Growth and characterization of pure and Pr3+-doped Cs4PbBr6 crystals

Matias Velázquez (1) , Alban Ferrier (1) , Stanislav Pechev (2) , Pierre Gravereau (2) , Jean-Pierre Chaminade (2) , Xavier Portier (1) , Richard Moncorgé (1)

1 CIRIL - Centre Interdisciplinaire de Recherche Ions Lasers
2 ICMCB - Institut de Chimie de la Matière Condensée de Bordeaux

Centimeter-sized single crystals of pure and Pr3+-doped Cs4PbBr6 were successfully grown using a high-temperature solution (HTS)-based vertical Bridgman–Stockbarger method in silica ampoules sealed under Ar gas. The resulting single crystals are bright orange transparent, non-hygroscopic, with a low phonon energy and a wide transparency in the middle infrared (MIR) region. We present the growth conditions together with a characterization of the single crystals by means of calorimetry measurements, room temperature single crystal and powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman, visible and Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopies. Cs4PbBr6 crystallizes at room temperature in the trigonal space group R-3c, with a=b=13.7219(2) Å, c=17.3153(3) Å, α=β=90°, γ=120° and Z=6. Pr3+ ions can be dissolved into Cs4PbBr6 crystals, resulting in broad MIR absorption bands.

Mots clés: Crystal structure; Bridgman technique; Growth from high-temperature solution; Halides; Solid-state lasers

Domaines: Matériaux

Matias Velázquez, Alban Ferrier, Stanislav Pechev, Pierre Gravereau, Jean-Pierre Chaminade, et al.. Growth and characterization of pure and Pr3+-doped Cs4PbBr6 crystals. Journal of Crystal Growth, 2008, 310 (24), pp.5458-5463. ⟨10.1016/j.jcrysgro.2008.10.003⟩. ⟨hal-00343614⟩