Ba(Mg1/3Ta2/3)O3 single crystal fiber grown by the laser heated pedestal growth technique

The preparation of Ba(Mg1/3Ta2/3)O3 (BMT) ceramics and the first successful growth of BMT single crystals by the laser heated pedestal growth technique (LHPG) is reported. The single crystal has a simple cubic perovskite structure in comparison to the ordered hexagonal structure normally found in ceramics of the same phase. The dielectric properties of single crystals are examined, the dielectric Q value increases with the increase in B-site ordering, while the dielectric constant κ is relatively independent of ordering. Our results also show that BMT is a candidate substrate for high Tc superconductor thin films as it has one of the highest Q values known for the oxide perovskite family, along with its matching thermal expansion coefficient α=9.0×10−6/ °C and twin-free cubic perovskite structure with a=4.0877 Å. BMT single crystals grown by the LHPG technique are probably the highest melting oxide compounds grown to date.