Accurate measurements of high pressure resistivity in a diamond anvil cell

A new technique incorporating a diamond anvil cell with photolithographic and film deposition techniques has been developed for electrical resistivity measurement under high pressure. Molybdenum was sputtered onto a diamond anvil facet and patterned to the desired microcircuit. A sputtered Al2O3 (alumina) layer was then fabricated onto the Mo-coated layer to insulate the thin-film electrodes from the metallic gasket and to protect the electrodes against plastic deformation under high pressure conditions. For better insulation, Al2O3 was also sputtered onto the metallic gasket. The regular shape of the microcircuit makes it convenient to perform an electric current field analysis, hence, accurate resistivity data can be obtained from the measurement. We performed the measurement of nanocrystalline ZnS to 36 GPa and determined its reversibility and phase transition hysteresis.