Measurements of Thermophysical Properties of Molten Silicon and Geranium

The objective of this ground base program is to measure thermophysical properties of molten/ undercooled silicon, germanium, and Si-Ge alloys using a high temperature electrostatic levitator and in clearly assessing the need of the microgravity environment to achieve the objective with higher degrees of accuracy. Silicon and germanium are two of the most important semiconductors for industrial applications: silicon is unsurpassed as a microelectronics material, occupying more than 95% of the electronics market. Si-Ge alloy is attracting keen interest for advanced electronic and optoelectronic applications in view of its variable band gap and lattice parameter depending upon its composition. Accurate thermophysical properties of these materials are very much needed in the semiconductor industry for the growth of large high quality crystals.