Growth of high-quality hexagonal ErMnO3 single crystals by the pressurized floating-zone method

Hexagonal manganites are among the most intensively studied multiferroics, exhibit unusual geometrically driven ferroelectricity and magnetoelectric couplings, and form domains and domain walls with intriguing functional properties. In order to study these electronic correlation phenomena and develop a comprehensive understanding about the underlying physics, the availability of high-quality single-crystals is crucial. In particular, different members of the RMnO3 (R=Sc, Y, In, Dy to Lu) family require different growth condition in order to achieve stoichiometric single-phase crystals. Here, we report on the growth of high-quality ErMnO3 single crystals with dimensions of 5 mm in diameter and up to 60 mm in length using the pressurized floating-zone technique. We present Laue diffraction, piezoresponse force microscopy, and conductive atomic force microscopy data, reflecting the quality of our single crystals regarding the structure, as well as electronic properties on the level of domains and domain walls. © 2014 Elsevier B.V.