This text discusses the physical principles of how and why crystals grow. It introduces the fundamental properties of crystal surfaces at equilibrium, and describes simple models and basic concepts of crystal growth including diffusion, thermal smoothing of a surface, and applications to semiconductors. It also covers more complex topics such as kinetic roughness, growth instabilities, and elastic effects, as well as the crucial contributions of crystal growth in electronics during this century. The book focuses on growth using molecular beam epitaxy. Throughout, the emphasis is on the role played by modern statistical physics. Informative appendices, interesting exercises and an extensive bibliography reinforce the text.

This book gives a systematic overview on the scientific fundamentals of crystal growth from the classical phenomenological description to the recent theoretical contributions of statistical physics such as studies on surface roughening and on the pattern formation in the diffusion-limited growth.The book emphasizes physical concepts as well as mathematical details, and is intended to serve as lecture notes for postgraduate courses.

This is the first-ever textbook on the fundamentals of nucleation, crystal growth and epitaxy. It has been written from a unified point of view and is thus a non-eclectic presentation of this interdisciplinary topic in materials science. The reader is required to possess some basic knowledge of mathematics and physics. All formulae and equations are accompanied by examples that are of technological importance. The book presents not only the fundamentals but also the state of the art in the subject. The second revised edition includes two separate chapters dealing with the effect of the Enrich-Schwoebel barrier for down-step diffusion, as well as the effect of surface active species, on the morphology of the growing surfaces. In addition, many other chapters are updated accordingly. Thus, it serves as a valuable reference book for both graduate students and researchers in materials science.

Crystal Growth, Second Edition deals with crystal growth methods and the relationships between them. The chemical physics of crystal growth is discussed, along with solid growth techniques such as annealing, sintering, and hot pressing; melt growth techniques such as normal freezing, cooled seed method, crystal pulling, and zone melting; solution growth methods; and vapor phase growth. This book is comprised of 15 chapters and opens with a bibliography of books and source material, highlighted by a classification of crystal growth techniques. The following chapters focus on the molecular state of a crystal when in equilibrium with respect to growth or dissolution; the fundamentals of classical and modern hydrodynamics as applied to crystal growth processes; creation, control, and measurement of the environment in which a crystal with desired properties can grow; and growth processes where transport occurs through the vapor phase. The reader is also introduced to crystal growth with molecular beam epitaxy; crystal pulling as a crystal growth method; and zone refining and its applications. This monograph will be of interest to physicists and crystallographers.

The intrinsic properties of a solid, i. e. , the properties that result from its specific structure, can be largely modified by crystallographic and chem ical defects. The formation of these defects is governed by the heat and mass transfer conditions which prevail on and near a crystal-nutrient in terface during crystallization. Hence, both the growth of highly perfect crystals and the preparation of samples having predetermined defect-induced (extrinsic) properties require a thorough understanding of the reaction and transport mechanisms that govern crystallization from vapors, solutions and melts. Crystal growth, as a science, is therefore mostly concerned with the chemistry and physics of heat and mass transport in these fluid-solid phase transitions. Solid-solid transitions are, at this time, not widely employed for high quality single-crystal production. Transport concepts are largely built upon equilibrium considerations, i. e. , on thermodynamic and phase equilibrium concepts. Hence to supply a "workable" foundation for the succeeding discussions, this text begins in Chapter 2 with a concise treatment of thermodynamics which emphasizes applications to mate rials preparation. After working through this chapter, the reader should feel at ease with often (particularly among physicists) unfamiliar entities such as chemical potentials, fugacities, activities. etc. Special sections on ther mochemical calculations (and their pitfalls) and compilations of thermochemi cal data conclude the second chapter. Crystal growth can be called. in a wide sense, the science and technology of controlling phase transitions that lead to (single crystalline) solids.

