Results from a compound semiconductor crystal growth experiment in a low gravity environmentA directional solidification experiment in the compound semiconductor lead tin telluride has been carried out in a low-gravity environment on board the Space Shuttle during a flight in October, 1985. Optical etching techniques and concentration profiles from wavelength dispersive electron microscopy indicate that there was a significant amount of convection during the solidifcation of the sample. A preliminary hypothesis of this result, that even at gravity levels on the order of 0.0001 g, the convective forces can be significant compared to mass transport due to diffusion, is being tested.
Document ID
19880033274
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Crouch, Roger K. (NASA Headquarters Washington, DC United States)
Fripp, Archibald L. (NASA Headquarters Washington, DC United States)
Debnam, William J. (NASA Headquarters Washington, DC United States)
Woodell, Glenn A. (NASA Headquarters Washington, DC United States)
Clark, Ivan O. (NASA Langley Research Center Hampton, VA, United States)