Si1-xGex crystal growth by the floating zone method starting from SPS sintered feed rods - A segregation study

The availability of suitable feed rods for Si Ge bulk crystal growth is known to be a limiting factor in floating zone growth and other growth techniques. In this work, three Si-rich SiGe single crystals were crystallized by an optical floating zone technique in a double ellipsoid mirror furnace. The feed rods were prepared by pre-synthesis in the Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS) process starting with powders of different compositions. In a detailed section the preparation method of consolidation by mechanical alloyed powders to feed rods will be given. Results from two growth experiments starting with uniform compositions with 11 at% and 20 at% germanium as well as a zone leveling experiment with a segmented feed rod consisting of a starting zone with 32 at% Ge will be discussed. The latter experiment resulted in a crystal with nearly no axial segregation. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier B.V.