Single crystals are important to many industrial and commercial applications, including electronics, solar cells, light-emitting devices, lasers, optics, and jewelry, just to cite a few examples. The ability to produce high-quality crystals is also essential for exploring material properties and for developing new applications.
This book is a new classic in the canon of important books on crystal growth and characterization. Its unique purview is to cover the basics of both crystallography and crystal growth, tandem topics that are interrelated. It is both quantitative, with many equations, and descriptive: it is profusely illustrated with insightful figures that make important ideas and theories clear. A few examples are scattered throughout the book demonstrating how the equations are used. It does not contain problems, as would be helpful for a textbook. Its treatment is very modern: it draws on the many discoveries and detailed understanding made possible from x-ray diffraction techniques and electron microscopy. This book is thoroughly referenced, with 398 citations that range in date from 1783 to 2013; more than 20% are studies published since 2000.
The book is divided into four chapters. Chapter 1 covers crystal lattices, concepts of symmetry, Bravais lattices, the reciprocal lattice, crystal structures, polymorphism and polytypism, and selected examples of molecular crystals. Chapter 2 explains the fundamental processes that take place during crystal growth, including homogeneous and heterogeneous nucleation, the equilibrium shape of crystals, interfaces and the roughening of surfaces, the vapor–liquid–solid growth mechanism, phase diagrams, constitutional supercooling, and mass transfer by convection. Chapter 3 briefly describes the major bulk crystal growth and epitaxy methods divided into two groups: those driven by phase changes and those driven by chemical reactions. The former includes growth from melts (such as the Czochralski and Bridgman methods) and solutions, sublimation and condensation, and liquid-phase epitaxy. The latter includes chemical vapor deposition and vapor-phase epitaxy. Examples from specific material systems (primarily semiconductors) are also presented. Chapter 4 recounts the wide variety of defects that occur in crystals and how they are detected and quantified. Defects discussed include zero-, one-, two- and three-dimensional defects, dislocations, stacking faults, antiphase boundaries, twins, inclusions, precipitates, and voids. X-ray topography, scanning and transmission electron microscopy, and defect-sensitive etching are introduced as methods for detecting and quantifying these defects.
This book is an excellent introduction to the field of crystal growth and characterization. It clearly defines important terms, and fundamental concepts (e.g., crystallography, thermodynamics, and transport phenomena) are well-explained, making it valuable for learning the subject. With the addition of appropriate problems, it is suitable for graduate studies and provides a firm background for understanding contemporary issues and challenges in crystal growth.
Reviewer: James H. Edgar of the Department of Chemical Engineering, Kansas State University, USA.
