Bridgman growth and characterization of bulk single crystals of Ga{sub 1{minus}x}In{sub x}Sb for thermophotovoltaic applications

Thermophotovoltaic generation of electricity is attracting renewed attention due to recent advances in low bandgap (0.5--0.7 eV) III-V semiconductors. The use of mixed pseudo-binary compounds allows for the tailoring of the lattice parameter and the bandgap of the material. Conventional deposition techniques (i.e., epitaxy) for producing such ternary or quaternary materials are typically slow and expensive. Production of bulk single crystals of ternary materials, for example Ga{sub 1{minus}x}In{sub x}Sb, is expected to dramatically reduce such material costs. Bulk single crystals of Ga{sub 1{minus}x}In{sub x}Sb have been prepared using a Bridgman technique in a two-zone furnace. These crystals are 19 mm in diameter by approximately 50 mm long and were produced using seeds of the same diameter. The effects of growth rate and starting materials on the composition and quality of these crystals will be discussed and compared with other attempts to produce single crystals of this material.