Various surface features on crystals are beautiful manifestation of structural properties, growth pattern and defects in the crystal. Optical & Electron microscope are important tools to characterize crystals in respect of micro-morphology, growth features, etch pits, over growth, etc. In the micro- and macro-morphology, the information related to crystal habit, development of various planes along crystallographic directions, relative growth rate, etc can be drawn which is vital for the quality of grown crystals. In the growth features, the evidence of growth mechanism like spiral growth, two dimensional nucleation, dendritic growth, etc can be seen. Surface features are directly linked with the changes in the crystal structure through doping, annealing and other post growth treatment for improvement in material and crystallographic quality of crystals.

In the present talk, the above mentioned surface features are demonstrated in respect of crystals of wide range of materials like polytypic CdI₂/PbI₂ , high temperature superconducting Bi-2212, piezoelectric LiNbO₃ and PZNT, various semiorganic NLO (like L-HFB) and ZnO micro-crystals. These crystals are grown by various techniques like solution, vapour, melt (zone melting) and flux. The height of density and distribution of multiple spirals, etc provide micro-details of growth mechanism. The development of etch pits, their shape, size, density and distribution along selective crystallographic directions provide detailed information, both quantitative and qualitative, of dislocation present in the crystals.  The slip lines and slip planes, overgrowth, hillocks, growth steps and their bunching, etc are other important features which have been studied. In the process, the fundamentals theories of spiral growth, 2D layer growth, dendritic growth, etc are discussed with clinching experimental evidences. The effect of growth technique, doping, etching, heat treatment, etc on various surface features will be discussed. A series of micrographs taken from optical, SEM, AFM and TEM will be presented.

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