高品質ハロゲン系単結晶の開発

抄録

  Molten metallic halides reach the spherical shape driven by the surface tension when a residual moisture (H₂O) is completely ridded from the raw material, the crucible, and atmosphere. We denote this condition as the “Liquinert” state meaning “liquid being in an inert state”, non-wetting and non-reactive with the crucible at high -temperature. The author has prepared high-quality metallic halides crystals by vertical Bridgman (VB) method when applying the “Liquinert” process. This technology enables us to obtain high quality inorganic crystals not only metallic halides but also metals and semi-conductors with contamination free from the crucible and atmosphere. In this review, the “Liquinert” process, its background, methodology, examples of applications in practical development of SrI₂(Eu) and CaF₂ are summarized.