Crystal Growth

The crystal growth laboratory is equipped with an optical floating-zone furnace type FZ-T-10000H-VI-FAS (Crystal Systems Inc., Japan). Single-crystals with melting points up to 2200°C and maximum diameter of 1 cm can be grown. The temperature is generated by four halogen lamps, each up to 1500 Watts. The light is focussed by ellipsoidal mirrors.

The floating zone method enables not only the growth of congruent melting materials, incongruent melting materials employing the TSCG (travelling solvent crystal growth) – technique can also be grown. Different types of atmospheres like argon, oxygen, compressed air during the crystal growth experiment can be chosen.

For producing green bodies a cold isostatic press HP-M-SD-200 (Crystal Systems Inc., Japan) with up to 100 kN pressure is used. The sintering process can be done in the high temperature lab in a temperature range up to 1800°C. For electron-microprobe analyses the diamond wire saw Well 4240 or the low speed saw with diamond blade for sample preparation will be used.

Halogene spot lights produce temperatures up to 2200°C

Gehlenite crystal during single crystal growth procedure

Cold Isostatic Press (CIP) for manufacturing green bodies

Diamond wire saw for preparation of the crystals