Browse Synthesis Info

Czochralski Method

Involves pulling a crystal (boule) upward from a molten solution. Produces some of the purest crystals but requires a cleanroom environment.

Verneuil Method

Involves sputtering molten material onto a boule similarly to plasma coating. Produces gem-grade quickly and cheaply, but often with defects.

Hydrothermal Method

Involves suspending a seed crystal into a high pressure / high temperature autoclave with liquid ingredients. Sometimes produces optics-grade ingots.

Flux Method

Involves suspending a seed crystal near or inside flux with ingredients. Allows lower-temperature production. Sometimes produces gem-grade crystals.

Kyropoulos Method

Derivative of the Czochralski method. Crystal grows into the feed material instead of being pulled. Can change the output purity and may be preferred.

Zone Melting

Involves passing cold / hot zones over a melt / seed to concentrate impurities in specific regions, while forming a monocrystalline ingot at the end of the path.

Skull Melting

Involves compressing ingredients into a puck, and using Induction Heating to cook the inside of the puck into CZ, structured like a brain in a skull.

Bridgman Technique

Related to the Czochralski method. Material is melted in a crucible and the crucible itself is moved slowly into a colder zone, allowing for crystallization.

Horizontal Direction Solidification Method

HDSM

Related to the Bridgman technique. Material is melted and a crucible is moved horizontally instead of vertically, as with other methods.

High-Pressure High-Temperature Synthesis

HPHT

Involves supplying extreme pressures / temperatures on ingredients or a seed crystal to produce larger crystals, which can then be used as seeds again or simply used on their own.

Chemical Vapor Deposition

CVD

Involves leeching specialty gasses onto a heated / pressurized environment with seed crystals. Slowly builds up atomic layers of material until a solid crystal is produced.

Sintering and Annealing

An umbrella of methods involving heat treatment or controlled heating / burning to form solids and crystals. Often used for making polycrystalline media or annealing monocrystalline media.

Fractional Crystallization

Fractional Crys.

A simple method of crystallization involving stages of temperature changes to pull crystals out of a solution.

Fractional Freezing

A simple method of crystallization involving melted ingredients shifting down to certain temperatures to isolate or purify certain materials

Epitaxy

An umbrella of methods revolving around film or layer-based crystallization. Can involve phase changes, temperature changes, among other factors.

Laser-Heated Pedestal Growth

LHPG

A process involving melting a transition zone within a crystal using lasers. Similar to Zone Melting.

Micro-Pulling Down

A method involving a heated crucible with an orifice on the bottom. A seed crystal is placed through the bottom and is slowly pulled down, forming a monocrystalline rod / fiber.

Edge-Defined Film-Fed Growth

EDFFG

A method that involves pulling a seed through a vertical channel, with a die that feeds a film of molten material upward.

Recrystallization

A simple method of purifying materials by dissolving a crystal in a solvent and letting the desired compound precipitate / crystallize out of solution

Evaporative Crystallization

Evaporative Crys.

A simple method of crystallization done by drying a solution until the solute concentration is high enough, and it crystallizes into a solid.

Cooling Crystallization

Cooling Crys.

A simple method of crystallization that involves slowly cooling a liquid until it stabilizes and freezes into a crystalline solid.

Synthesis and Production

Methods, Processes, and Techniques