Single-Crystal Growth of f-Electron Intermetallics in a Tetra-Arc Czochralski Furnace

The Czochralski technique has induced technological revolution in the electronic industry. It has also been. widely used in the fundamental research area, as it allows obtaining high-quality single crystals of large variety of binary, ternary and multinary compounds. The unique tetra-arc Czochralski furnace installed at the Institute of Low Temperature and Structure Research, Polish Academy of Sciences in Wroclaw, described in detail in the article, has been used to prepare a large number of single crystals of various Ce- and U-based intermetallic phases. Their excellent quality has facilitated advanced investigations of their anisotropic, often highly unusual physical properties.