• Journal of the Korean Crystal Growth and Crystal Technology
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.115-121
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• 2012

Sapphire single crystals have been highlighted for epitaxial gallium nitride films in high-power laser and light emitting diode (LED) industries. Among the many crystal growth methods, the Kyropoulos process is an excellent commercial method for growing larger, high-optical-quality sapphire crystals with fewer defects. Because the properties and growth behavior of sapphire crystals are influenced largely by the temperature distribution and convection of molten sapphire during the manufacturing process, accurate predictions of the thermal fields and melt flow behavior are essential to design and optimize the Kyropoulos crystal growth process. In this study, computational fluid dynamic simulations were performed to examine the effects of the crucible geometry aspect ratio on melt convection during Kyropoulos sapphire crystal growth. The results through the evolution of various growth parameters on the temperature and velocity fields and convexity of the crystallization interface based on finite volume element simulations show that lower aspect ratio of the crucible geometry can be helpful for the quality of sapphire single crystal.

• Journal of the Korean Crystal Growth and Crystal Technology
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.129-134
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• 2013

Sapphire wafers are used as an important substrate for the production of blue LED (light emitting diode) and the LED's performance largely depends on the quality of the sapphire single crystals. There are several crystal growth methods for sapphire crystals and Kyropoulos method is an efficient way to grow large diameter and high-quality sapphire single crystals with low dislocation density. During Kyropoulos growth, the convection of molten melt is largely influenced by the hot zone geometry such as crucible shape, heater and refractory arrangements. In this study, CFD (computational fluid dynamics) simulations were performed according to the bottom/side ratios (per unit of the crucible surface area) of heaters. And, based on the results of analysis, the molten alumina flows and remelting phenomena were analyzed.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Precision Engineering Conference
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• 2013.05a
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• pp.1065-1066
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• 2013