Absorption and ionic conductivity of oxygen-containing SrF2 crystals

An absorption band at 3644 cm⁻¹ is caused by isolated OH⁻ ions. O⁻ ions cause an absorption band at 213 nm the oscillator strength of which is 0.020. Charge-compensation of O⁻ ions is effected by F⁻ ion vacancies (F). As for CaF₂ crystals there occur monomers and dimers of [O⁻ – F] complexes. The mass action constants of association of F with oxygen centres are K_AD = ⅓ exp (4.28 – 0.82 eV/kT) for [O⁻ – F], K_AT = 4 exp (17.4 – 1.25 eV/kT) for [2 O⁻ – F] and K_AQ = exp (4.2 – 0.89 eV/kT) for [2 O⁻ – 2 F].     

Growth and characterization of pure and doped lead hydrogen phosphate single crystals in silica gel

Following the chemical reaction method pure and doped lead hydrogen phosphate single crystals were grown in silica gel using different gel density, various concentrations of phosphoric acid, and lead nitrate solutions. As the gel pH plays an important role in the formation of different H₃PO₄ species in the phosphoric acid system, the pH range in which HPO ions dominate, was considered which in turn in necessary for the growth of lead hydrogen phosphate crystals. Characteristics of these crystals were carried out by infrared spectral analysis and microhardness study.     

Hyperfine structure of Cr5+ EPR spectra in X-irradiated potassium halide crystals doped with CrO and Ca2+

The hyperfine structure has been investigated in the EPR spectra of X-irradiated KCl: CrO, Ca²⁺ and KBr: CrO, Ca²⁺ crystals. Preliminarily spectra were simplified by means of heating the crystals up to 400 K for KCl and 440 K for KBr, that destroys the less stable CrO · V centers. It is ascertained, that principal directions of g- and A-tensors do not coincide, and principal A-values are determined. Calculations, making use of the experimental meanings of g- and A-tensor components, showed, that the degree of distortion of oxygen tetrahedra in CrO · Ca²⁺ · V centers is almost the same in both KCl and KBr crystals; besides, these calculations suggest the existence of a strong covalent bonding between the central Cr⁵⁺ ion and four oxygen ligands in CrO ions.     

Pinacoidal growth and optical properties of calcite crystals

Optical quality calcite single crystals, CaCO₃, have been grown under hydrothermal conditions in the of CaCO₃ - NH₄Br - H₂O system doped with Li ions. 24- liter autoclaves including titanium inserts were used in these experiments. Optical properties of calcite crystals were studied. The light absorption index of the crystals grown is similar to rhombohedron materials, but pinacoidai calcite have no V-shaped defects.     

Investigations on electronically conducting oxide systems (XI) electrical conductivity and optical absorption of a -and c-Domain crystals BaVTiO3

BaVTiO₃ single crystals can be grown from a basic BaCl₂ flux. The electric conductivity was measured at a- and c-domain crystals and optical absorption as well as photoconductivity were ascertained at a-domain crystals using plane polarized light in dependence on direction. Properties and their anisotropy are discussed on the basis of their local relations in the ferroelectric host lattice and compared with the properties of BaNbTiTiO₃ single crystals described in the preceding communication.     

Surface preparation of AB semiconductors (Cd3As2, Zn3As2, Cd3P2, Zn3P2) under ultra-high vacuum conditions

The UHV surface preparation of AB materials (crystals and thin films) has been monitored with XPS and AES. Clean and stoichiometric surfaces of AB crystals were prepared by means of low energy ion bombardment and subsequent low temperature annealing. Stoichiometric Cd₃As₂ and Zn₃P₂ thin films with very low amounts of C and O were deposited by the evaporation of bulk material in the UHV. The quality of prepared AB crystal and thin film surfaces was sufficient to carry out density of states investigations (UPS, RELS) with success.     

Stoichiometry and point defects in lithium niobate crystals

Investigations of the OH⁻ ion incorporation into LiNbO₃ crystals and the comparison of calculated and measured densities show that undoped congruent lithium niobate crystals contain Li⁺ and O^{− −} ion vavancies O and Li⁺. If really present, stacking faults are of inferior importance. The good agreement of the absorption edges of stoichiometric and of 2.7 mol% MgO containing congruent lithium niobate crystals is explained by the occupance of all oxygen sites within these crystals.     

