Theoretical analysis of InP crystal growth experiment performed on-board Russian FOTON-11 satellite

Traveling heater method (THM) experiments on InP crystal growth from indium solution (SKAT-FD) were performed during the Russian FOTON-11 mission in O ctober 1997. The aim of these experiments was to ascertain the effectivenes s of controlling heat and mass transfer in the liquid phase by applying a r otating magnetic field (RMF). As an effort to understand the parameters inf luencing the crystal growth a mathematical model was developed for numerica l simulation of these experiments. The SKAT-FD crystals were grown with RMF at an induction of 1 and 2 mT. As the calculations show, such magnetic fie lds influence remarkably the hydrodynamics of the melt, and consequently, t he growth process. The change of the magnetic induction value (or switching off the RMF) led to an abrupt change of the growth rate, measured from art ificial dopant striations produced in the growing crystals by the heat-puls e technique. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.