Czochralski growth of Gd2Ti2O7 single crystals

Gd2Ti2O7 (GTO) single crystals having dimensions of 17×17×20 mm3 were grown by the Czochralski method. These crystals displayed a strong growth habit with {1 1 1} facets. The colors of the as-grown crystals were sensitive to the oxygen concentration both during growth and post-growth annealing. The possible reason for the different colors is discussed and based on transmission, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and electron spin resonance (ESR) analyses.