Single crystal growth of quaternary superconductor YNi 2B 2C by a floating zone method

Abstract

Single crystals of YNi 2B 2C have been grown by a floating zone method. Preliminary metallurgical studies indicate that this compound melts incongruently and requires a solution growth technique for obtaining single crystals. We prepared a feed rod of YNi 2B 2C by arc melting and grew the single crystals in an infrared heating furnace under high purity argon atmosphere by using the traveling solvent floating zone technique. As a result, a large single crystal of a few cm 3 size was successfully obtained. Although the single crystal is very brittle, the crystals obtained in this method had fewer cracks along the growth direction than polycrystals. The grown crystal has well developed crystal habit of {001} plane. Superconductivity was found at 15.6 K with the transition width of 0.7 K. Superconducting properties and the results of metallurgical analyses of the single crystals are presented.