Epitaxial crystal growth

The introduction of fillers to PEEK creates a higher nucleation rate. The surface of carbon fibers and nuclei within the PEEK matrix compete for crystallization growth. Epitaxial transcrystalline growth was frequently observed on the fiber surface in carbon fiber reinforced PEEK composites. 

Crystal Growth Epitaxial Technology for Integrated Circuit Manufacturing Lasers, Optical Fiber Lasers, Semiconductor Molecular Beam Epitaxy, Semiconductors Photonic Bandgap Materials Polymers, Photoresponsive Semiconductor Alloys... 

H.J. Scheel, 1992, in Crystal Growth Epitaxy, (ed.) H.J. Scheel, 34eme Gours de perfectionnement AVGP, Gri-mentz/Valais, Switzerland, p. 169. 

Epitaxial crystal growth methods such as molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) and metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) have advanced to the point that active regions of essentially arbitrary thicknesses can be prepared (see Thin films, film deposition techniques). Most semiconductors used for lasers are cubic crystals where the lattice constant, the dimension of the cube, is equal to two atomic plane distances. When the thickness of this layer is reduced to dimensions on the order of 0.01 )J.m, between 20 and 30 atomic plane distances, quantum mechanics is needed for an accurate description of the confined carrier energies (11). Such layers are called quantum wells and the lasers containing such layers in their active regions are known as quantum well lasers (12). 

We have so far assumed that the atoms deposited from the vapor phase or from dilute solution strike randomly and balHstically on the crystal surface. However, the material to be crystallized would normally be transported through another medium. Even if this is achieved by hydrodynamic convection, it must nevertheless overcome the last displacement for incorporation by a random diffusion process. Therefore, diffusion of material (as well as of heat) is the most important transport mechanism during crystal growth. An exception, to some extent, is molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) (see [3,12-14] and [15-19]) where the atoms may arrive non-thermalized at supersonic speeds on the crystal surface. But again, after their deposition, surface diffusion then comes into play. 

Thin polymer films may also be investigated by TEM and high resolution images are obtained for e.g. thin films of liquid crystalline polymers [64]. Usually thin microtome cuts from bulk samples are investigated, but also epitaxial growth of polyoxymethylene on NaCl [152], chain folding of polyethylene crystals [153], epitaxial crystallization of polypropylene on polystyrene [154] or monomolecular polystyrene particles [155] are observed. The resolution is, however, in most cases not comparable to STM. 

A second application of current interest in which widely separated length scales come into play is fabrication of modulated foils or wires with layer thickness of a few nanometers or less [156]. In this application, the aspect ratio of layer thickness, which may be of nearly atomic dimensions, to workpiece size, is enormous, and the current distribution must be uniform on the entire range of scales between the two. Optimal conditions for these structures require control by local mechanisms to suppress instability and produce layer by layer growth. Epitaxially deposited single crystals with modulated composition on these scales can be described as superlattices. Moffat, in a report on Cu-Ni superlattices, briefly reviews the constraints operating on their fabrication by electrodeposition [157]. 

M. J. McCollum and G. E. Stillman, High Purity InP Grown by Hydride Vapor Phase Epitaxy T. Inada and T. Fukuda, Direct Synthesis and Growth of Indium Phosphide by the Liquid Phosphorous Encapsulated Czochralski Method O. Oda, K. Katagiri, K. Shinohara, S. Katsura, Y. Takahashi, K. Kainosho, K. Kohiro, and R. Hirano, InP Crystal Growth, Substrate Preparation and Evaluation... 

Suntola T (1994) Atomic Layer Epitaxy (Handbook of Crystal Growth) Elsevier Science BV, Amsterdam... 

Mullin JB, Irvine SJC (1994) Metalorganic Vapor-Phase Epitaxy of Mercury Cadmium Telluride. Progress in Crystal Growth and Characterization of Materials 29(1-4), 217-252... 

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