A Numerical Study for the Role of Natural Convection in the Melting of a GaSb/InSb/GaSb Sandwich System

The role of natural convection in the melting of a GaSb/InSb/GaSb sandwich system was numerically investigated. The melting process was assumed unsteady, and the governing equations of the model were solved by the finite difference method using a boundary fixing technique. The solutal natural convection (caused by concentration gradients) in the melt enhances melting in the lower part of the sample, and the thermal natural convection (caused by temperature gradients) is responsible for the development of a melt-solid interface that is slightly concave toward the crystals. These results are in qualitative agreement with the experimental observations made previously by the authors.