A system for extracting liquid is provided. The system includes a vacuum source and a nozzle having a wettable plunger and a vacuum tube connected in flow communication with the vacuum source. When the plunger is partly submerged in the liquid and the vacuum source is actuated to initiate a flow of gas through the vacuum tube, droplets of the liquid separate from at least a portion of the unsubmerged part of the plunger and become suspended in the gas flow. The system also includes a cooling structure positioned adjacent to the vacuum tube to facilitate solidifying the droplets suspended in the gas flowing through the vacuum tube.

A method includes providing a collection of particulate material and forming a first article therefrom. Forming the first article includes forming an outer shell with an outer surface that defines an outer periphery of the first article; forming a relief area of the first article that supports the outer shell, including forming a relief void in the relief area; and collecting a collection of the particulate material within the outer shell during formation of the first article. Moreover, the method includes encasing the first article with an outer member. The outer member defines an internal cavity with an internal surface that corresponds to the outer surface of the outer shell. The method further includes heating, which deforms the first article selectively at the relief void.

Methods and wafers for vertical gradient freeze 8 inch gallium arsenide (GaAs) substrates. In disclosed examples, vertical gradient freeze systems for forming gallium arsenide (GaAs) substrates having silicon as a dopant, the system includes a crucible to contain a GaAs liquid melt and seed material during a formation process; one or more heating coils arranged in a plurality of heating zones; and a pedestal to move relative to the crucible, the system operable to control heating of the plurality of heating zones and movement of the pedestal to form a single crystal GaAs substrate.

An induction furnace assembly comprising a chamber having a mold; a primary inductive coil coupled to the chamber; a layered susceptor comprising at least two layers of magnetic field attenuating material surrounding the chamber between the primary inductive coil and the mold to nullify the electromagnetic field in the hot zone of the furnace chamber.

A process for directional solidification of a cast part comprises energizing a primary inductive coil coupled to a chamber having a mold containing a material; energizing a primary inductive coil within the chamber to heat the mold via radiation from a susceptor, wherein the resultant electromagnetic field partially leaks through the susceptor coupled to the chamber between the primary inductive coil and the mold; determining a magnetic flux profile of the electromagnetic field; sensing a magnetic flux leakage past the susceptor within the chamber; generating a control field from a secondary compensation coil coupled to the chamber, wherein the control field controls the magnetic flux experienced by the cast part; and casting the material within the mold under the controlled degree of flux leakage.

The present invention relates to the purification of silicon. The present invention provides a method for purification of silicon. The method includes recrystallizing starting material-silicon from a molten solvent comprising aluminum to provide final recrystallized-silicon crystals. The method also includes washing the final recrystallized-silicon crystals with an aqueous acid solution to provide a final acid-washed-silicon. The method also includes directionally solidifying the final acid-washed-silicon to provide final directionally solidified-silicon crystals.

Methods and devices for detecting incident radiation are provided. The methods and devices use high quality single-crystals of photoactive semiconductor compounds in combination with metal anodes and metal cathodes that provide for enhanced photodetector performance.

The invention relates to a method for growing a bulk single crystal, wherein the method comprises the steps of inserting a starting material into a crucible, melting the starting material in the crucible by heating the starting material, arranging a thermal insulation lid at a distance above a melt surface of said melt such that at least a central part of the melt surface is covered by the lid, and growing the bulk single crystal from the melt by controllably cooling the melt with the thermal insulation lid arranged above the melt surface.

A process for directional solidification of a cast part comprises energizing a primary inductive coil coupled to a chamber having a mold containing a material; energizing a primary inductive coil within the chamber to heat the mold via radiation from a susceptor, wherein the resultant electromagnetic field partially leaks through the susceptor coupled to the chamber between the primary inductive coil and the mold; determining a magnetic flux profile of the electromagnetic field; sensing a magnetic flux leakage past the susceptor within the chamber; generating a control field from a secondary compensation coil coupled to the chamber, wherein the control field controls the magnetic flux experienced by the cast part; and casting the material within the mold under the controlled degree of flux leakage.

Produced is a large single crystal with no crystal grain boundary, which is a high-quality single crystal that has a uniform composition in both the vertical and horizontal directions at an optimum dopant concentration and contains only a small number of negative crystals and exsolution lamellae. A single-crystal production equipment includes at least: a quartz crucible in which a seed crystal is placed on its bottom; a powder raw material supply apparatus which supplies a powder raw material into the quartz crucible; and an infrared ray irradiation apparatus which applies an infrared ray to the powder raw material supplied into the quartz crucible from the powder raw material supply apparatus.