Growth of PZN crystals with improved optical quality using the BSFT technique

The bottom seeded fluxothermal (BSFT) high-temperature solution growth technique was used to grow Pb(Zn/sub 1/3/Nb/sub 2/3/)O/sub 3/ (PZN) relaxor crystals. During the process, the seed was held in a cold spot of a Pt crucible having a relatively high temperature gradient. The method can separate the perovskite and pyrochlore phases, decrease the spontaneous nucleation, and increase the thermodynamic driving force resulting in larger crystals than those obtained by conventional slow-cooling techniques. The BSFT technique also can improve the quality of the structural and morphological characteristics, which has been demonstrated by visual observation, x-ray diffraction, Raman, ultraviolet-visible (UV-VIS), and IR absorption measurements. These PZN crystals have less distortion in the unit cell, high optical transparency in the 390 nm-5700 nm range, and improved Pb-related stoichiometry.