GOALI: Toward Improving Quality and Yield of Large-Area, Single-Crystal Sapphire Wafers via Fundamental Understanding of Bubble Engulfment During Growth

单晶蓝宝石具有从装甲到电子的众多潜在应用。这种材料的成本取决于加工成本，这由于晶体生长期间气泡的存在而变得复杂。需要对单晶蓝宝石生长过程中气泡行为的基本理解，以实现以低成本制造高性能材料。这个学术界与工业界联系的资助机会（GOALI）奖支持基础研究，以了解蓝宝石单晶中气泡生长和扩散的机制。将开发该过程的计算模型来描述这些气泡在生长过程中的形成和运动，并为消除这些缺陷的策略提供见解。工作？将与GOALI合作伙伴Crystal Systems协商进行？创新，LLC，谁来提供？有价值的，实用的见解和支持？蓝宝石晶体生长实验。从这项工作的新知识有相关性？制造？单晶蓝宝石材料，并在潜在的应用，包括国防应用透明装甲，触摸屏？智能面板？手机和基板的制造节能白色？发光二极管（LED）。这个吗？项目？“将资助一个研究生的培训，精通多学科和？技术相关问题，包括？先进制造、材料工程与加工、？水晶？增长。在这项研究计划中，研究人员将？开发，验证，并应用计算模型来阐明？机制？蓝宝石晶体生长过程中气泡夹杂物。这项研究将建立？在先前的稳态和动态模型在连续水平，有？是用来研究物理机制的吗决定了推还是？在移动的固-液界面处固体颗粒的吞没。这些吗学习？将与GOALI合作伙伴Crystal Systems协商进行？创新，LLC，谁来提供？有价值的，实用的见解和支持？蓝宝石晶体生长实验。这项工作将探讨？泡沫的基本机制是什么？在凝固过程中被吞没，这是一个特别的？挑战性问题？与蓝宝石晶体生长相关。除了解决？潜在的？传热学、流体力学、相？变化和粒子凝固前沿？互动，一个计算的？前所未有的严格和准确的方法将被开发来探测？这些极其复杂的现象的非线性和动力学方面。最后，A？对气泡和粒子有了更深的理解在凝固过程中的吞没现象会影响其他？不同的地区？作为地质材料，增强金属陶瓷复合材料，多晶？硅，以及？该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Single-crystal sapphire has numerous potential applications ranging from armor to electronics. The cost of this material is dependent on the cost of processing, which is complicated by the presence of bubbles during growth of the crystal. A fundamental understanding of the behavior of bubbles during the growth of single-crystal sapphire is needed to enable the manufacture of high-performance materials at a low cost. This Grant Opportunities for Academic Liaison with Industry (GOALI) award supports fundamental research to understand the mechanisms of bubble growth and diffusion in sapphire single crystals. Computational models of the process will be developed to describe the formation and motion of these bubbles during the growth process, and provide insight for strategies to eliminate these defects. The work?will be carried out in consultation with GOALI partner, Crystal Systems?Innovations, LLC, who will provide?valuable, practical insight and supporting?sapphire crystal growth experiments.??New knowledge from this work has relevance to the?manufacturing of?single-crystal sapphire material, and has benefits in potential applications including transparent armor for national defense applications, touch-screen?faceplates in smart?phones, and substrates for the fabrication of energy-saving white?light-emitting-diodes (LEDs).??This?project?will fund the training of a graduate student who will be?proficient in multi-disciplinary and?technologically relevant issues involving?advanced manufacturing, materials engineering and processing,?and crystal?growth.In this research program, investigators will?develop, validate, and apply computational models to elucidate the?mechanisms?of bubble inclusion during sapphire crystal growth. This research will build?upon prior steady-state and dynamic models at the continuum level that have?been developed to study the physical mechanisms?that determine the pushing or?engulfment of a solid particle at a moving, solid-liquid interface. These?studies?will be carried out in consultation with GOALI partner, Crystal Systems?Innovations, LLC, who will provide?valuable, practical insight and supporting?sapphire crystal growth experiments.??This work will probe the?fundamental mechanisms by which bubbles?are engulfed during solidification, which is a particularly?challenging problem?associated with sapphire crystal growth. In addition to addressing the?underlying?scientific phenomena of heat transfer, fluid mechanics, phase?change, and particle-solidification front?interactions, a computational?approach of unprecedented rigor and accuracy will be developed to probe?nonlinear and dynamical aspects of these extremely complex phenomena.?Finally, a?deeper understanding of bubble and particle?engulfment phenomena during solidification will impact other?areas as diverse?as geological materials, reinforced metal-ceramic composites, multi-crystalline?silicon, and?biological cryo-preservation processes.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.