Flow Control Using Alternating Magnetic Fields During Crystal Growth From a Melt

Author(s):  
Yue Huang ◽  
Kenneth E. Davis ◽  
Brent C. Houchens

Flow control during bulk melt crystal growth is desirable for producing ternary alloy semiconductors with tunable lattice parameters and bandgap energy, providing custom materials for specific electro-optical applications. Segregation between constituent elements in the melt, be it through preferential rejection at the growth front or density variations, limits the growth rate and the uniformity in the crystal. External alternating magnetic fields are employed to stir the electrically conducting melt. While mixing is desired, turbulent flow is generally not. Precise control is required to maintain a laminar melt flow while providing sufficient mixing. Stirring via a rotating magnetic field (RMF) and a three-coil traveling magnetic field (TMF) is modeled and compared for a cylindrical melt confined in an ampule. The RMF imposes a body force in the azimuthal direction while the TMF induces primarily radial and axial body forces. The magnetic fields are effectively decoupled from the flow fields due to the small magnetic Reynolds number. Therefore, the magnetic fields are first determined using a finite element solver. The flows are then solved by a spectral element model of the Navier-Stokes equations including an electromagnetic body force term.

2006 ◽  
Vol 129 (2) ◽  
pp. 241-243 ◽  
Author(s):  
X. Wang ◽  
N. Ma

During the vertical Bridgman process, a single semiconductor crystal is grown by the solidification of an initially molten semiconductor contained in an ampoule. The motion of the electrically conducting molten semiconductor can be controlled with an externally applied magnetic field. This paper treats the flow of a molten semiconductor and the dopant transport during the vertical Bridgman process with a periodic transverse or rotating magnetic field. The frequency of the externally applied magnetic field is sufficiently low that this field penetrates throughout the molten semiconductor. Dopant distributions in the crystal are presented.


Soft Matter ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (44) ◽  
pp. 9018-9030
Author(s):  
Klaus D. Usadel ◽  
Anastasiya Storozhenko ◽  
Igor Arefyev ◽  
Hajnalka Nádasi ◽  
Torsten Trittel ◽  
...  

The dynamics of magnetic nanoparticles in rotating magnetic fields is studied both experimentally and theoretically.


2014 ◽  
Vol 790-791 ◽  
pp. 384-389
Author(s):  
Dirk Räbiger ◽  
Bernd Willers ◽  
Sven Eckert

This paper presents an experimental study which in a first stage is focused on obtaining quantitative information about the isothermal flow field exposed to various magnetic field configurations. Melt stirring has been realized by utilizing a rotating magnetic field. In a second step directional solidification of AlSi7 alloys from a water-cooled copper chill was carried out to verifythe effect of a certain flow field on the solidification process and on the resulting mechanical properties. The solidified structure was reviewed in comparison to an unaffected solidified ingot. Measurements of the phase distribution, the grain size, the hardness and the tensile strength were realized. Our results demonstrate the potential of magnetic fields to control the grain size, the formation of segregation freckles and the mechanical properties. In particular, time–modulated rotating fields show their capability to homogenize both the grain size distribution and the corresponding mechanical properties.


The induction of eddy currents in metal plates which are subjected to alternating magnetic fields has been discussed by Clerk-Maxwell, J. J. Thomson and many others. When an alternating magnetic field is produced normal to the surface of a metal plate, eddy currents are induced at the surface of the plate, which gradually penetrate its interior, the current dying away as it penetrates more deeply into the metal. The diffusion of the currents into the plate depends upon the self-induction and resistance of the paths along which they flow, and can be calculated by the same kind of formula as is used for determining the conduction of heat through a metal slab.


1984 ◽  
Vol 37 (5) ◽  
pp. 521 ◽  
Author(s):  
WN Hugrass ◽  
HA Kirolous

The steady currents (and the associated steady magnetic fields) generated in a conducting sphere placed in a rotating magnetic field are calculated in the weakly nonlinear limit. It is found that the steady driven current has a poloidal and a toroidal component. The steady toroidal magnetic field associated with the driven poloidal current has opposite senses above and below the equatorial plane; the net toroidal flux is zero. The relevance of this result to some recent observations in the Rotamak experiment is discussed.


2006 ◽  
Vol 508 ◽  
pp. 163-168 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiao Dong Wang ◽  
A. Ciobanas ◽  
Florin Baltaretu ◽  
Anne Marie Bianchi ◽  
Yves Fautrelle

A numerical model aimed at simulating the segregations during the columnar solidification of a binary alloy is used to investigate the effects of a forced convection. Our objective is to study how the segregation characteristics in the mushy zone are influenced by laminar flows driven both by buoyancy and by AC fields of moderate intensity. Various types of magnetic fields have been tested, namely travelling, rotating magnetic field and slowly modulated electromagnetic forces. The calculations have been achieved on two types of alloys, namely tin-lead and aluminiumsilicon. It is shown that the flow configuration changes the segregation pattern. The change comes from the coupling between the liquid flow and the top of the mushy zone via the pressure distribution along the solidification front. The pressure difference along the front drives a mush flow, which transports the solute in the mushy region. Another interesting type of travelling magnetic field has been tested. It consists of a slowly modulated travelling magnetic field. It is shown that in a certain range of values of the modulation period, the channels are almost suppressed. The normal macrosegregation remains, but the averaged segregation in the mushy zone is weaker than in the natural convection case. The optimal period depends on the electromagnetic force strength as well as the cooling rate. The latter phenomenon cannot occur in the case of rotating magnetic fields, since in that configuration the sign of the pressure gradient along the solidification front remains unchanged. Recent solidification experiments with electromagnetic stirring confirm the predicted macrosegregation patterns.


2017 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 107-114 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karol Fijałkowski ◽  
Radosław Drozd ◽  
Anna Żywicka ◽  
Adam F. Junka ◽  
Marian Kordas ◽  
...  

Abstract The aim of the present study was to evaluate the impact of a rotating magnetic field (RMF) on cellular and biochemical properties of Gluconacetobacter xylinus during the process of cellulose synthesis by these bacteria. The application of the RMF during bacterial cellulose (BC) production intensified the biochemical processes in G. xylinus as compared to the RMF-unexposed cultures. Moreover, the RMF had a positive impact on the growth of cellulose-producing bacteria. Furthermore, the application of RMF did not increase the number of mutants unable to produce cellulose. In terms of BC production efficacy, the most favorable properties were found in the setting where RMF generator was switched off for the first 72 h of cultivation and switched on for the further 72 h. The results obtained can be used in subsequent studies concerning the optimization of BC production using different types of magnetic fields including RMF, especially.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document