Vertical gradient freezing of doped gallium–antimonide semiconductor crystals using submerged heater growth and electromagnetic stirring

An investigation of the melt growth of uniformly doped gallium–antimonide (GaSb) semiconductor crystals as well as other III–V alloy crystals with uniform composition are underway at the US Air Force Research Laboratory at Hanscom Air Force Base by the vertical gradient freeze (VGF) method utilizing a submerged heater. Stirring can be induced in the GaSb melt just above the crystal growth interface by applying a small radial electric current in the liquid together with an axial magnetic field. The transport of any dopant and/or alloy component by the stirring can promote better melt homogeneity and allow for more rapid growth rates before the onset of constitutional supercooling. This paper presents a numerical model for the unsteady transport of a dopant during the VGF process by submerged heater growth with a steady axial magnetic field and a steady radial electric current. As the strength of the electromagnetic (EM) stirring increases, the convective dopant transport increases, the dopant transport in the melt reaches a steady state at an earlier time during growth, and the top of the crystal which has solidified after a steady state has been achieved exhibits axial dopant homogeneity. For crystal growth with stronger EM stirring, the crystal exhibits less radial segregation and the axially homogeneous section of the crystal is longer. Dopant distributions in the crystal and in the melt at several different stages during growth are presented.