1. Introduction

The term quantum matter refers to a vast class of compounds where quantum effects play an important role leading to novel, and often unexpected, electronic behaviour. These tend to be materials in which the electrons can no longer be considered independent, but interact strongly giving rise to collective excitations and emergent phenomena, and hence are commonly termed strongly interacting electron systems. A primary aim of condensed matter physics is to understand and ultimately control the rich variety of collective behaviour resulting from the interactions amongst electrons in a solid. Recently, focused ion beam (FIB) microstructuring has created many new and exciting opportunities for investigating and exploiting quantum materials. This comparatively young technique has just started to revolutionise traditional sample fabrication methods by offering the ability to electrically contact and microsculpture microscopic samples, and there remains much to explore.