Abstract
A chemical vapor transport (CVT) method was successfully used to grow NiO single crystals and bicrystals heteroepitaxially on single‐crystal MgO substrates. The most favorable growth conditions were obtained at 1400 K using 250 torr (∼3.33 × 104 Pa) of HCl(g) as the transport agent. Average growth rates greater than 100 μm/h were easily achieved under these conditions. The CVT‐grown NiO single crystals and bicrystals usually displayed highly reflective facets along the growth direction that suggest high mechanical quality. The grain boundaries in the bicrystals were observed to be perpendicular to the (001) growth surface. The epitaxial NiO crystals were easily separated from the MgO substrate by dissolving away the latter in 85% H3PO4 at 190°C. The crystallinity and purity of the deposits were checked using these free‐standing NiO crystals. The concentration of cation impurities and the Cl content in the CVT‐grown crystals were investigated by inductively coupled plasma (ICP) mass‐spectrometric analysis and neutron activation analysis, respectively. High‐resolution transmission electron microscopy of a Σ13 (510) boundary revealed a structure at the atomic scale that provided no evidence for segregated phases.
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