Pyroelectric properties of real LiNbO3 single crystals grown from a congruent melt

The temperature dependences of the pyroelectric coefficient of lithium niobate single crystals grown from a congruent melt have been investigated in the range of 4.2–300 K. No anomalies were found at low temperatures, and the experimental dependence is described well by the Debye-Einstein model, with T _D = 357 K and two pyroactive frequencies of 692 and 869 cm^?1. Specific features of lithium niobate have been analyzed. Two sublattices, formed by two pairs of mesotetrahedra with (according to the symmetry conditions) dipole and octupole moments, were selected in the structure. Their contributions to the total polarization differ by an order of magnitude. Vacuum annealing of the samples leads to the occurrence of anomalies only at temperatures over 280 K; these anomalities are interpreted as a manifestation of superionic conductivity.     

Absorption and electrical conductivity of CaMoO4 crystals

The electrical conductivity σ of CaMoO₄ crystals was investigated between room temperature and 850°C. The mobility v_v and the diffusion coefficient D_v of the O⁻ ion vacancies have been derived from σ: v_vT = 3300 exp (−1.52 eV/kT) cm² K/Vs, D_v = (0.1…1) × exp (−1.52 eV/kT) cm²/s. An absorption occuring in crystals which are reduced or X-irradiated at low temperatures is dichroitic and caused by Mo⁵⁺ ions. For measurement in c direction the oscillator strength of the 680 nm absorption band is found to be about 0.1.     

Electrical and photoconductive properties of GaS0.75Se0.25 mixed crystals

The conductivity, mobility, photoconductivity and photo response measurements in GaS_0.75Se_0.25 mixed crystals were carried out in the temperature range of 150‐450 K. The room temperature conductivity, mobility and electron concentration values were 10^‐9 (Ω‐cm)^‐1, 48 cm²V^‐1s^‐1 and ∼10⁹ cm^‐3, respectively. Two donor levels were obtained from temperature‐dependent conductivity and carrier concentration, located at energies of about 755 and 465 meV below the conduction band. Single donor‐single acceptor analysis yields the same donor level at 465 meV with donor and acceptor concentrations of 8.7 × 10¹⁴ and 5.3 × 10¹³ cm^‐3, respectively. The mobility‐temperature dependence shows that ionized impurity scattering dominates the conduction up to the temperature 310 K with different temperature exponent, while above this critical temperature; the phonon scattering is dominant conduction mechanism. From the photo‐response spectra, the maximum photocurrent was observed for all the samples at 2.42 eV, and varied slightly with temperature. Moreover, the photocurrent‐light intensity dependence in these crystals obeys the power law, I_ph ∝ ϕ^γ with γ between 1.7 and 2.0 for various applied fields and temperatures. (© 2005 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Solubility of CaO in CaF2 crystals

By means of conductivity investigations the solubility of CaO in CaF₂ crystals was estimated to be C_L(CaO) ≈︁ 3.7 exp (-0.68 eV/kT) = 3.7 exp (-7900 K/T) and the diffusion constant of O⁻ ions in CaF₂ D(O⁻) ≈︁ 3 exp (-2.2 eV/kT) cm²/s = 3 exp (-25 500 K/T) cm²/s.     

Growth of bulk zinc chalcogenide single crystals from the vapour phase and their use for laser screens of projection colour television

Results on ZnSe, ZnSe_xS_1−x and ZnS crystal growing from the vapour phase up to 7.5 cm³ in volume are described. Crystals were grown on sapphire, ZnS, ZnSe_xS_1−x and quartz glass substrates without a contact of the growing crystal with a growth ampoule and using the molten tin as a heating medium. Large high-purity crystals with a density of etch pits of 10³ cm⁻² were obtained They exhibited an effective exciton luminescence and rather high radiation efficiency (30 ± 10% for ZnSe at T = 77 K). This made it possible to use these crystals for fabricating laser screens for a cathode ray tube. The main laser parameters obtained on a ZnSe screen at T = 80 and 300 K using a 75 keV electron beam excitation are presented. The light power output reached 0.8 W at T = 80 K; this allowed to obtain a 10 cd · m⁻² TV image of 1.5 × 2 m² in area.     

Semiconducting Properties of TI2Te3 Single Crystals

Electrical conductivity and Hall effect measurements were performed on single crystals of TI₂Te₃ to have the general semiconducting behaviour of this compound. The measurements were done at the temperature range 160–350 K. All crystals were found to be of p-type conductivity. The values of the Hall coefficient and the electrical conductivity at room temperature were 1.59 × 10³ cm³/coul and 3.2 × 10⁻² ω⁻¹ cm⁻¹, respectively. The hole concentration at the same temperature was driven as 39.31 × 10¹¹ cm⁻³. The energy gap was found to be 0.7 eV where the depth of impurity centers was 0.45 eV. The temperature dependence of the mobility is discussed.     

