The Center for Research on Interface Structures and Phenomena [CRISP] explores the composition, structure, properties and potential applications of the "interface" or border region where two materials come into contact with each other. As the spatial dimensions of electronic, magnetic and mechanical devices are made ever tinier, their performance is increasingly dominated by their surfaces and interfaces. We investigate the transition between bulk and interface dominance, with the goal of discovering new phenomena: new kinds of electronic, magnetic and chemical behavior, and new ways to control and utilize them. We are focusing particularly on the interfaces between oxide materials because of the wealth of new science and new applications they offer.

CRISP was launched in 2005 and is funded by the National Science Foundation as one of their Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers (MRSECs). It is located at Yale University and is a joint venture between Yale, Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU) and Brookhaven National Laboratory. It is an interdisciplinary effort, with members from the Yale departments of Applied Physics, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Electrical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering, and the SCSU Department of Physics, with strong collaborations with industry and national laboratories. It includes continuing development of state-of-the-art experimental facilities that can be made available to external users upon request. An integral part of its mission is to enhance the quality and diversity of science education, and to reach out to New Haven area students at all levels.