This book is the second in a series of scientific textbooks designed to cover advances in selected research fields from a basic and general viewpoint, so that only limited knowledge is required to understand the significance of recent developments. Further assistance for the non-specialist is provided by the summary of abstracts in Part 2, which includes many of the major papers published in the research field. Crystal Growth of Semiconductor Materials has been the subject of numerous books and reviews and the fundamental principles are now well-established. We are concerned chiefly with the deposition of atoms onto a suitable surface - crystal growth - and the generation of faults in the atomic structure during growth and subsequent cooling to room temperature - crystal defect structure. In this book I have attempted to show that whilst the fundamentals of these processes are relatively simple, the complexities of the interactions involved and the individuality of different materials systems and growth processes have ensured that experimentally verifiable predictions from scientific principles have met with only limited success - good crystal growth remains an art. However, recent advances, which include the reduction of growth temperatures, the reduction or elimination of reactant transport variables and the use of better-controlled energy sources to promote specific reactions, are leading to simplified growth systems.

The goal of the series Physics and Chemistry of Materials with Layered Structures is to give a critical survey of our present knowledge on a large family of materials which can be described as solids containing molecules which in two dimensions extend to infinity and which are loosely stacked on top of each other to form three dimensional crystals. Of course, the physics and chemistry of these crystals are specific chapters in ordinary solid state science, and many a scientist hunting for new phenomena has in the past been disappointed to find that materials with layered structures are not entirely exotic. Their electron and phonon states are not two dimensional, and the high hopes held by some for spectacular dimensionality effects in superconductivity were shattered. Nevertheless, the structural features and their physical and chemical consequences singularize layered structures sufficiently to make them a fascinating subject of research. This is all the more true since they are met in insulators and semiconductors as well as in normal and superconducting metals. Although for the time being the series is intentionally limited to cover inorganic materials only, the many known organic layered structures may well be the subject of future volumes. Among the noteworthy peculiarities of layered structures, we mention specific growth mechanisms and crystal habits. Polytypism is very common and it is fasci nating indeed to find up to 240 different polytypes in the same chemical substance.

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. Practical advice on various aspects of the experiment, which is not readily available in the literature, will assist the beginning graduate students in setting up the lab and conducting successful crystal growth. The mechanisms of crystal growth at an elementary level are also provided to better understand the techniques and to help in assessing the quality of the crystals. The book also contains many photographs of beautiful crystals with important physical properties of current interest, such as high-temperature superconductors, strongly correlated electronic systems, topological insulators, relaxor ferroelectrics, low-dimensional quantum magnets, non-linear optical materials, and multiferroics.

Introduction to Crystal Growth: Principles and Practice teaches readers about crystals and their origins. It offers a historical perspective of the subject and includes background information whenever possible. The first section of this introductory book takes readers through the historical development and motivation of the field of crystal growth. With more than 40 years of experience in the field, the author covers nucleation, two-dimensional layer growth mechanism, defects in crystals, and screw dislocation theory of crystal growth. He also explains some aspects of the important subject of phase diagrams. The second section focuses on the experimental techniques of crystal growth. For practicing crystal growers, the book provides nuts-and-bolts techniques and tips. It discusses the major techniques categorized by solid–solid, liquid–solid, and vapor–solid equilibria and describes characterization techniques essential to measuring the quality of grown crystals.

This new textbook provides for the first time a comprehensive treatment of the basics of contemporary crystallography and crystal growth in a single volume. The reader will be familiarized with the concepts for the description of morphological and structural symmetry of crystals. The architecture of crystal structures of selected inorganic and molecular crystals is illustrated. The main crystallographic databases as data sources of crystal structures are described. Nucleation processes, their kinetics and main growth mechanism will be introduced in fundamentals of crystal growth. Some phase diagrams in the solid and liquid phases in correlation with the segregation of dopants are treated on a macro- and microscale. Fluid dynamic aspects with different types of convection in melts and solutions are discussed. Various growth techniques for semiconducting materials in connection with the use of external field (magnetic fields and microgravity) are described. Crystal characterization as the overall assessment of the grown crystal is treated in detail with respect to - crystal defects - crystal quality - field of application Introduction to Crystal Growth and Characterization is an ideal textbook written in a form readily accessible to undergraduate and graduate students of crystallography, physics, chemistry, materials science and engineering. It is also a valuable resource for all scientists concerned with crystal growth and materials engineering.