He activated loading device for low temperature uniaxial and anvil cell pressure experiments

Abstract

We report on a compact loading cell for the continuous variation of uniaxial forces up to a few tons in low temperature investigations. The cell is based on a He activated bellow and a mechanical force amplification system. Due to its modular design, it may be used in studies of the effect of uniaxial pressure on solids or the in situ variation of hydrostatic pressure in an anvil cell. High pressure He is supplied by a fine capillary, so that bellow, force amplifier, and experiment may be cooled uniformly to mK temperatures even at high magnetic fields. The pressure in the bellow is controlled by a simple proportional-integral regulator at room temperature. Characteristic features of a piezoelectric sensor, used to measure the load at low temperature, are presented in detail. With the method described here, we observe long-term stability to better than ±0.2 N in sweeps over a wide range of temperatures and fields. The performance of the loading device is illustrated by means of measurements into the superconducting state of URu2Si2.