Bridgman Crystal Growth Modeling

Crystals are ubiquitous in daily life and technology. Many kinds of crystalline products, such as salt, sugar, and fat, are used in cooking, and electronic devices are made from semiconductor crystals. Crystals also play an important role in life and the global environment. Living organisms produce mineral crystals to maintain biogenic activity, and snow and ice crystals play a crucial role in climate change. For most topics related to crystals, crystal growth is an important research area.

This book introduces the principles and techniques of crystal growth by the flux method, which is arguably the most useful way to obtain millimeter- to centimeter-sized single crystals for physical research. As it is possible to find an appropriate solvent (“flux”) for nearly all inorganic materials, the flux method can be applied to the growth of many crystals ranging from transition metal oxides to intermetallic compounds. Both important principles and experimental procedures are described in a clear and accessible manner.