Capper P., Rudolph P. (Eds.) Crystal Growth Technology: Semiconductors and Dielectrics

Wiley, 2010. — 356 p. — ISBN: 978-3-527-32593-1.Semiconductors and dielectrics are two essential materials found in cell phones and computers, for example, and both are manufactured by growing crystals.
Edited by the organizers of the International Workshop on Crystal Growth Technology, this ready reference is essential reading for materials scientists, chemists, physicists, computer hardware manufacturers, engineers, and those working in the chemical and semiconductor industries. They have assembled an international team of experts who present the current challenges, latest methods and new applications for producing these materials necessary for the electronics industry using bulk crystal growth technology.
This volume deals with the technologies of the fabrication of important semiconducting and dielectric crystals, with their characterization, and with the machining of these bulk crystals. Thus, it will be of interest to all scientists, engineers and students who are engaged in this wide field of crystal technology . The largest fraction of industrial crystals consists of semiconductors such as silicon, gallium arsenide, indium phosphide, germanium, cadmium telluride and its solid solutions, and group - III nitrides. Another large fraction of dielectric crystals includes optical and scintillation crystals and crystals for the watch and jewelry industries.
The requirements with respect to structural perfection, homogeneity and yield are ever increasing, so that the crystal producing industries are interested in the optimum method to fabricate quasi perfect crystals economically. For a specific crystal there are perhaps only one or two optimum growth methods, when taking into account all relevant factors like thermodynamics, amortization of equipment, building and infrastructure, labor and material costs, consumption of energy and cooling water, and increasingly important ecological aspects.
Crystal technology has been and continues to be a key element in the development of micro - and optoelectronics and thus of computers, communications, and widespread electronics. With the forthcoming energy crisis , and the related climate – CO2 problem, advances in crystal technology will become even more important and an essential factor for the future of mankind. Contributions of crystal technology will be crucial for saving energy, in energy transport, in renewable energy, and possibly also for the future hope of inertial fusion energy; the required crystal development of which is discussed in this book.
Despite its importance crystal technology is faced with the problem that no targeted education exists of crystal technology scientists and engineers . So far, crystal producing companies have had to hire chemists, material scientists, or physicists and provide them with extended education and training. One would wish that soon some technical universities would establish a multidisciplinary curriculum followed by special courses of all aspects of crystal technology and practical training in companies in order to produce crystal - technology scientists and engineers. This book will assist students and lecturers in this task, besides being useful for the exchange of experiences of current crystal growth experts.