The four mirror halogen floating-zone furnace is a standard optical furnace with homogenous temperature distribution around the horizontal plane. Accessible via the PARADIM-IQM equipment sharing agreement, users can operate it under a pressure of up to 10 bar of gas with options for growing samples under Argon, Air, Oxygen, Nitrogen, and other gases at a temperature of 2200° C. Typical samples are rods, 4-8 mm in diameter and 1-10 cm in height.

The use of four elliptical mirrors to focus light onto a small area enables an improved temperature profile than that of a two mirrors furnace. 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 particularly suited for growing crystals of oxides, especially by the traveling solvent technique. It is also useful for innovative growth methods, such as a traveling solvent bridgeman growth of an intermetallic, as shown here.

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