Growth of high-quality single crystals for experiments at large scale research facilities

Rosalba Fittipaldi

To make advancement in science high-quality single crystals are crucial. Furthermore, it is only combing high quality single crystals and large-scale research facilities that one can carry out pioneering experiments.

In this talk, I will present an overview of the crystal growth of various ruthenates oxides (superconductors, magnetic materials, Mott insulators), bismuth based topological insulators, and palladium intermetallic compounds by the floating zone technique. The floating zone method of crystal growth used in optical furnaces allows to get crystals of superior quality, circumventing many of the problems associated with, for example, flux growth from the melt. This method enables the growth of defect-free and highly pure crystals, a prerequisite especially for challenging experiments to shed light on quantum phases in condensed matter. Some examples of experimental results from crystals grown at CNR SPIN, selected from numerous collaborative international research projects will be discussed.