A Compact Uniaxial Pressure Device Based on Piezobender

A compact uniaxial pressure device based on a commercial piezobender is designed to be used in resistivity measurements on electric anisotropy property. This device can apply force on sample continuously varying from stretching to pressing by precisely controlling the drive voltage in a wide range of temperature from 380 K down to less than 1.4 K. Moreover, via measuring the strain on a SrTiO₃ substrate by strain gauge, we show that the uniaxial pressure is almost temperature independent and suitable for measurements near zero pressure, thus we calibrate an effective pressure which is proportional to drive voltage. Furthermore, by comparing with other techniques we give detailed discussions about some issues that may affect the measurement precision and validity of device. So far, the device has been widely utilized in measuring nematic fluctuations in many iron pnictides systems. At last, we suggest some improvements on the device to make it be extensively available in other experimental techniques.