CONTROL APPARATUS FOR SINGLE-CRYSTAL GROWTH IN AQUEOUS-SOLUTION METHOD

Abstract

A new technique has been developed for controlling the crystal-growth rate in the aqueous solution method. This technique provides a programmable preset of the temperature evolution of solution. Initially, the growth rate is kept slow to ensure good crystal quality. Gradually the rate is accelerated to increase the growth efficiency. A simple control mechanism is devised to achieve a very slow and pre-determined cooling rate, which can be adapted to the temperature-related characteristics of various solutions and thermistor sensor. Single crystal growth of KDP has been demonstrated. The result verifies our prediction that a linear growth rate of the crystal dimension with a good seed-to-grown crystal interface can be obtained programmatically.