Modeling Diffusion-Limited Crystal Growth from Vapor using a Commercial Finite-Element Analysis Code

This application note describes how to model diffusion-limited crystal growth from vapor using QuickField - a commercial finite-element analysis code. The crystal growth problem is cast into the format of a steady-state heat diffusion problem, which is one type of problem QuickField is designed to solve, and we derive the relevant conversion factors and correspondences between variables. We also describe three types of boundary conditions in the crystal growth problem and their corresponding boundary conditions in the heat diffusion problem. As an example, we examine the crystal growth of ice from water vapor in a background gas using a variety of mixed boundary conditions.