Seminar: Jeffrey J. Derby, Professor at University of Minnesota

The Belgian surrealist artist René Magritte once stated, “Everything we see hides another thing, we always want to see what is hidden by what we see.”  This turn of phrase aptly describes many crystal growth processes, whose most important aspects are often hidden from operando diagnostic measurements.  Mathematical modeling allows us to “see” what is happening during the growth of bulk, single crystals, thereby offering the opportunity for more fundamental understanding and providing a rationale by which processes may be improved.  Such crystals are required for the fabrication of the electronic and photonic devices that enable information technology, communications, sensing, solid-state lighting, solar energy production, and many other applications. Challenges and opportunities are discussed for understanding crystal growth processes, with a focus on recent results that have revealed the source of historical growth rate limitations for the traveling heater method (THM), an important process for the growth of the II-VI semiconductor, cadmium telluride and its alloys.