The four mirror Xenon floating-zone furnace is a high temperature optical furnace that can be operated at an elevated temperature between 1500-3000+° C. Accessible via the PARADIM-IQM equipment sharing agreement, users can operate this furnace under a pressure of up to 10 bar of argon, air, oxygen, nitrogen, and other gases. Typical sample size that can be accommodated in this furnace are 4-16 mm in diameter and 1-15 cm in height.

Utilizing four elliptical mirrors to focus the heat from Xenon bulbs onto a small area enables better temperature profile than that of two mirrors furnace and can be used to grow crystals of high quality and at temperatures that are not accessible in other floating zone furnaces. The mirror stage controls the location of the molten zone, which can travel between 0.01 – 300 mm/hr. Upper and lower shaft rotation can vary between 1 – 100 rpm. As with all PARADIM major equipment, it is equipped with full capability to operate growths remotely.

This furnace is routinely used in growing crystals of refractory as well as volatile materials, such as this refractory intermetallic.

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