Single Crystal Growth at Warwick

超导性和磁性小组沃里克的工作重点是研究强关联电子系统。该小组的理念是采取多管齐下的方法来研究一系列超导体和磁性材料。高质量的单晶对于这些研究是必不可少的。对单晶的内部实验得到了在中央设施进行研究的补充，这些研究使用了中子和X射线散射、Muon自旋共振和在高磁场中进行测量等技术。这些研究被用来对感兴趣的材料的物理学得出统一的图景。我们建议继续在我们在华威成功的晶体生长活动的基础上再接再厉。我们将生产高质量的氧化物、硒化物、硅化物单晶及相关材料。这些材料包括奇异的超导体、各种低维和受阻的磁性材料以及多铁性材料。这些晶体将使用我们在华威拥有的三个光学镜面熔炉(两个卤素灯熔炉和一个氙弧灯熔炉)通过浮区技术生长。光学镜面熔炉允许我们在不同的生长条件下生长晶体，包括不同的气体气氛，在高达10bar的压力和高达3000℃的温度下。当浮动区域技术不适合时，替代技术，如助熔剂生长和化学气相传输将被用于单晶材料的生长。一个新购买的四电弧炉将投入使用，提拉法将用于生产金属间化合物材料的单晶。提案中讨论的一些材料以前可能从未以单晶的形式生产过。为了优化生长条件，制备这些材料的晶体必然需要几次生长尝试。生长出的单晶将用于我们EPSRC资助的所有工作。这些水晶也将提供给英国国内和国际上的其他研究人员。晶体生长计划支持我们多年来建立的广泛的合作网络。这项工作将刺激新的合作关系的形成。

The work of the Superconductivity and Magnetism Group Warwick centres on the investigation of strongly correlated electron systems. The philosophy of the group has been to adopt a multi-pronged approach to the study of a range of superconductors and magnetic materials. High quality single crystals are essential for these investigations. In-house experimentation on single crystals is complemented by studies at central facilities using techniques such as neutron and x-ray scattering, muon spin resonance, and measurements in high magnetic fields. These studies are used to arrive at a unified picture of the physics of the materials of interest.We propose to continue to build on our successful crystal growth activities at Warwick. We will produce high quality single crystals of oxides, selenides, silicides and related materials. These include exotic superconductors, various low-dimensional and frustrated magnetic materials, and multiferroics. These crystals will be grown by the floating zone technique using the three optical mirror furnaces that we have at Warwick (two halogen lamp furnaces and one xenon arc lamp furnace). The optical mirror furnaces allow us to grow crystals under different growth conditions including various gas atmospheres, in pressures of up to 10 bars and at temperatures of up to 3000 C. Alternative techniques such as flux growth and chemical vapour transport will be used for the growth of single crystal materials when the floating zone technique is not suitable. A newly acquired tetra-arc furnace will be commissioned and the Czochralski technique will be used to produce single crystals of intermetallic materials.Some of the materials discussed in the proposal may never have been produced in the form of single crystal before. The preparation of crystals of these materials will necessarily require several growth attempts in order to optimise the growth conditions.The single crystals grown are to be used in all of our EPSRC funded work. The crystals will also be made available to other researchers within the UK and internationally. The crystal growth programme supports a wide collaborative network that we have built up over many years. The work will stimulate the formation of new collaborations.