Criteria for an Alternative Proposal for Crystal Growing by the Flux Method

Criteria are described for an alternative proposal for growing single crystals in the melt. Considering the solid state reactions between the components of the solved substances and the melting materials, a new heating process is discussed, taking into account the transformation temperatures of the intermediary products and also their reaction kinetics of formation and dissociation. As the most important parameter for the growth velocity is considered not the solubility of the initial components but the dissociation velocity of the by-products. At the start of crystallization an oscillating nucleation process is proposed with decreasing temperature amplitude. Hence, the number of critical nuclei in the neighbourhood of the supersaturated melt solution will be kept as small as possible. In this way, an optimal output and quality of a small number of single crystals was achieved. These considerations were incorporated in a temperature program for the growth of single crystals by the flux method and they constitute an alternative to the usual application of this method.