System for the in-situ visualization of a solid liquid interface during

Abstract

A system for visualizing the solid-liquid interface of a growing crystal in-situ using a modified vertical Bridgman crystal growth method. An infrared source emits radiation which passes through a furnace window, the crystal material and the growth ampoule which are all transparent to the radiation and is picked up by an IR camera focused on the solid-liquid interface. The IR camera produces radiographs of the solid-liquid interface. The system provides in-situ operation by every radiograph being converted into a visible image in real time by the output from the camera fed to an image processor, including a television monitor and a VHS recorder. A feedback means from the image processor controls the parameters of the growth process such as the furnace temperature and the movement of the growth ampoule.