Vertical Vapor Transport Growth and Properties of Cd3As2 Crystals

Needlelike and faceted platelike bulk Cd3As2 crystals record large in weight (up to 25 g) and size have been grown by chemical vapor transport in a vertical configuration. Mass transport and growth rate calculations based on data on Cd and As4 vapor partial pressures have been used to optimize experimental conditions. The quality of the crystals was assessed by X-ray diffraction. The single crystals obtained have been used for detailed magnetotransport measurements at temperatures from 80 to 300 K in magnetic fields of up to 1 T. The results demonstrate that the temperature dependence of the resistivity of the grown cadmium arsenide crystals exhibits metallic behavior, with a well-defined linear contribution to their magnetoresistance, whose magnitude reaches 135%/T at 80 K. At the same time, the carrier concentration evaluated by Hall effect measurements proves to be noticeably lower than the level typical of polycrystalline Cd3As2. The linear magnetic field dependence of resistivity and the appreciable magnitude of this effect are of practical interest for the use of Cd3As2 crystals as materials of magnetic sensors.