impressive systems in the CMC lab includes:
- A Quantum Design PPMS DynaCool system with integrated 9 Tesla superconducting magnet and temperature control from 50 mK to 400 K. This is used for precision measurements of magnetic, thermal and electrical properties.
- A West Bond wire bonder with an Olympus microscope. This is used to wire bond samples onto Quantum Design PPMS sample pucks for electrical and thermal transport measurements.
- A Quantum Design PPMS Dilution Refrigerator module, which enables ultra-low temperature measurements down to 50 millikelvin for advanced materials research.
“This facility provides access to equipment with multiple potential uses for multiple different research areas,” Meyers said. “This can facilitate experiments not possible in most individual PI laboratories, allowing faculty to pursue new research directions and funding.”
Along with research-building equipment, the CMC offers the chance for creative collaboration across many fields — not just physics — opening new research avenues and potential funding opportunities.
“Transdisciplinary research is of high importance for many reasons,” Meyers said. “Many of the most exciting new research directions across several industries utilize materials that require knowledge and skills that are not typically covered within one discipline.
“We often find that the skills and expertise gained in different fields lead to unique approaches that can help to solve problems in another field of study.”
Learn more about the CMC, located on the fifth floor and basement level of the Physical Sciences Building, by visiting the Cowboy Microfabrication Corral webpage. Questions can be directed via email to Mohammad Hadidi or Dr. Derek Meyers.