The Diacell® CryoDAC-PPMS is a diamond anvil cell designed primarily for transport measurements in a Quantum Design PPMS® platform, but it can also accommodate optical measurements equally well.  The cell has been engineered so that it connects to the PPMS® using a similar puck to that found in the original system.  Fitted as standard with type Ia diamond anvils (C=0.2 ->1.00 mm to be selected at time of ordering, C= 0.50 mm would provide an expected pressure of 20 GPa). We recommend to order bevelled diamond anvils to prevent damages of electrical wires coming out of the gasket.

Once connected to the PPMS®, the sample is at the centre field of the system and electrical connections are made the usual way between the puck and the bottom of the sample tube.  AC and DC resistivity measurements can then be carried out using the original ACT MultiVu software.

A printed circuit board (PCB), which can be screwed on the top of the piston and near the anvils, is also included with the cell.  This helps with the making of the electrical connections to the sample.  However, the electrical connections themselves (between sample and this pcb and from there to the puck) must be made by the user.  Carrying out electrical resistivity with a DAC is an extremely stringent pressure technique requiring a great deal of skill, particularly with regards to getting the electrical wires from the sample through the gasket.  For examples on how this can be accomplished please refer to the following articles:
– A. Jayaraman, Rev. Sci. Instrum. 57, 1013 (1986);
– D. Tristan Jover et al., Phys. Rev. B 54, 10175 (1996);
– C. Gao et al., Rev. Sci. Instrum. 76, 083912 (2005).