Experimental evidence that a high electric field acts as an efficient external parameter during crystalline growth of bulk oxide

Patrick Hicher (1) , Raphaël Haumont (2, 1) , Romuald Saint-Martin (1) , Xavier Mininger (3) , Patrick Berthet (1) , Alexandre Revcolevschi (1)

1 ICMMO - Institut de Chimie Moléculaire et des Matériaux d'Orsay
2 SPMS - Laboratoire Structures, Propriétés et Modélisation des solides
3 GeePs - Laboratoire Génie électrique et électronique de Paris

A new crystal growth device, in which a high static external electric voltage (up to 14 kV) is added to a floating zone method, is described. Our first experiments show that the application of such an electric field acts like an external force, introducing a pressure effect which is in direct competition with temperature in the solid/liquid thermodynamic equilibrium. High electric fields could therefore be an additional parameter in crystal growth, opening original routes to the synthesis of new materials.

Keywords: Floating zone technique; Oxides; Electric field; Solidification

Domains: Cristallography

Patrick Hicher, Raphaël Haumont, Romuald Saint-Martin, Xavier Mininger, Patrick Berthet, et al.. Experimental evidence that a high electric field acts as an efficient external parameter during crystalline growth of bulk oxide. Journal of Crystal Growth, 2015, 409, pp.23-26. ⟨10.1016/j.jcrysgro.2014.09.033⟩. ⟨hal-01244837⟩