Garnet single crystal

Fig. 8.10 Photograph of the mixed-metal garnet single crystal by using solid-state ceramic conversion process (polished sample with thickness = 0.8 mm). Reproduced with permission from [65]. Copyright 2014, Elsevier...

Li Z, Nian H, Feng T, Jiang D (2014) Sohd-state grain growth of garnet single crystals of complex composition. Ceram Int 40 10193-10196... 

G. S. Corman, Creep of yttrium-aluminum garnet single-crystal, J. Mater. Sci. Letters, 12,379-382 (1993). 

Figure 3.19 A garnet single crystal that was found in Tongbei, Fujian Province, China. (Photograph courtesy of Irocks.com, Megan Foreman photo.)...

This method emplosrs a molten flux which dissolves the material and re-deposits it upon a seleeted substrate. That is, the molten flux acts as a transport medium. The temperature of the flux can be varied to suit the material and to promote high solubility of the solute material in the molten solvent. One example is YIG", yttrium iron garnet, i.e.- Y3FesOi2 -This material is used in the Electronics Industry as single crystals for microwave generating devices. It can be grown via the molten flux method. 

Armbruster T., Geiger C. A., and Lager G. A. (1992). Single-crystal X-ray structure study of synthetic pyrope ahnandine garnets at 100 and 293 K. Amer. Mineral, 77 512-521. Atkins P. W. (1978). Physical Chemistry. Oxford Oxford University Press. 

Leitner B. I, Weidner D. J., and Liebermann R. C. (1980). Elasticity of single crystal pyrope and implications for garnet solid solution series. Phys. Earth Planet. Interiors., 22 111. 

The substituted garnet plates can be produced by slicing from a single crystal rod grown by the floating zone method or, more economically, from thick films grown onto a host substrate by liquid phase epitaxy (see Section 3.11). The plates are lapped, polished, coated with antireflection layers and then diced to produce the final elements ( 2mm side by 100/mi thickness) ready for assembly into the isolator. 

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