SEED CRYSTAL

A 'seed crystal' is a small piece of single crystal material from which a large crystal of, usually, the same material is to be grown. The large crystal can be grown by dipping the seed into a supersaturated solution, into molten material that is then cooled, or by growth on the seed face by passing vapour of the material to be grown over it.
One example where a seed crystal is used to grow large boules or ingots of a single crystal is the semiconductor industry where methods such as the Czochralski process or Bridgeman technique are employed.

Contents

See also

See also

★ Crystal

★ Crystal growth

★ Crystal structure

★ Crystallization

★ Recrystallization

★ Single crystal