Growth and surface morphology of ErFeO3 single crystal

ErFeO3 single crystal 7 mm in diameter and up to 70 mm in length has been grown by the floating zone technique using a four-mirror image furnace. Particular attention was given to the surface morphology of different cross-sections of the single crystal perpendicular to the growth direction. There are many cracks, bubbles, and precipitations on the cross-sections of the crystal observed by scanning electron microscopy. The thermal stress induced by the high growth rate might play an important role in the formation of the cracks. The bubbles might be mainly caused by high growth rate and the voids within the sintered feed rod. The energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analysis indicates that there is Fe deficiency in the crystal especially in the precipitations. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.