Glovebox-Integrated Laser Floating Zone Furnace

Integrated glovebox laser floating zone furnace enabling a complete oxygen and moisture free crystal growth process chain

The Glovebox-Integrated Laser-Heated Floating Zone Furnace (GB-LFZ) combines the proven performance of laser floating zone crystal growth with a fully integrated inert-atmosphere glovebox, enabling a completely oxygen- and moisture-free crystal growth workflow. Designed for highly air-sensitive materials, the system allows every handling and processing step, from transferring the synthesized feed rod into the system to retrieving the finished single crystal, to be carried out without exposure to ambient atmosphere.

To the best of our knowledge, the GB-LFZ is the first commercially available floating zone crystal growth system providing a completely inert process chain. Air-sensitive materials can be prepared in an external glovebox, sealed inside a hermetic transfer container, introduced through the GB-LFZ airlock, and opened only inside the integrated glovebox. The feed rod is then mounted directly into the process chamber for crystal growth with glovebox gloves as handling means. After growth, the crystal is removed inside the glovebox, transferred into a hermetic storage container, and safely transported to an external glovebox for further sample preparation or characterization. When handled in this way, the material remains under inert conditions throughout the entire workflow and is never exposed to oxygen or moisture.

Based on the established Compact Laser Floating Zone Furnace LFZ, the GB-LFZ integrates the complete crystal growth system into a spacious argon-filled glovebox equipped with an integrated vacuum airlock or, optionally, a direct connection to a standard laboratory glovebox. This enables seamless integration into existing inert-atmosphere laboratories. Crystal growth takes place inside a hermetically sealed process chamber operating independently of the surrounding glovebox atmosphere. The chamber supports high vacuum as well as inert or reactive process atmospheres up to 10 bar, while the glovebox maintains a continuously inert environment.

Heating is provided by five independently controlled 300 W diode lasers (976 nm), producing a highly homogeneous power distribution for stable floating zone operation and melting temperatures up to 3000 °C. A high-resolution HDR camera, two-color pyrometer and intuitive control software provide comprehensive process monitoring and precise control of all growth parameters.

The GB-LFZ is ideally suited for crystal growth of materials that are highly sensitive to oxygen or moisture, including air-sensitive intermetallics, rare-earth compounds, fluorides, oxygen-deficient functional materials and many other advanced materials. By combining powerful laser floating zone technology with complete inert-atmosphere sample handling, the GB-LFZ enables crystal growth of materials that are difficult or impossible to process using conventional floating zone furnaces.