The article presents the results of a numerical simulation study conducted to examine the combined effect of static and rotating magnetic fields on the liquid phase diffusion (LPD) growth process of SiGe single crystals. The simulation results indicate that the combined use of static and rotating magnetic fields is more effective than using either a static or rotating field alone. The application of a combined field does not only suppress natural convection but also leads to better mixing in the solution and flatter growth interfaces. For the system considered here, the application of a static field of 0.3 T and a rotating field of 4.0 or 5.0 mT makes the growth interface almost flat. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.