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Reduction of Micro-Cracks in Large Diameter InxGa1-xSb Bulk Crystals

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 February 2011

Juliet Vogel  and
Partha S. Dutta
Juliet Vogel
Affiliation:
Department of Engineering Science
Partha S. Dutta
Affiliation:
Department of Electrical, Computer and Systems Engineering Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 110 8th Street Troy, New York 12180, USA
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Abstract

The ternary alloy, InxGa1-xSb, is a compound semiconductor of tunable bandgap in the range of 0.18 - 0.72 eV, making it useful for infrared optoelectronic devices. Utilizing a unique system based upon vertical Bridgman technique, large diameter (50 millimeter) InxGa1-xSb polycrystals of composition ranging in x from 0.015 to 0.988 have been grown. Methods of mixing the melt during solidification, including the accelerated crucible rotation technique (ACRT), have been used in conjunction with optimization of the furnace temperature gradient profile to significantly reduce micro-cracking in the crystal boules while accelerating the growth rate from less than a millimeter per hour to three millimeters per hour. In this paper, the experimental system and crystal growth parameters for a set of ternary experiments will be detailed. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images of vertical cross-sections of In0.15Ga0.85Sb samples show a 95.8 percent reduction in micro-cracking resulting from specific melt mixing schemes. The mechanism for micro-crack removal during bulk alloy growth will be discussed briefly.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 763: Symposium B – Compound Semiconductor Photovoltaics , 2003 , B8.28
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2003

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