Mission of the Institute: Achievement of fundamental knowledge in the condensed matter physics, optics, spectroscopy and laser physics; application of this knowledge for the creation of new materials, devices and analytical methods for micro- and nano-technologies, as well as for new approaches in the interdisciplinary fields of the physics with biology, medicine, archaeology; transfer of the achieved results to the economy of Bulgaria.
The Institute of Solid State Physics (ISSP) was founded in 1972 with the aim to develop fundamental and applied research in the fields of microelectronics, acoustoelectronics, low temperature physics, optics and spectroscopy. Throughout the years ISSP grew up covering new modern areas like liquid crystal physics, soft and living matter physics, nanophysics. The main scientific and applied achievements of the Institute are in the field of condensed matter theory, critical phenomena and phase transitions, superconductivity and superconducting materials, low temperature physics, nanophysics, liquid crystal physics, soft and living matter physics, structure and properties of crystals and amorphous materials, atom and plasma physics, high precision thermometers, integrated optics, optical fibres, acoustoelectric and microelectronic sensors, metal vapour lasers.
The scientific staff includes 99 scientists (1 academician, 12 professors, 49 associate professors and 37 assistant professors). 14 have DSc degree and 87 have PhD degree.
ISSP has at its disposal rich a variety of equipments, precise methods and technologies:
- Equipment and methods for electron microscopy and electron diffraction investigations, atomic, electric and magnetic force microscopy, X-ray diffraction with topographic, diffractometric and spectrometric facilities, ellipsometric measurements, spectroscopy from VUV to IR spectral regions, time-resolved spectroscopy, EPR spectroscopy;
- Equipment and know-how for single crystal growth from oxide materials for laser techniques and photorefractive effect applications, techniques and technology for thin layer deposition for microelectronic, optoelectronic and acoustoelectronic sensors and laser technology, cleanroom, complex equipment for molecular beam epitaxy, equipment for synthesis and investigation of high temperature superconducting materials;
- Equipment for polarization measurements in mesophases and polymer liquid crystals for display techniques, equipment for stroboscopic videomicroscopy and micromanipulation of lipid membranes;
- Various laser systems: gas discharge metal vapour and solid state (ns and fs) lasers, oscillating in UV, visible and IR spectral range, for plasma physics applications, laser analysis and material processing, for application in nanotechnology, medicine, archaeology, ecology, etc.;
- High-tech experimental setup for laser cooling of atoms (~ 0.0001K);
- Equipment (Physical Properties Measurement System produced by Quantum Design, USA) for studies of electrical, magnetic and thermal properties of materials, surfaces and structures;
- Scanning probe microscope (VEECO, Multimode, USA) for precise surface characterization at the nanoscale.