Three-zone furnace: Apparatus to grow doped crystals from two materials which have wide difference in sublimation temperatures

Abstract

It is a difficult process to dope a material using sublimation method when the substances chosen for study have different sublimation temperatures. The two substances used for making the doped crystal are to be maintained at their respective sublimation temperatures before they are allowed to interact at a common temperature gradient zone for the desired crystal growth. Therefore it was decided to construct a furnace which will maintain the two substances in their sublimation temperature simultaneously. The apparatus was constructed to grow metal free phthalocyanine (H2Pc) doped anthracene crystal as they are expected to be active in the entire region (UV-VIS-IR) of the electromagnetic spectrum, for a possible application as a solar cell material. Phthalocyanine (sublimation at 460°C) doped Anthracene (sublimation at 167°C) crystal was successfully grown using this three-zone furnace and was analysed using XRD, IR, TGA and conductivity studies. In general, the furnace will be especially useful for the combined growth of certain substances which do not have a melting point.