Instrument for in-situ orientation of superconducting thin-film resonators used for electron-spin resonance experiments

Abstract

When used in Electron-Spin Resonance (ESR) measurements, superconducting thin-film resonators must be precisely oriented relative to the external magnetic field in order to prevent the trapping of magnetic flux and the associated degradation of resonator performance. We present a compact design solution for this problem that allows in-situ control of the orientation of the resonator at cryogenic temperatures. Tests of the apparatus show that when proper alignment is achieved, there is almost no hysteresis in the field dependence of the resonant frequency.