Crystal Growth Under Applied Fields

In crystal growth from the liquid phase, convective flows occurring in the melt or solution play a significant role in many aspects of the growth processes. This includes concentration distribution in the liquid phase, crystal composition, microstructures in the grown crystals, and the shape and evolution of the melting/growing interfaces. All these parameters affect the quality of grown crystals. To this end, convection in the liquid phase must be controlled.

The main option to achieve this goal in crystal growth is the use of applied fields such as magnetic and electric fields, crucible rotation, and a microgravity environment. The use of microgravity fields was covered in one of the previous volumes of Research Signpost. The present volume mainly focuses on the melt and solution growth of semiconductors under the effects of applied electric and magnetic fields and crucible rotation.

The book consists of two main groups of chapters. The first group is on the melt growth techniques of Czhochralski and Float-zone, and the second part focuses on the solution growth techniques of Liquid Phase Electroepitaxy, Liquid Phase Diffusion and the Travelling Heater Method. In each group, chapters are presented in the alphabetical order with respect to the first author. The contributed chapters cover recent developments in these techniques under applied fields such as applied magnetic and electric fields, crucible rotation and reduced gravity conditions.