Numerical modeling of Bridgman growth of PbSnTe in a magnetic field

Abstract

In this work we study heat and mass transport, fluid motion, and solid/liquid phase change in the process of steady Bridgman growth of Pb(.8)Sn(.2)Te (LTT) in an axially-imposed uniform magnetic field under terrestrial and microgravity conditions. In particular, this research is concerned with the interrelationships among segregation, buoyancy-driven convection, and magnetic damping in the LTT melt. The main objectives are to provide a quantitative understanding of the complex transport phenomena during solidification of the nondilute binary of LTT, to provide estimates of the strength of magnetic field required to achieve the desired diffusion-dominated growth, and to assess the role of magnetic damping for space and earth based control of the buoyancy-induced convection. The problem was solved by using FIDAP and numerical results for both vertical and horizontal growth configurations with respect to the acceleration of gravity vector are presented