Indium Iodide is a heavy metal halide and a wide band-gap semiconductor which has a potential for application in room temperature γ- and X-ray... Show moreIndium Iodide is a heavy metal halide and a wide band-gap semiconductor which has a potential for application in room temperature γ- and X-ray detectors. Its physical
properties are similar to those of other materials used as room temperature radiation
detectors. Over the years the technology of purification and crystal growth of InI was
developed. Significant advances were made to improve purity, crystal structure and
resulting electronic properties of the material. Nevertheless, the desired detector
performance has not been achieved yet. Stress-induced crystal lattice defects resulting from
solidification in contact with crucible are suspected to be responsible for the limited
performance.
Microgravity environment was previously used to study its effects on the process
of crystal growth from the melt applied to semiconductors. It was observed that unlike on
Earth materials can solidify without contact with the wall, when the sample is confined by
the crucible. It was also shown that such detached solidification can drastically reduce
stress-induced defects of the crystal lattice and improve electronic properties of the
material.
In this study crystal growth of InI was studied in microgravity, attempting to
achieve detached solidification, and observe it in a transparent zone of a furnace. Partially
detached solidification (a large free surface) has occurred in one of the samples. The
resulting crystals were characterized by measuring their electronic properties and
estimating the radiation detector performance of the devices manufactured using the
crystals. Show less
