Laser floating zone growth of SrVO3 single crystals

• Published in: Journal of crystal growth Vol. 583; p. 126518
• Main Authors: Berry, Tanya, Bernier, Shannon, Auffermann, Gudrun, McQueen, Tyrel M., Adam Phelan, W.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 01.04.2022; Elsevier BV
• Subjects: A1. Defects; A1. Point defects; A2. Floating zone technique; A2. Growth from melt; A2. Single crystal growth; B1. Perovskites; Composition; Crystal pulling; Electronic devices; Emission analysis; Emitters; Inductively coupled plasma; Neutron diffraction; Optical emission spectroscopy; Perovskites; Single crystals; Stoichiometry; Thermionic emitters; B1. Perovskites; A1. Point defects; A2. Floating zone technique; A2. Growth from melt; A2. Single crystal growth; A1. Defects
• ISSN: 0022-0248; 1873-5002
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jcrysgro.2022.126518

•A crystal growth method for SrVO3 was developed that yields large single crystals.•A laser diode floating zone has been used for single crystal growth.•Chemical characterization shows the composition changes taking place during growth.•Specific heat shows small composition changes yield large phonon dynamics changes. The perovskite SrVO3 is of interest for a variety of applications due to its simple metallic character and stability in reducing environments. Here we report the preparation of single-crystal SrVO3 using the laser floating zone technique. Laue diffraction implies single domains ∼30 mm in length. The stoichiometry of optimized crystals was found to be Sr0.985(7)VO2.91(4) using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry and neutron powder diffraction analysis, with compositions adjustable with crystal pulling rate. Heat capacity measurements from T = 2–300 K show variations with composition, attributable to a combination of impurity scattering and changes in phonon dynamics. Our results demonstrate the utility of the laser floating zone technique in preparing a range of materials, and our advances with SrVO3 may help lead to applications including catalysis, transparent conducting oxides, thermionic emitters, and other electronic devices.