Growth and characterization of (Dy, Gd)VO₄ single crystals

We have successfully grown macro-step-free dysprosium vanadate (DyVO₄) single crystals by a modified Czochralski technique in which a steep temperature gradient was maintained at the interface during growth. The crystals showed remarkable spiral bending. In order to suppress the spiral bending, we have investigated the growth of (Dy_1-xGd_x)VO₄ crystals. Substitution of dysprosium with gadolinium was found to be effective for the suppression of spiral bending. The weight ratio of spiral-free portion of grown crystals increased depending on the gadolinium concentration. Grown (Dy_1-xGd_x)VO₄ crystals were compositionally homogeneous.