Growth mechanism of the directionally solidified Si–TaSi2 eutectic in situ composite

Although both phases of the Si–TaSi2 eutectic have high entropy of fusion, the Si–TaSi2 eutectic structure exhibits a regular morphology (rod-like). This is not consistent with the classical Jackson–Hunt (J–H) theory based on the entropy of fusion. In the present paper, the growth mechanism of the Si–TaSi2 eutectic is discussed. Jackson factor and the critical kinetic undercooling for the transition from faceted to non-faceted growth of the two phases are calculated. The transition from faceted to non-faceted growth is also observed at the different crystal growth stages in the experiment.