Continuous Cold 500mK

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It is the first fundamentally new sub-Kelvin cooling mechanism in about 60 years.

Leverages the natural phase-separation of a 3He/4He mixture below ≈ 0.9 K to create a helium3 rich surface that can be continuously pumped, eliminating the on/off cycling that plagues conventional 3He pumps or ADRs

ABOUT

SYSTEM FEATURES

Minimal 3He inventory & Lower cost of ownership

Needs only ~2 litres of ³He (vs. 20 – 40 L for many comparable refrigerators), cutting capital cost and easing helium-3 supply constraints

Truly continuous operation at 0.5 K

Holds ≤ 500 mK indefinitely; no regeneration or “warm-up” periods.
In short, the ZPC Continuous-Cold 500 mK cryostat fills the “middle-K” gap between pumped-He4/He3 pots and full dilution units, unlocking long-runtime experiments wherever sub-Kelvin physics matters more than nano-Kelvin extremes.

Fast turnaround

< 12 h total “sample-to-cold” time, thanks to an optimized precool circuit that condenses through helium-4 first. That’s dramatically quicker than the 24-48 h typical of many dilution fridges.

High cooling power

Delivers ≈ 1 milliwatt at 600 mK, enough for sizable wiring looms, amplifiers, and small magnets often used with superconducting-qubit or single-photon-detector testbeds

inverted/table-top option

Offered in ZPC’s Model I (inverted/table-top) and Model L (traditional) frames, both accepting standard DC/RF wiring, optical access, small superconducting magnets, etc.
Footprints are similar to ZPC’s dilution-fridge line, and the cryostat can be tailored for custom wiring looms or experimental space.

Optical access ready

Up to five optical windows with direct line-of-sight access to the experiment stage
The Continuous Cold is the only commercial system that offers continuous ≤ 500 mK, ≈ 1 mW cooling power, < 12 h cool-down, and turnkey optical & fibre access, while sipping just 2 L of ³He.

PRODUCT

SPECIFICATIONS

MODEL L

Base Temperature < 500mK
Cooling Power 100mW @ 600mK
Peak-to-Peak Vibrations < 20nm
Cooldown time < 8-10 hours
Sample size 340 mm diameter 245 mm vertical space
Compact footprint 1.80 m2

MODEL I

Base Temperature < 500mK
Cooling Power 100mW @ 600mK
Peak-to-Peak Vibrations < 20nm
Cooldown time < 8-10 hours
Sample size 150 mm diameter 195 mm vertical space
Compact footprint 1.34 m2

OTHER

OPTIONS

Single Axis magnets:
0.5 T to 12 T superconducting, cryogen-free magnets
Vector Magnets:
2-axis and 3-axis vector magnets.
0.5 T to 9 T per axis

Up to five(5) optical windows with direct line-of-sight access to the experiment stage
Maximum diameter: 4 inches / 100 mm
Compatible with cryo-objectives

Actuation pressure:
Tunable. Nominal operation at 5-10 bar Closed-state superfluid leak rate:
Guaranteed: better than 1×10-9 mbar⋅L/s at 1.5 K
Expected: below 1.3×10-10 mbar⋅L/s at 1.5 K

How and Why

Cryogenic System Designs for Quantum Applications

Large-format SNSPD arrays

Its 1 mW headroom keeps > 100 coax lines and readout amps cold indefinitely, and the 2 L 3He charge is trivial compared with the 10-20 L in a continuous-flow 3He system. Continuous hold means an optical-ground-station or LiDAR test can run 24/7 for months.

2

Wafer-scale qubit / cryo-CMOS / SFQ screening

Sub-10h cool-down plus ≥ 1 mW lets you jam dozens of pogo-pin probe cards onto the cold plate and run overnight parametric wafers, tripling fab turnaround speed while freeing dilution fridges for coherence-time work

3

Photonic & spin-based quantum sensors

500 mK greatly reduces phonon-induced dephasing for many solid-state emitters and enables low-loss superconducting photonic routing, yet still leaves >100 mW cooling-budget at higher stages for fibre bundles or free-space windows

Scanning-probe & opto-electro-mechanical platforms

These experiments often dissipate milliwatt-level heat through piezo stacks or laser windows—well within Continuous Cold cooling power, yet do not need ultra-low-milliKelvin temperatures. Eliminating still pumps simplifies mechanical isolation

Low-temperature condensed-matter & quantum-material studies

Many heavy-fermion superconductors, charge-density-wave systems, and quantum-critical metals show key phase transitions between 0.3–1 K. Continuous operation allows multi-day transport, calorimetry or µSR scans without cycling

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Zero Point Cryogenics stems from over two decades of low-temperature research led by Dr. John P. Davis. As a tenured professor at the University of Alberta, Dr. Davis has extensively explored superfluids in the quantum realm and taught thermodynamics, equipping him with deep knowledge of dilution refrigerator technology. His vision was clear: assemble a team capable of redefining the dilution refrigerator market.

Today, Zero Point Cryogenics not only meets the increasing demand for advanced dilution refrigerators essential for quantum

technology but also pioneers innovations that enhance their usability and longevity. Our mission is twofold: empower our partners in industry, academia, and government with superior cryogenic solutions and lead the global market in developing the most dependable and user-friendly cryogenic equipment.

Proudly based in Edmonton, Canada, Zero Point Cryogenics commits to advancing quantum technology research through cryogenics, ensuring our clients can focus on groundbreaking discoveries without compromise.

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ZPC General brochure

Continuous Cold brochure

If Qnity had to pick one company that embodies the phrase “quantum-ready, researcher-friendly, future-proof”, it would be Edmonton-based Zero Point Cryogenics (ZPC). In less than a decade the team has sprinted from university spin-out to internationally recognised innovator, racking up awards and high-profile installations while rewriting the rule-book on sub-Kelvin refrigeration.
Zero Point Cryogenics is the gold-standard for anyone who needs sub-Kelvin performance without dilution-fridge complexity. Their 500 mK continuous cooler is a once-in-a-generation leap.
ZPC customer support carries the enthusiasm of researchers who still remember the painful work-arounds they’ve just made obsolete. If your quantum, sensing or condensed-matter project lives below one kelvin, ZPC is the partner that turns daunting cryogenics into a push-button utility

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