Melt motion due to Peltier marking during Bridgman crystal growth with an axial magnetic field (Q1592548)

The authors investigate a liquid metal flow inside an electrically insulating cylinder. It is bounded by electrically conducting solids above and below the liquid region. Uniform axial magnetic field and an electric current through the liquid and on both sides are imposed. As the lower liquid-solid interface is concave into the solid and the liquid is a better electrical conductor than the adjacent solid, the electric current is locally concentrated near the centre line. This generates an azimuthal flow. The axial variation of centrifugal force in turn provides a meridional circulation with radial and axial velocities. In this way the authors examine effect of Peltier marking during the vertical Bridgman growth of semiconductor crystals with an externally applied magnetic field, where the meridional circulation due to Peltier current may produce mixing in the molten semiconductor. The authors use thermophysical properties of molten silicon in order to estimate dimensionless parameters and magnitudes of certain dimensional quantities.