Growth of YbFe2O4 single crystals exhibiting long-range charge order via the optical floating zone method

We report the growth of YbFe2O4 single crystals via the floating zone technique, in four different oxygen partial pressures ranging from CO:CO2 = 1:5 to 1:2.5, for a cross comparison of stoichiometry effects. We obtained highly stoichiometric single crystals with sharp magnetic transitions as well as off-stoichiometric samples with smeared transitions. We also provide for the first time clear evidence of 3D long-range charge order correlations at room temperature in YbFe2O4 through high energy X-ray diffraction, identical to the analogous LuFe2O4. The correlation length obtained for YbFe2O4 in the c→ direction is at least a factor of 5 larger than that observed in LuFe2O4.