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An unanticipated rapid increase in the initial growth rate has been reported in solid-solution semiconductor crystal growth experiments aboard the International Space Station (ISS). This study reports the growth rate of a Si52Ge48 solid-solution crystal grown on the ISS using the Traveling Liquidus Zone (TLZ) method, with a diameter of 20 mm and a growth length of 18.8 mm at the center axis. The average growth rate was 0.125 mm/h over a 150 h growth period. The growth interface during growth was identified by artificial striations induced by the temperature-step method. In the initial transient region, with a growth length of 1.5 mm, the solid/liquid interface transitioned from a planar to a facet array, and after the facets disappeared, the interface reverted to planar. These planar growth rates were faster than the average growth rate of 0.125 mm/h. Further, the facet growth rate was calculated. Tiller's criteria indicated that constitutional supercooling had occurred in the initial transient growth region. The unanticipated rapid increase in growth rate in our experiment was attributed to constitutional supercooling induced by the convectionless condition rather than to the Soret effect.

Rights:

• Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 International
  

Keyword: Silicon germanium alloy, Crystal growth, Solid/liquid interface, Microsegregation, Soret effect

Date published: 2026-03-08

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Journal:

• Materialia (ISSN: 25891529) vol. 46 102709

Funding:

• National Institute for Materials Science

Manuscript type: Publisher's version (Version of record)

MDR DOI:

First published URL: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mtla.2026.102709

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Updated at: 2026-03-18 12:30:13 +0900

Published on MDR: 2026-03-18 09:50:26 +0900