Crystal growth of oxide and fluoride materials for optical, piezoelectric and other applications

High quality oxide and fluoride single crystals for optical, piezoelectric and other applications have been grown by advanced crystal growth techniques. La^sub 3^Nb^sub 0.5^Ga^sub 5.5^O^sub 14^ and La^sub 3^Ta^sub 0.5^Ga^sub 5.5^O^sub 14^ piezoelectric single crystals of size and quality comparable to La^sub 3^Ga^sub 5^SiO^sub 14^ (langasite), have been produced. The piezoelectric and device properties of the crystals were investigated. A search for new langasite-type materials was also performed. Growth conditions of (La,Sr)(Al,Ta)O^sub 3^ and Ca^sub 8^La^sub 2^(PO^sub 4^)^sub 6^O^sub 2^ single crystals are discussed. These crystals have excellent lattice matching with GaN, a promising material for optoelectronic devices. Promising optical micro-crystals--K^sub 3^Li^sub 2^Nb^sub 5^O^sub 15^, KNbO^sub 3^ and Y^sub 3^Al^sub 5^O^sub 12^--and new structural materials, Al^sub 2^O^sub 3^Y^sub 3^Al^sub 5^O^sub 12^ eutectic fibers, have been grown by the micro-pulling-down (μ-PD) technique. The advantages of the μ-PD technique have been shown. Ce-doped fluoride single crystals--LiCaAlF^sub 6^, LiYF^sub 4^ and BaLiF^sub 3^--have been grown for solid state UV laser applications. Growth results and optical characterizations are discussed.[PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]