Method for crystal growth of beta barium boratean
AssigneeCrystal Technology, Inc.
InventorsPeter F. Bordui, George D. Calvert
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of growing optical quality beta barium borate; crystals from a pure NaCl fluxed melt. The method comprises maintaining particular thermal field conditions throughout the melt and slowly cooling the melt to cause beta barium borate to crystallize from the melt. The rate of cooling may be at a rate of not greater than 3.degree. C. per day. The method may utilize a seed crystal, suspended into the melt, so that the beta barium borate may crystallize on the seed crystal.
Claims20
A method of growing a crystal of .beta.-BaB.sub.2 O.sub.4 from solution, comprising the steps of:
- a. preparing a mixture of a BaB.sub.2 O.sub.4 solution and a pure NaCl solvent;
- b. heating said mixture to produce a melt thereof;
- c. suspending a seed crystal of BaB.sub.2 O.sub.4 in said melt;
- d. maintaining particular thermal field conditions throughout said melt;
- and
- e. decreasing the temperature of said melt to thereby cause .beta.-BaB.sub.2 O.sub.4 to crystalize from said melt on said seed crystal.
A method of growing crystalline .beta.-BaB.sub.2 O.sub.4 from a NaCl fluxed melt, comprising the steps of:
- a. maintaining particular thermal field conditions throughout said melt;
- and
- b. slowly cooling said melt to cause .beta.-BaB.sub.2 O.sub.4 to crystallize from said melt.
A method of growing a single crystal boule of .beta.-BaB.sub.2 O.sub.4, comprising the steps of:
- preparing a mixture of BaB.sub.2 O.sub.4 and a flux comprising pure NaCl;
- b. heating said mixture in a crucible enclosed within a furnace so as to raise the temperature of the mixture to a first temperature to form a melt of said mixture and to maintain particular thermal spatial conditions throughout the melt;
- c. homogenizing the melt;
- d. immersing a seed crystal of .beta.-BaB.sub.2 O.sub.4 mounted on the end of a seed crystal holder into the melt;
- e. rotating the seed crystal holder and the seed crystal within the melt;
- and
- f. decreasing the temperature of the melt while continuing to rotate the seed crystal holder and the seed crystal to cause .beta.-BaB.sub.2 O.sub.4 to crystallize from the melt onto said seed crystal to form the boule.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.