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.