ABSTRACT
Single
crystals of strontium
iodide (SrI2), an important material for nuclear
detector
applications, are grown commercially in cylindrical ampoules using the
Bridgman
self-seeding method. As a result, the axial orientation of Bridgman
boules varies
from run to run. Most crystal growth methods benefit from the use of
oriented
seeds, which can be helpful in maximizing growth rates and crystal
quality. However,
it is very difficult to orient SrI2 crystals
because they are
deliquescent and their surfaces damage easily during cutting and
polishing. In
this study, unpolished facets formed on an edge-defined film-fed growth
(EFG) boule
were used to generate the first Laue patterns. The principal boule used
in this
study had a square cross section and was grown using a seed cut from
along the growth
axis of a Bridgman boule. X-ray analysis showed that the EFG boule
grown from
this seed grew along the b-axis and the side facets were the (100) and
(001)
faces. This work made possible the fabrication of oriented SrI2
seeds
for use in future EFG and Czochralski growth experiments and allowed
for the
determination of the optic axes using polarized light.
last revised 15 -May-2018