The LiAlO2 single crystal was grown by the conventional Czochralski method under ambient pressure with pull rate at 3.0 mm/min and rotation rate at 25 rpm by a home-made furnace. In order to examine the defects of the LiAlO2 crystal, the surfaces were polished, and etched; these surfaces included the (100), ((1) over bar 00), (010), and (001) faces. Analysis with an optical microscope showed two domains on the ((1) over bar 00) and the (010) surfaces. Moreover, some inclusions were observed on the (010) face where the etch pit density was 1.3-1.6 x 10(4) cm(-2). The experimental results showed that there are different etching characteristics and patterns on these four surfaces of the specimen. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.