Whenever possible, bulk single crystals of any substance are grown from the melt. If no suitable crucible material can be found, alternative methods like cold crucible (skull melting), sublimation, chemical transport or solution growth can be applied. Problems arise for ZnO, as the substance has a high melting point T_f = 1975°C combined with a high vapor pressure at T_f of p_ZnO = 1.06 bar. The dissociation 2 ZnO → 2 Zn + O₂ upon evaporation makes a partial pressure p_O2 = 0.35 bar necessary in order to stabilize the ZnO bath. In case of dissociation the metallic Zn excess would destructively attack any metallic crucible.Thermodynamic equilibrium calculations allow to predicted and experiments showed that ZnO can be molten in iridium crucibles under suitable conditions (T, p, atmosphere). This invention offers the chance to grow ZnO by conventional melt growth techniques (Bridgman, Czochralski, gradient freeze) and to avoid some technical problems like the extremely high T gradients inherent to skull melting and the contamination problems inherent to hydrothermal growth. Up to now crystal slices with diameter of >30 mm and X-ray rocking curve widths better 1 arc min could be produced.

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2. Growth and properties of bulk single crystals of selected transparent semiconducting oxides (TSOs): β-Ga₂O₃, In₂O₃ and SnO₂
3. Vapour phase growth of single crystalline GaN layers in hot microwave plasma
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