Journal of Crystal Growth, Vol.229, No.1, 261-264, 2001
Growth of Ca4YO(BO3)(3) crystals by vertical Bridgman method
Growth of single crystals of Ca4YO(BO3)(3) (YCOB) by the vertical Bridgman method is reported in this paper. By using near-sealed Pt crucibles to prevent volatilization of B2O3, the high-optical-quality YCOB crystals of 25mm diameter and more than 40 mm in length have been grown at the furnace temperature of 50-80 degreesC above the melting point of YCOB and the crucible lowering rates of 0.2-0.6 mm/h. Owing to the low vertical and radial temperature gradient, crack-free YCOB crystals have been obtained in the (0 10) and (001) directions. At the top of a YCOB boule, the dislocation density was found to decrease from the center to the outer area, and the average dislocation density is about 600/cm(2).