Magnetic field controlled FZ single crystal growth of intermetallic compounds

Abstract Intermetallic rare-earth-transition-metal compounds with their coexistence of magnetic ordering and superconductivity are still of great scientific interest. The crystal growth of bulk single crystals is very often unsuccessful due to an unfavorable solid–liquid interface geometry enclosing concave fringes. The aim of the work is the contactless control of heat and material transport during floating-zone single crystal growth of intermetallic compounds. This control is provided by a tailored design of the electromagnetic field and the resulting electromagnetically driven convection. Numerical simulations for the determination of the electromagnetic field configuration induced by th…