Nd³⁺ : Sr₃Ga₂Ge₄O₁₄ crystals have been grown by the modified Bridgman method. The growth defects, such as striations, scattering particles and dislocations were investigated. Some featherlike striations were observed in as-grown crystals. EPMA analysis suggested that these inclusions were caused by the segregation of Nd₂O₃ from the melt. Chemical etching results showed that the dislocation density was in the range of 10³ ∼ 10⁵/cm².

The photorefractive crystal, Bi₂TeO₅, was grown by the modified Bridgman method for the first time. High purity Bi₂O₃ and TeO₂ were used as starting materials and were mixed thoroughly with molar ratio of Bi₂O₃/TeO₂ = 1 : 1. Platinum crucible was fabricated with a seed well of 10 mm in diameter and several folds were pressed so that the spontaneous nuclei could be eliminated through competition. The crucible was sealed during the growth so that the evaporation of TeO₂ was controlled effectively. By optimizing growth parameters, transparent and crack-free Bi₂TeO₅ crystal up to 25 mm in diameter and 40 mm in length was grown successfully.

A new piezoelectric single crystal, Sr₃Ga₂Ge₄O₁₄ (SGG), has been grown successfully by the vertical Bridgman method with crucible-sealing technique. SGG crystal up to 2″ in diameter has been obtained. The relative dielectric constants, the piezoelectric strain constants, elastic compliance constants and electromechanical coupling factors have been determined with resonance and anti-resonance frequencies method by using the impedance analyzer (Agilent 4294A). The results show that the piezoelectric strain constants and electromechanical coupling factors of SGG single crystal are higher than those of LGS single crystals making it a potential substrate material for surface-acoustic wave applications.

YFeO₃ and other rare earth substituted crystals with distorted orthorhombic pervoskite-like structure (space group, 𝑃𝑏𝑛𝑚) have attracted much attention due to their remarkable magnetic properties of primary significance for technological applications. In the present work, the floating zone growth of YFeO₃ crystals has been systematically investigated and high quality YFeO₃ crystal was obtained by optimized process. The magnetic properties of YFeO₃ crystal were investigated, and it indicated the high magneto-optical property in YFeO₃ crystals with specific orientation due to its anisotropy. YFeO₃ crystals display superior performance in the application magneto-optical current sensors and fast latching optical switches.