Method for controlling the solidification of a liquid-solid system and a device for the application of the method

Abstract

The growth of a solid obtained by cooling a liquid solution is observed and controlled by measuring the variation in volume of the solid-liquid system at the time of solidification. The method is applicable to the control of oriented crystallization from an initial crystal seed or epitaxial growth on a substrate having a suitable crystal orientation. The rate of crystallization can be controlled by means of a furnace provided with means for producing regulated thermal gradients, temperature-measuring means, a chamber filled with an inert liquid, an open-topped container filled with the liquid to be solidified and immersed in the inert liquid, the container being suspended from one arm of the beam of an electrobalance.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.