Crystals 2016, 6(5), 62; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst6050062
Floating Zone Growth of Bi2Sr2Ca2Cu3Oy Superconductor
1
Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research Dresden, D-01171 Dresden, Germany
2
Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research, D-70569 Stuttgart, Germany
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Academic Editor: Ekaterina Pomjakushina
Received: 15 April 2016 / Accepted: 18 April 2016 / Published: 20 May 2016
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Traveling Solvent Floating Zone (TSFZ) Method in Crystal Growth)
Abstract
The crystal growth of high-temperature oxide superconductors has been hampered by the complexities of these materials and the lack of knowledge of corresponding phase diagrams. The most common crystal growth technique adopted for these materials is the so-called “Flux” method. This method, however, suffers from several drawbacks: (i) crystals are often crucible and flux contaminated; (ii) crystals are difficult to detach from solidified melt; and (iii) crystals are rather small. In most cases, these drawbacks can be overcome by the crucible-free floating zone method. Moreover, this technique is suitable for crystal growth of incongruently melting compounds, and has been thus successfully used to make large single crystals of Bi2Sr2Ca2Cu3Oy superconductor. In this review, the authors summarize the published and their own growth efforts as well as detailed characterization of as-grown and post-growth annealed samples. The optimal growth conditions that allowed one to obtain the large-size, almost single phase and homogeneous in composition Bi2Sr2Ca2Cu3Oy single crystals are presented. The effect of long lasting post-growth heat treatment on both crystal quality and superconducting properties has also been demonstrated. View Full-TextKeywords:
floating zone crystallization; incongruently melting materials; Bi2Sr2Ca2Cu3Oy superconductor
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Maljuk, A.; Lin, C.T. Floating Zone Growth of Bi2Sr2Ca2Cu3Oy Superconductor. Crystals 2016, 6, 62.
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