Experimental investigations of buoyancy-driven convection in vertical (BixSb1−x)2Te3 molten zones

Experimental results for various states of buoyancy driven flow in vertical (Bi_0.23Sb_0.75)₂Te₃ molten zones with covered surface are presented. Critical thermal wall Rayleigh numbers Ra for the onset of time-dependent convection have been determined by means of temperature measurements. The stability diagram obtained for the existing buoyancy driven convection shows the increase of Ra with increasing aspect ratio. This relation is also known from other crystal growth configurations and is due to the damping influence of container walls. At the beginning in the oscillatory region of convection extremely long periods of oscillation (maximum 850 s) were observed, which are caused by another mechanism than periods (25 … 37 s) registered at increasing melt heights. Furthermore, Bi_0.5Sb_1.5Te₃ crystals were grown by using the vertical zone melting technique. The microscopic striations observed in the grown crystals correlate exactly with the temperature signals caused by time dependent convection. However, the fluctuations of the tellurium distribution in axial direction measured by scanning the Seebeck coefficient are presumably generated by unsteady solutal convection during growth.     

Single crystal growth of La2(SO4)3 · 9 D2O

Single crystals of La₂(SO₄)₃ · 9 D₂O were grown from saturated D₂O solutions. According to X-ray diffraction measurements, the crystals have a hexagonal structure with unit cell parameters a = 10.996 Å and c = 8.077 Å (space group C–P6₃/m). Several physical properties were also determined (density, refractive indices, dielectric constants, specific heat, coefficient of linear expansion, microhardness).     

The Structure of Metastable Phases in Al?Zn Alloys (II). HREM Investigations on α-Precipitates

Precipitates of the metastable -phase grown in an Al-(6.8 at.%)Zn alloy are investigated by means of a technique of high resolution electron microscopy, namely by two-beam lattice fringe imaging with tilted illumination. It is demonstrated by this direct method that the -precipitates are in fact semicoherent. The transition of fully coherent Guinier-Preston zones into semicoherent precipitates of the -phase takes place by formation of additional (III)^rh and { III }^rh planes inside the zones.     

Paramagnetic centres in X-irradiated LiNaSO4 single crystals

The EPR and optical absorption spectra of paramagnetic centers produced by X-irradiation in LiNaSO₄ single crystals were investigated. 7 EPR lines are observed at room temperature and 6 more lines – at LNT. The angular dependences of line positions at LNT are studied and the principal g-factor values are defined. The comparison with published data permitted to assign six the most anisotropic lines to ion-radical SO with different orientations in the lattice; two lines to ion-radical SO; slightly anisotropic doublet line – to O ozonide ion; isotropic line with g = 2. 0045 – to ion radical SO.     

Density and mobility of anti-frenkel defects in SrF2 crystals

By fitting the theoretically calculated temperature-dependent conductivity σ to the measured dependencies log σT ÷ 1/T the following parameters have been determined: free formation enthalpy of anti-Frenkel defects g_AF = 2.05 eV – 6.35 kT; mobilities of F⁻ion vacancies F and interstitials F: v_νT = 600 exp (-0.70 eV/kT) cm² K/Vs, v_iT = 1.1 · 10⁴ exp (-0.93 eV/kT) cm² K/Vs. — The free association enthalpies of complexes consisting of single foreign ions (Sc³⁺, Y³⁺, La³⁺, Sm³⁺, Li⁺, K⁺, Na⁺, O⁻) and the charge-compensating defect were obtained. The vibration frequency of F⁻ ions in the neighbourhood of F and F is changed by a factor of 2.6 and 0.6, respectively.     

Nonlinear Optical Properties of Isomorphic Family of Crystals with Yttrium-Aluminium Borate (YAB) Structure

The second harmonics generation of Nd-laser radiation (λ = 1.06 microns) of the isomorphic family of crystals with yttrium-aluminium borate (YAB) structure — RAl₃(BO₃)₄ (R = Y, Sm, Eu, Gd, Dy, Er, Ho, Tu) — investigated using the powder method and the theoretical calculation of SHG–coefficients — are reported. The refraction indices (for λ = 5481 Å) and optical sign for all studied YAB-type crystals are determined with the help of the immersion method. All studied crystals possess PM direction and oee-interaction. The SH-intensity is of KDP order of magnitude, with reasonable correlation of experimental and theoretical data. Theoretical analysis of the contributions of different ions to the integral d magnitude has shown identical signs for all ion species in YAB structure type.     

