Non-contact temperature measurement requirements for electronic materials processing

The requirements for non-contact temperature measurement capabilities for electronic materials processing in space are assessed. Non-contact methods are probably incapable of sufficient accuracy for the actual absolute measurement of temperatures in most such applications but would be useful for imaging in some applications

Growth of solid solution single crystals

Based on the thermophysical properties of Hg sub 1-x Cd sub x Te alloys, the reasons are discussed for the failure of conventional Bridgman-Stockbarger growth methods to produce high quality homogeneous crystals in the presence of Earth's gravity. The deleterious effects are considered which arise from the dependence of the thermophysical properties on temperature and composition and from the large amount of heat carried by the fused silica ampules. An improved growth method, developed to optimize heat flow conditions, is described and experimental results are presented. The problems associated with growth in a gravitational environment are discussed. The anticipated advantages of growth in microgravity are given and the implications of the requirements for spaceflight experiments are summarized

Advanced methods for preparation and characterization of infrared detector materials

Differential thermal analysis data were obtained on mercury cadmium telluride alloys in order to establish the liquidus temperatures for the various alloy compositions. Preliminary theoretical analyses was performed to establish the ternary phase equilibrium parameters for the metal rich region of the phase diagram. Liquid-solid equilibrium parameters were determined for the pseudobinary alloy system. Phase equilibrium was calculated and Hg(l-x) Cd(x) Te alloys were directionally solidified from pseudobinary melts. Electrical resistivity and Hall coefficient measurements were obtained

Growth of solid solution single crystals

Based on the thermophysical properties of Hg sub 1-x Cd sub x Te alloys, the reasons are discussed for the failure of conventional Bridgman-Stockbarger growth methods to produce high quality homogeneous crystals in the prescence of Earth's gravity. The deleterious effects are considered which arise from the dependence of the thermophysical properties on temperature and composition and from the large amount of heat carried by the fused silica ampules. An improved growth method, developed to optimize heat flow conditions, is described and experimental results are presented. The problems associated with growth in a gravitational environment are discussed. The anticipated advantages of growth in microgravity are given and the implications of the requirements for spaceflight experiments are summarized

Magneto-Hydrodynamic Damping of Convection During Vertical Bridgman-Stockbarger Growth of HgCdTe

In order to quantify the effects of convection on segregation, Hg(0.8)Cd(0.2)Te crystals were grown by the vertical Bridgman-Stockbarger method in the presence of an applied axial magnetic field of 50 kG. The influence of convection, by magneto-hydrodynamic damping, on mass transfer in the melt and segregation at the solid-liquid interface was investigated by measuring the axial and radial compositional variations in the grown samples. The reduction of convective mixing in the melt through the application of the magnetic field is found to decrease radial segregation to the diffusion-limited regime. It was also found that the suppression of the convective cell near the solid-liquid interface results in an increase in the slope of the diffusion-controlled solute boundary layer, which can lead to constitutional supercooling

Compositional redistribution during casting of Hg sub 0.8 Cd sub 0.2 Te alloys

A series of Hg(0.8)Cd(0.2)Te ingots was cast both vertically and horizontally under well-defined thermal conditions by using a two-zone furnace with isothermal heat-pipe liners. The main objective of the experiments was to establish correlations between casting parameters and compositional redistribution and to develop ground-based data for a proposed flight experiment of casting of Hg(1-x)Cd(x)Te alloys under reduced gravity conditions. The compositional variations along the axial and radial directions were determined by precision density measurements, infrared transmission spectra, and X-ray energy dispersion spectrometry. Comparison between the experimental results and a numerical simulation of the solidification process of Hg(0.8)Cd(0.2)Te is described

Fluctuations of thermal conductivity and morphological stability

Compositional fluctuations of the binary alloy result in the corresponding fluctuations of the thermal conductivity of the material. During crystal growth, these fluctuations can significantly modify the local temperature fields at the liquid-solid interface. This, in turn, will affect the morphological stability of the growing interface. In this work, the temperature dependence of the thermal conductivity of the solid phase has been included into the Mullins-Sekerka formalism. A significant effect on the onset of the instability of planar interface has been predicted. It has been found, in particular, that for binary systems with the segregation coefficient above unity a flat interface is always unstable. The shape of the interface fluctuation should have a single harmonic character with a well defined wavelength

Dynamic fluctuations in the superconductivity of NbN films from microwave conductivity measurements

We have measured the frequency and temperature dependences of complex ac conductivity, \sigma(\omega)=\sigma_1(\omega)-i\sigma_2(\omega), of NbN films in zero magnetic field between 0.1 to 10 GHz using a microwave broadband technique. In the vicinity of superconducting critical temperature, Tc, both \sigma_1(\omega) and \sigma_2(\omega) showed a rapid increase in the low frequency limit owing to the fluctuation effect of superconductivity. For the films thinner than 300 nm, frequency and temperature dependences of fluctuation conductivity, \sigma(\omega,T), were successfully scaled onto one scaling function, which was consistent with the Aslamazov and Larkin model for two dimensional (2D) cases. For thicker films, \sigma(\omega,T) data could not be scaled, but indicated that the dimensional crossover from three dimensions (3D) to 2D occurred as the temperature approached Tc from above. This provides a good reference of ac fluctuation conductivity for more exotic superconductors of current interest.Comment: 8 pages, 7 Figures, 1 Table, Accepted for publication in PR

Thermal Characterization of the Universal Multizone Crystallizator

The Universal Multizone Crystallizator (UMC) is a special apparatus for crystal growth under terrestrial and microgravity conditions. The use of twenty-five zones allows the, UMC to be used for several normal freezing growth techniques. The thermal profile is electronically translated along the stationary sample by systematically reducing the power to the control zones. Elimination of mechanical translation devices increases the systems reliability while simultaneously reducing the size and weight. This paper addresses the UMC furnace design, sample cartridge, typical thermal profiles and corresponding power requirements necessary for two normal freezing techniques: dynamic gradient freeze and zone melting crystal growth

Initial development of a high-pressure crystal growth facility: Center director's discretionary fund

A low-cost, flexible, high-pressure (600 psi) system for crystal growth and related thermophysical properties measurements was designed, assembled, and tested. The furnace system includes a magnetically coupled translation mechanism that eliminates the need for a high-pressure mechanical feedthru. The system is currently being used for continuing crystal growth experiments and thermophysical properties measurements on several material systems including Hg(1-x)Cd(x)Te, Hg(1-x)Zn(x)Te, and Hg(1-x)Zn(x)Se