Luis Alejandro González

Synthesis and vapor transport growth of ternary group III chalcogenides

The CVT method, using iodine as the transporting gas, has been used to prepare well defined, large (up to 3 cm long) single crystals of AB(III)C(VI)2 dichalcogenides where A = Mn, Zn; B = Al, Ga; C = S, Se, Te. The predominant crystal habit is flat planar growth except Zn1.00Ga1.01Te2.13 which grows as long hexagonal base needles. Mn1.01Al1.04S1.84 (transparent yellow) is monoclinic with a = 11.112 A, b = 10.490 A, c = 23.224 A, β = 87.17°, space group P21/m, Dm = 2.79 g/cm3, Dx = 2.84 g/cm3 and Z = 32; Mn1.04Al1.00Se1.77 (dark metallic grey) has the cubic zincblende (zb) structure with a = 6.273 A, space group Fm3m, Dm = 3,10 g/cm3, Dx = 3.01 g/cm3 and Z = 2; Mn1.00Al1.02Te2.18 (metallic grey) is monoclinic with a = 8.349 A, b = 8.260 A,c = 10.808 A, β = 84.47°, space group P2/m, Dm = 1.63 g/cm3, Dx = 1.61 g/cm3 and Z = 2; Zn1.00Ga1.02Se1.89 (orange red) is cubic (zb) with a = 5.624 A, space group Fm3m, Dm = 5.46 g/cm3, Dx = 5.33 g/cm3 and Z = 2; Zn1.00Ga1.01Te2.13 (dark metallic grey) is tetragonal (chalcopyrite) with a = 15.2325aA, c = 9.9287 A, space group P421/m, Dx = 1.18 g/cm3 and z = 4.