Material Selection for Cryogenic Support Structures

Design specifications for the support structures of low temperature instrumentation often call for low thermal conductivity between temperature stages, high stiffness, and specific load bearing capabilities. While overall geometric design plays an important role in both overall stiffness and heat conduction between stages, material selection can affect a structure’s properties significantly. In this contribution, we suggest and compare several alternative materials to the current standard materials for building cryogenic support structures.