Rapid Growth of High-Quality Rutile TiO2 Single Crystals through a Laser Floating Zone Method

Abstract

The rapid growth of rutile TiO2 single crystals through a laser floating zone (LFZ) method was demonstrated. LFZ has a higher power density, which is suitable for the growth of TiO2 crystals with a high melting point. By optimizing the crystal growth parameters, including the growth rate, gas atmosphere, and rotation rate, the crystals could achieve their largest size of φ 9 mm × 25 mm, with a growth cycle of 12 h, and no cracks appeared. The properties of the obtained crystals were close to those of the crystals grown using other schemes, with a whole transmission range of 0.41–6.56 μm, thermal expansion coefficient of 9.92 × 10−6/K, and laser damage threshold of 1.44 GW/cm2. The achieved results indicated that the crystals have high quality and good integrity when grown using LFZ and also imply a new choice for the rapid growth of rutile TiO2 single crystals.