High-temperature Localization of Plastic Deformation in Lithium Fluoride Single Crystals

Experimental results on the superlocalization of plastic deformation at high strains and high temperatures in LiF single crystals are described. The physical conditions of transition to a localized plastic flow in the temperature range of 603 K to 1073 K T (0.53–0.94T_mp) using constant strain rate compression tests under strain rates from 10⁻³s⁻¹ to 10⁻²s⁻¹ are found. The results indicate that the deformation mechanism involves dislocation climb, controlled by diffusion. The connection of high temperature flow instability with an excessive concentration of point defects (strain vacancies) in zone of shear has been confirmed.     

Pyroelectric Properties of Potassium and Rubidium Titanyl—Arsenate Single Crystals in the Temperature Range of 4.2–300 K

The temperature dependences of the pyroelectric coefficients of KTiOAsO₄ and RbTiOAsO₄ single crystals grown by flux crystallization have been investigated in the temperature range of 4.2–300 K. With an increase in temperature, superionic conductivity first arises in KTiOAsO4 (at T > 200 K) and then (at T > 270 K) in RbTiOAsO₄. This conductivity is much higher in the samples polarized at T = 4.2 K. An exponential change in the crystal resistivity along the polar direction is simultaneously observed. The results of measurements in the range of 4.2–200 K indicate larger values of pyroelectric coefficients when compared with potassium and rubidium titanyl-phosphate crystals. A correlation between the pyroelectric coefficients and a change in the lattice constants at isomorphic substitutions of K atoms for Rb and P atoms for As has been revealed within the symmetry approach.     

Absorption spectrum of Ni2+ doped in NH4Br single crystal

The optical absorption spectrum of Ni²⁺ doped in NH₄Br single crystals has been studied at room and liquid-air temperatures. The observed ambient bands at 6300, 11,600, 13,400, 18,500, and 20,000 cm^–1 have been assigned, respectively, to the transitions³ A ₂(F) ³ T ₂(F),³ T ₁(F),¹ E(D),¹ T ₂(D and³ T ₁(P). The crystal field parameters evaluated areD _q=630 cm^–1,B=850 cm^–1, andC=3600 cm^–1. In assigning the location of Ni²⁺ ions within the lattice, evaluations are made of the (limited) extant comparable data. It is then concluded that Ni²⁺ enters an octahedral interstitial, rather than a substitutional, site. It is surrounded by four bromide ions, in a plane, with two polarized water molecules at the opposing fifth and sixth positions.     

Optical Absorption Spectrum of Cu2+ Ions in Lithium Sodium Potassium Sulphate Single Crystal

Single crystals of Copper-doped Lithium sodium potassium sulphate were grown at room temperature. The optical absorption spectra were recorded at room and liquid-nitrogen temperatures. The observed absorption bands have been attributed to an ion of Cu²⁺ in tetragonal symmetry with ²B₁ as the ground state. A successful interpretation of all the observed bands have been made by taking into consideration spin-orbit coupling associated with a tetragonal field. The crystal field parameters derived are D_q = 1045 cm⁻¹, Ds = 1352 cm⁻¹ and Dt = 457 cm⁻¹.     

The field effect in amorphous chalcogenides: An investigation of localized states and electronic transport

The temperature dependence of the field effect response permits an unambiguous determination of the identity of those states responsible for electrostatic screening in the amorphous chalcogenides. We observe (1) in As₂Te₃, field effect screening by localized states at the Fermi level at low temperatures (～ 10¹⁹ cm^?3 eV^?1) and by mobile charge carriers (～ 10¹⁸ cm^?3 at 300 K) at high temperatures, and a transition from p-type to two-carrier (primarily n-type) conductivity as the temperature is raised above ～320 K; (2) in As₂SeTe₂, screening by mobile charge carriers (～ 10¹⁸ cm^?3 at 300 K) with strongly type conductivity; (3) in As₂Se₂Te, screening by localized states at the Fermi level (～ 10¹⁹ cm^?3 eV^?1) with strongly p-type conductivity; and (4) in Sb₂Te₃, a very high density of localized states at the Fermi level (～ 2 × 10²⁰ cm^?3 eV^?1) with both electron and hole contributions to the conductivity. Correlation with thermoelectric power results suggests that the p-type conductivity in As₂Te₃ is due to near-equal contributions from two processes: hopping in localized states plus extended state conduction. Aging and annealing behavior is described with the aid of a “chaotic potential model” that appears to be able to account for large changes in mobile carrier density that leave the conductivity unaltered.     