Defect studies in CuBIIIC chalcopyrite compounds using the ion channeling technique

Based on simple approximations the backscattering minimum yield is estimated for axial ion channeling in perfect crystals of six CuB^IIIC chalcopyrite compounds. The results obtained for CuInSe₂ are compared with experimental channeling spectra. Point defect concentrations up to about 10²¹ cm⁻³ are estimated for CuInSe₂ single crystals grown by the vertical Bridgman method. A simple power law is found for the fluence dependence of the damage density in oxygen implanted CuInSe₂ single crystals.     

Velocities of Disappearance and Lifetime of Faces of Growing Crystals

The formulae for absolute R_disap and relative R velocities of disappearance and lifetime τ of faces of growing crystals have been derived for stationary growth. It was shown that the quantities are determined by the relative growth velocity R_A/R_critA of the vanishing face A with respect to the critical growth velocity R_critA and by the geometry of a crystal expressed by the trigonometric functions of interfacial angles β and γ formed between face A and the adjacent faces. R increases and τ decreases with the increase in R_A/R_critA to certain limiting values. The calculations have been verified and illustrated by the experimental results for triclinic potassium bichromate (KBC) crystals. Results enable ones to predict values of velocities of disappearance and lifetimes of undesirable, supplementary faces of any real crystal.     

Growth and analysis of barium-sodium niobate crystals

The conditions of growth, monodomenization, and detwinning are considered in order to obtain optically perfect barium–sodium niobate crystals (BSN). Optical homogeneity and that of chemical composition are investigated. It is shown that possible variations of composition in a crystal's volume are below 1%. Thermal E and optical E_g° widths of the forbidden zone are determined in the absorption spectra.     

The influence of the direct quench and indirect quench to Ta > Th on the decomposition behaviour of an Al-2 at.% Zn-1 at.% Mg alloy

The decomposition behaviour of an Al-2.0 at.% Zn-1.0 at.% Mg alloy after direct quench (DQ) and indirect quench (IQ:T = 23 °C, t) to the ageing temperature T = 160 °C (above the temperature of the rapid homogeneous nucleation, T_h) was investigated by means of TEM and isothermal resistivity measurements. The precipitation density of the η-particles yields a maximum value at pre-ageing times about 10 min at T = 23 °C. To clear up the reason for that phenomenon a loop-formation and clustering model was introduced.     

Dependence of the Electric Properties and the Positron Lifetimes on the Dopant Content in La-doped SrTiO3

The resistivity, the dielectric constant, and the positron lifetimes in La-doped SrTiO₃ have been measured for La content x of 0—10 at.%. It was found that with increasing x, the variations of the resistivity and the dielectric constant and the positron lifetime parameters are nonmonotonic. The positron experiments have shown that the La-doping induces mainly formation of Sr vacancies and variation of Sr vacancy configuration; the most probable configuration is the isolated Sr vacancies (V) as x < 0.5 at.%, the associated defects (La V) for 0.5 < x < 1 at.%, and the associated defects (2 La V) above x = 1 at.%. The results suggest that the variation of the resistivity can be regarded as variation of electron density, and the variation of the dielectric constant results mainly from variations of the space-charge polarizaion and Sr-vacancy concentration and configuration.     

On the mechanism of chemical polishing of GaAs crystals

In order to establish reproducible conditions for chemical lap polishing of GaAs with NaOCl solutions, containing also OH⁻- and CO -ions, the mechanism of dissolution was investigated using the rotating disk arrangement. In solutions with excess OCl⁻ concentrations likewise diffusion and a reaction of the first order with respect to OH⁻ and CO, complexing agents for Ga-ions, control the dissolution rate, and the surfaces of the wafers are polished. OH⁻ and CO₃^2– concentrations in excess with respect to OCl⁻ lead to rate determining OCl⁻ diffusion and to irregularly polished or film covered surfaces. Diffusion constants for OH⁻, CO and OCl⁻ are given.     

Impurity band conduction effects in liquid phase epitaxial Te-doped GaP grown from tin solution

GaP layers were grown by liquid phase epitaxy from tin solution on semi-insulating GaAs substrates with various amounts of Te added to the melt (x_Te = 10⁻⁴ …︁ 3 · 10⁻²). The Sn and Te concentrations in the layers were determined by chemical analysis as function of x. An analysis of the electrical measurements shows that the carrier transport in the layers is essentially determined by impurity band conduction effects.