Structural features of Ge(Ga) single crystals grown by the floating zone method in microgravity

Structural features of the Ge(Ga) single crystal grown by the floating zone (FZ) method in microgravity environment aboard the FOTON-9 spacecraft are investigated by methods of X-ray topography, double-crystal diffractometry, selective chemical etching and spreading resistance measurements. It is established that the crystal structure is characterized by the presence of an incompletely melted region and defects caused by its formation. Growth striations revealed in regrown part of the crystal, testify to development of non-stationary capillary Marangoni convection in melt at the realized parameters of FZ remelting under space conditions. Periodicity of the growth striations is compared to frequency characteristics of heat flux pulsations through the crystallization front, found as a result of numerical simulation of melt hydrodynamics.