Facilities

Single Crystal Growth Facilities

We have facilities to grow single crystal of oxides, halides, metallic and intermetallic compounds. We employ flux method, modified Bridgman method and chemical vapor transport (CVT) method. For crystal growth of non-oxide materials the elements need to be sealed under vacuum or Argon gas inside a quartz tube. For single crystal growth in flux method and modified Bridgman method, high temperature furnaces with extremely slow and controlled cooling and special crucible assemblies are required. For single crystal growth with volatile elements, the CVT method is used for which programmable furnace with large temperature gradient is required. The Lab has all the facilities for crystal growth alongwith support from CIF, IIT Palakkad.

Programmable Box Furnaces

1200 C Muffle furnace with 1 C/hour cooling. By Nabertherm, Germany
1750 C box furnace with 1 C/hour cooling and facility to create O2 and N2 reach or deficient environment by purging of suitable gas. By VB Ceramics, India [Under CIF, IIT Palakkad].
Used for pollycrystalline synthesis and single crystal growth by Flux and modified Bridgman method.

Gradient Tube furnace

1200 C two zone furnace, each heating zone length 20 c, separated by 2.5 cm.
Gradient of 200 C can be achieve over 22 cm.
1C/hour cooling and different gas flow option is available.
Used for synthesis in different gas environments and single crystal growth by CVT method.
By Carbolite Gero, UK

Quartz Tube Sealing station

The unit has a high vacuum Oil Diffusion Pump and a manifold for sealing quartz tube of 18 mm, 20 mm and 22mm outer diameter.
The unit has an Oxygen-LPG torch for melting quartz.
Vacuum- 0.04 mBar with Rotary Pump, 10^-6 mBar using the diffusion pump.

Used for sealing reactive elements and compounds inside an evacuated quartz tube.
By Mansha Vaccum, India [Under CIF, IIT Palakkad].

Other Synthesis Facilities

Mono Arc Melting Facility

Vacuum: 5 x 10^-3 mBar; Gas Environment for producing Arc: Argon.
Used for preparing ingots of Metallic and Intermetallic Alloy.
By VEC Solutions, India [Under CIF, IIT PKD]

Precision
Weighing Balance

Least Count : 0.0001 g
By Shimadzu, Japan

Hotplate with magnetic Stirrer

Prbe thermometer controlled hotplate.
Used for Sol-Gel method synthesis.

Ultasonicator

Temperature controlled.
By ColePalmer, UK

Centrifuge

Swing Bucket Centrifuge wit custom designed buckets.
Used to separate molten flux and single crystals
By Remi, India

Measurement Facilities (Under CIF, IIT Palakkad)

For chemical and structural characterization of the synthesized single crystals and investigation of the electronic properties under magnetic field different equipment from CIF, IIT Palakkad are used.

FESEM

Electron Microscopy, EDS and Lithography.
Used for chemical composition analysis and lithography.
By Carl Zeiss, Gemini SEM 300

XRD

Used for structural analysis from room temperature to 1000 C.
Powder XRD and Samll angle X-ray scattering.
By Rigaku.,Japan

Raman Spectrophotometer

Used for Structural analysis by probing vibrational mode of the lattice from 77 K to 873 K.
By Horiba Labram HR Evo, Japan

Closed Cycle Cryostat (VTI)

Cryofree system with 3He insert. Temperature range : 300 mK - 350 K
Superconducting magnet: 12 Tesla
Used for Linear and Hall resistance measurement continuously rotating under magnetic field. Quantum Oscillations.
By Oxford, UK.
Currently at final stage of installation

Detailed list of CIF, IIT Palakkad equipments:

CIF, IIT Palakkad

National Experimental facility Portal :

I-STEM

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