Advances in Floating Zone Crystal Growth

Abstract

Optical floating zone (OFZ) method has been applied to grow various materials for semiconducting industry applications as well as basic research on quantum materials. This article describes the OFZ method in detail and briefly introduces two recent advances in floating zone method by incorporating new techniques, namely, laser diode as optical source and high pressure environments. These developments have made it possible to grow materials that were previously challenging in conventional OFZ method and greatly expanded the range of accessible systems to search for exotic quantum phenomena.