Growth of Na2EuCl4 particles studied by means of their effect upon the yield strength of NaCl:Eu2+ crystals

The hardening of NaCl crystals induced by the presence of europium ions has been systematically investigated in two regions of temperatures (below 343 K and above 473 K) as function of the aggregation and/or precipitation stage of the dopant. The kinetics of Eu²⁺ — clustering was followed by taking the δσ₀(t_an) — data at various annealing temperatures T_an. The results have been discussed in frames of the available theoretical models and compared with those obtained previously from OA- and ITC-data.     

Ionic conductivity of BaF2 crystals

By fitting theoretically calculated to experimentally found lg σT ÷ 1/T dependencies (σ conductivity) there were obtained: the free formation enthalpy of anti-Frenkel defects g_AF = 1.81 eV − 7.85 kT, and the mobilities v_V and v_i of F⁻ ion vacancies and interstitials: v_VT = 240 exp (−0.59 eV/kT) cm² K/Vs, v_iT = (4080 + 610) exp (−0.79 eV/kT) cm² K/Vs. The free association enthalpies were reestimated for complexes consisting of single foreign cations (Na⁺, K⁺, Y³⁺, La³⁺, Tm³⁺, Yb³⁺) and the corresponding charge-compensating defects. At the melting point of BaF₂ at least 5.7 per cent of the F⁻ ions are disordered.     

Electric Characterization of Indium Sesquiselenide Single Crystals

Conductivity, Hall-effect measurements were performed on δ-phase In₂Se₃ single crystals, grown by the Bridgman method over the temperature range 150–428 K, in the directions perpendicular and parallel to the c-axis. The anisotropy of the electrical conductivity and of the Hall coefficient of n-type In₂Se₃ had been investigated. The values of the Hall coefficient and electrical conductivity at room temperature spreads from an order of R_H11 = 1.36 × 10⁴ cm³/coul, σ₁₁ = 4.138 × 10⁻³ Ω⁻¹ cm⁻¹ and R_H = 66.55 × 10⁴ cm³/coul, σ = 0.799 × 10⁻³ Ω⁻¹ cm⁻¹ for parallel and perpendicular to c-axis, respectively. The temperature dependence of Hall mobility and carrier concentration are also studied.     

Electric conductivity and lattice disorder of PbMoO4 crystals

From differential thermal analysis (DTA), thermal etching, perfectly reversable redox treatments and electric conductivity it is concluded that the Pb/Mo ratio of the PbMoO₄ crystals is always 1 and that phase transitions do not occur. Pb³⁺ ions detectable by an absorption band at 435 nm cause a p-conductivity due to the reaction Pb³⁺ ⇌ Pb⁺⁺ + e⁺. At elevated temperatures the p-conductivity increases with increasing oxygen partial pressure of the surrounding atmosphere. The influence of foreign ions on the concentration of ionic and electronic defects in PbMoO₄, CaMoO₄, PbO, and PbTiO₃ can be explained by an anti-Frenkel disorder of the oxygen ion sublattice. For PbMoO₄ crystals the mobility O⁻ ion vacancies and the free formation enthalpy of anti-Frenkel defects are found to be v_v = \documentclass{article}\pagestyle{empty}\begin{document}$ \mathop - \limits_T^{9160} $\end{document} exp (−1.15 eV/kT) cm² K/Vs and g_AF = 3.6kT −2.2 eV, respectively.     

Optical absorption of Fe3+ Ion in LiF crystals

The absorption spectrum of LiF—Fe³⁺ single crystals was investigated at liquid nitrogen temperature. Six new absorption bands, unobserved earlier in other works, were found, which were located at 11 200, 16 000, 22 700, 27300, 30 500, and 41 900 cm⁻¹. The spectrum was interpreted in the cubic cristalline field approximation with D_q = 1397 cm⁻¹, B = 657 cm⁻¹, C = 3226 cm⁻¹. Above mentioned bands were assigned to the transitions from a ground state ⁶A_1g to the levels ⁴T_1g(G), ⁴T_2g(G), ⁴A_1g(G) (⁴E_g), ⁴E_g(D), ²T_1g(F), and ⁴T_1g(F), respectively.     

