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Investigations on synthesis, growth and physical characterizations of Lithium selenoindate single crystal

Vijayakumar Palanimuthu ,  Magesh Murugesan ,  Arunkumar Alagesan ,  Anandha Babu Govindan ,  Ramasamy Perumalsamy 

Centre for Crystal Growth,SSN College of Engineering,Kalavakkam,Chennai, Chennai 603110, India

Abstract

Ternary chalcogenides with general formula AIBIIICVI2 (A=Li,Cu,Ag; B=In, Ga; C=S,Se, Te) are of considerable interest because of their potential optoelectronic applications as nonlinear optical (NLO) devices, detectors, Light emitting diodes, and solar energy converters. The lithium containing AIBIIICVI2 type semiconductors are little known because of difficulties in crystal growth caused by chemical activities of lithium and high vapour pressure of the chalcogens. The advantages of LiInSe2 single crystal is the possibility of creating mid-IR parametric light oscillator pumped by radiation for near IR solid-state lasers (Nd:YAG) and thermal neutron detectors.  LiInSe2 polycrystalline material was synthesized from self-vapor transport with mechanical melt temperature oscillation method. Crack free LiInSe2 single crystal of size 8mm diameter and 32mm length was grown using indigenous two zone tubular resistive heated furnace by modified vertical Bridgman- Stockbarger method with steady ampoule rotation. The single crystal wafer was made from grown crystal and characterizations were done using these wafers. Powder X-ray diffraction pattern was used to confirm the crystalline phase and the orientation of the grown crystal is <231>. Single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis confirms the orthorhombic crystal system and the lattice parameter values are a= 7.813 (Å), b= 8.398 (Å), c=6.781 (Å) and V=409.05 (Å)3. Rutherford back scattering analysis analysis shows the grown crystal composition as  Li0.8In1.16Se2.04. The structural perfection of the grown crystals have been analyzed by High resolution X-ray diffraction rocking curve measurements. The single diffraction peak with reasonably low full width half-maximum (0.266 are. deg) indicated that the crystalline perfection is fairly good. From positron life time measurements, the average life time 278.03 ps has been observed, which corresponds to the vacancy clusters in LiInSe2 single crystal. The crystal has transparency ranges from 0.62 μm to 20 μm and more than 80% has been observed in the mid-IR region.Hall effect measurements confirms the N-type semiconducting nature and has high resistivity (3.43×1010 Ω.cm). Thus LiInSe2 single crystal can be used for frequency converters and detector applications.

 

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Related papers

Presentation: Poster at 17th International Conference on Crystal Growth and Epitaxy - ICCGE-17, General Session 2, by Vijayakumar Palanimuthu
See On-line Journal of 17th International Conference on Crystal Growth and Epitaxy - ICCGE-17

Submitted: 2013-03-25 06:16
Revised:   2013-07-23 12:56