Thermal properties of molten InSb, GaSb, and In_xGa_(1-x)Sb alloy semiconductor materials in preparation for crystal growth experiments on the international space station

摘要

The thermal properties of InSb, GaSb and In_xGa_(1-x)Sb, such as the viscosity, wetting property, and evaporation rate, were investigated in preparation for the crystal growth experiment on the International Space Station (ISS). The viscosity of InGaSb, which is an essential property for numerical modeling of crystal growth, was evaluated. In addition, the wetting properties between molten In_xGa_(1-x)Sb and quartz, BN, graphite, and C-103 materials were investigated. The evaporation rate of molten In_xGa_(1-x)Sb was measured to determine the affinity of different sample configurations. From the measurements, it was found that the viscosity of In_xGa_(1-x)Sb was between that of InSb and GaSb. The degree of wetting reaction between molten In_xGa_(1-x)Sb and the C-103 substrate was very high, whereas that between molten In_xGa_(1-x)Sb and quartz, BN, and graphite substrates was very low. The results suggest that BN and graphite can be used as materials to cover InSb and GaSb samples inside a quartz ampoule during the microgravity experiments. In addition, the difference of the evaporation rate of molten In_xGa_(1-x)Sb, GaSb, and InSb was small at low, and large at high temperature.