Single Crystal Growth

Transition metal oxides are of great interest due to their various physical properties (e.g. high temperature superconductivity, colossal magnetoresistance, ferroelectricity, nonlinear optical properties etc.) and their high potential for applications. Therefore, the WMI operates a laboratory for the synthesis of bulk materials and single crystals of transition metal oxides.
Team
Andreas Erb
Recent publications
Limits on momentum-dependent asymmetric dark matter with CRESST-II
G. Angloher, A. Bento, C. Bucci, L. Canonica, X. Defay, A. Erb, F. v. Feilitzsch, N. Ferreiro Iachellini, P. Gorla, A. Gütlein, D. Hauff, J. Jochum, M. Kiefer, H. Kluck, H. Kraus, J.-C. Lanfranchi, J. Loebell, A. Münster, C. Pagliarone, F. Petricca, W. Potzel, F. Pröbst, F. Reindl, K. Schäffner, J. Schieck, S. Schönert, W. Seidel, L. Stodolsky, C. Strandhagen, R. Strauss, A. Tanzke, H.H. Trinh Thi, C. Türkoglu, M. Uffinger, A. Ulrich, I. Usherov, S. Wawoczny, M. Willers, M. Wüstrich, A. Zöller
Research Article | Physical Review Letters 117, 021303  (2016)
Magnetostriction and Magnetostructural Domains in Antiferromagnetic YBa2Cu3O6
B. Náfrádi, T. Keller, F. Hardy, C. Meingast, A. Erb, and B. Keimer
Research Article | Physical Review Letters 116, 047001  (2016)

Besides various chamber- and tube furnaces a four-mirror image furnace is used for the crystal growth of various oxide systems. Many different compounds of the high temperature superconductors and various other transition metal oxides have been grown as single crystals using the traveling solvent floating zone technique. The furnace consists basically of 4 elliptical mirrors with a common focus on the sample rod and with halogen lamps in their other focus. Single
crystal growth can be performed with this furnace at maximum temperatures up to 2200 C in the pressure range from 10-5 mbar up to 10 bar and in oxidizing, reducing as well as inert atmosphere.