Single Crystal Growth of BaFeGaO¬4 using floating zone technique
Discipline: Physics
Session: 4
Room: 5 - Embassy A
Orrin Clarke Delgado - Norfolk State University
Materials with topological spin textures are in demand for applications like memory storage and quantum computing. The AB2O4 family of crystals has a spinel structure and has been extensively examined. However, there are cases where the size of the A cation prohibits the formation of this spinel structure and instead forms a tetrahedral network. The cubic ferromagnetic Cu¬2OSeO3 has been previously shown to contain skyrmions. BaFeGaO4 (BFGO) is being grown to better characterize its magnetic and thermal properties. We have successfully developed a polycrystalline sample of BFGO using the solid state method. BFGO crystallizes in the hexagonal crystal system with space group P63. The BFGO sample shows an upturn in the magnetic susceptibility near 50 K, evidence of magnetic ordering. The M-H hysteresis curve was observed at a temperature of 2 K, indicating that the sample is ferromagnetic. To understand the underlying physics and intrinsic behavior of BFGO, a single crystal is needed. Therefore, single crystal of BaFeGaO¬4 will be grown using the floating zone technique to control the spinel structural phase and characterize its morphology, thermal, and magneto-electric properties.
This work was funded in part by CREST and HBCU-UP Excellence in Research: Single Crystal Growth and Investigation of Novel Exotic Fermion Materials Award Number:1832031
Funder Acknowledgement(s): CREST and HBCU-UP Excellence in Research: Single Crystal Growth and Investigation of Novel Exotic Fermion Materials Award Number:1832031
Faculty Advisor: Doyle Temple, datemple@nsu.edu
Role: I grew and characterized the material.