Growth,structure, and superconducting properties of Bi2Sr2Ca2Cu3O10 and (Bi,Pb)2Sr2Ca2Cu3O10‐y crystals

Large and high‐quality single crystals of both Pb‐free and Pb‐doped high temperature superconducting compounds (Bi_1‐xPb_x)₂Sr₂Ca₂Cu₃O_10‐y (x = 0 and 0.3) were grown by means of a newly developed “Vapour‐Assisted Travelling Floating Zone” technique (VA‐TSFZ). This modified zone‐melting technique was realised in an image furnace and allowed for the first time to grow Pb‐doped crystals by compensating for the Pb losses occurring at high temperature. Crystals up to 3×2×0.1 mm³ were successfully grown. Post‐annealing under high pressure of O₂ (up to 10 MPa at T = 500°C) was undertaken to enhance T_c and improve the homogeneity of the crystals. Structural characterisation was performed by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction (XRD) and the structure of the 3‐layer Bi‐based superconducting compound was refined for the first time. Structure refinement showed an incommensurate superlattice in the Pb‐free crystals. The space group is orthorhombic, A2aa, with cell parameters a = 27.105(4) Å, b = 5.4133(6) Å and c = 37.009(7) Å. Superconducting studies were carried out by A.C. and D.C. magnetic measurements. Very sharp superconducting transitions were obtained in both kinds of crystals (ΔT_c ≤ 1 K). In optimally doped Pb‐free crystals, critical temperatures up to 111 K were measured. Magnetic critical current densities of 2�10⁵ A/cm² were measured at T = 30 K and μ₀H = 0 T. A weak second peak in the magnetisation loops was observed in the temperature range 40‐50 K above which the vortex lattice becomes entangled. We have measured a portion of the irreversibility line (0.1‐5 Tesla) and fitted the expression for the melting of a vortex glass in a 2D fluctuation regime to the experimental data. Measurements of the lower critical field allowed to obtain the dependence of the penetration depth on temperature: the linear dependence of λ(T) for T < 30 K is consistent with d‐wave superconductivity in Bi‐2223. (© 2004 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Study of optical and transport properties of K2CuCl4 · 2H2O single crystal

Optical absorption, transport properties and EPR of K₂CuCl₄ · 2H₂O single crystals have been studied. The optical absorption in UV, and visible region are characterized by a charge transfer band, and in the near infrared region at 3998, 4336, and 4480 cm⁻¹ are attributed to transitions between the stark levels of copper(II) ion in an extended octahedral crystal field. An anisotrophic ‘g’ value was observed with g_∥ = 2.12 and g_∥ = 2.24 by EPR method. The spin orbit coupling constant is found to be 500 cm₋₁. D.C. electrical conductivity measurements with temperature reveal an anisotropy characteristic of a two-dimensional layered structure and exhibit a first order irreversible structural phase-transition at 377 K, i.e. from tetragonal to monoclinic crystal system. X-ray diffraction studies and density calculations from the crystal structure data in both the phases suggest that the first order irreversible transition occurs following the loss of the two water molecules of hydration.     

Role of Silver on Superconducting Properties of BPSCCO (2223) System

The role of silver for the superconducting properties of the Bi Pb Sr Ca Cu O (2223) system have been investigated systematically. Samples with various concentrations of Ag were prepared by the matrix method. D.C. resistance results showed that T_c(0) varied between 100–109 K for various compositions of Ag. J_c measured at LNT from I–V data shows an increase with silver addition. J_c decreased from 90 Amp/cm² at zero field to 16 Amp/cm² at 100 Oe. The T_c(0) obtained form the susceptibility data agreed with those obtained from resistance measurements. X-ray diffraction results showed that the dominant phase in BPSCCO is the high-temperature (2223) phase and the same is improved in silver added BPSCCO samples. The scanning electron micrographs indicated that silver is precipated along the grain boundaries, separating the superconducting grains. These results have showed that silver addition does not destroy the superconductivity and at the same time enhances the critical current density.     

Single Crystal Growth and Electrical Properties of Gallium Monotelluride

Single crystals of GaTe were prepared in our laboratory by a special modified Bridgman technique method. Measurements of the electrical conductivity and Hall effect between 210 and 450 K were carried out on GaTe samples in two crystallographic directions. The Hall coefficient is positive and varies with the crystallographic direction. A unique mobility behaviour and strong anistropy in the carrier mobility were observed. The Hall mobilities parallel and perpendicular to the C-axis, at room temperature, were 12 cm/V · s and 25.12 cm²/V ·s, respectively. The free carrier concentration lies between 10¹³ − 10¹⁴ cm⁻³ at room temperature.