Magnetic field controlled FZ single crystal growth of intermetallic compounds

Intermetallic rare-earth-transition-metal compounds with their coexistence of magnetic ordering and superconductivity are still of great scientific interest. The crystal growth of bulk single crystals is very often unsuccessful due to an unfavorable solid-liquid interface geometry enclosing concave fringes. The aim of the work is the contactless control of heat and material transport during floating-zone single crystal growth of intermetallic compounds. This control is provided by a tailored design of the electromagnetic field and the resulting electromagnetically driven convection. Numerical simulations for the determination of the electromagnetic field configuration induced by the RF heater coil and the solution of the coupled heat and hydrodynamic equations were done for the model substance Ni with and without additional magnetic field. As a result, an innovative magnetic two-phase stirrer system has been developed which enables the controlled influence on the melt ranging from intensive inwards/outwards flows to flows almost at rest. The selection of parameters necessary for the desired fluid flow is determined from numerical simulation. The basis for the calculations are the process-related fluid flow conditions which are determined by the mode of heating, heat radiation at the free surface and material parameters. This treatment of the problem leads to the customised magnetic field for the special intermetallic compound. The application of the new magnetic system leads to a distinct improvement of the solid-liquid interface validated on experiments with the model substance Nickel. (C) 2004 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.