Compact computer controlled biaxial tensile device for low-temperature transport measurements of layered materials

A biaxial tensile device for the transport study of layered materials is described. The device is mounted on the standard 24 pin zero force connector and can be moved between various setups. The compact design of the device makes it suitable for a wide range of studies. In our case, it is placed inside a 50 mm diameter chamber in the cryocooler and is used in the temperature range 9-310 K. A sample is glued in the center of a polyimide cruciform substrate, the ends of which are connected to a tension system driven by four computer-controlled stepper motors providing tensile force up to 30 N. Computer simulation results and their experimental verification show that tensile strain along one axis depends on the tensile load along the perpendicular direction, and this dependence turns out to be relatively strong and exceeds 40%. The operation of the device is demonstrated by studying the effect of deformation on the electrical conductivity of the layered compound 2H-NbS2.