Growth of β-FeSi₂ single crystals by the chemical vapor transport method

In order to grow β-FeSi₂ single crystals by the chemical vapor transport (CVT) method, the growth conditions, including density of iodine transport agent and growth duration, were examined. An iodine density of 8.9 mg cm was thought to be optimum in the present experiment. It was found that the growth duration should be over 4 weeks for growing β-FeSi₂ single crystals. X-ray structural analysis revealed that the growth direction of the β-FeSi₂ crystals was (110). The growth rate along the directions with lower Miller indexes was slower than that along the directions with higher Miller indexes. The measured lattice constants were a = 0.986 nm, b = 0.780 nm, and c = 0.781 nm. These values are consistent with the previously reported values. Hall measurements showed that the electron mobility was over 350 cm² V^-1 s^-1 at 10 K.