MLEK crystal growth of (100) indium phosphide

Abstract

We have used a combined magnetic liquid encapsulated Kyropoulos/Czochralski (MLEK/ MLEC) technique to produce twin-free indium phosphide (InP) crystals. This technique has advantages over the standard LEC method used for commercial production of InP. By stabilizing convective flows with a magnetic field and controlling the angle between solid and liquid, one can grow large diameter twin-free (100) InP crystals; they are shaped with a flat top as is typical for Kyropoulos growth, and then pulled from the magnetically stabilized melt as in Czochralski growth. This shaping method has the benefit of maximizing the number of single crystal wafers which can be sliced from the boule. MLEK InP growth is distinguished from other methods such as LEC and MLEC with respect to solid-liquid interface shape, dislocation density, and impurity distribution. This process has demonstrated that twin-free InP (100) crystals can be consistently grown.