A method of producing a crystalline material is provided that may include providing a crystal growth apparatus comprising a chamber, a hot zone, and a muffle. The hot zone may be disposed within the chamber and include at least one heating system, at least one heat removal system, and a crucible containing feedstock. Additionally, the method may include providing a muffle that surrounds at least two sides of the crucible to ensure uniform temperature distribution through the feedstock during crystal growth to allow the crystalline material to be grown with a square or rectangular shaped cross section.

MnZn ferrite particles according to the present invention contain 44-60% by mass of Fe, 10-16% by mass of Mn and 1-11% by mass of Zn. The ferrite particles are single crystal bodies having an average particle diameter of 1-2,000 nm, and have polyhedral particle shapes, while having an average sphericity of 0.85 or more but less than 0.95.

Methods are provided that include depositing a nickel-base superalloy powder including gamma nickel solid solution and gamma prime (Ni.sub.3Al) solid solution phases onto a seed crystal having a predetermined primary orientation, fully melting the powder and a portion of the seed crystal at a superliquidus temperature to form an initial layer having the predetermined primary orientation, heat treating the layer at subsolvus temperatures to precipitate gamma prime solid solution phase particles, depositing additional powder over the layer, melting the deposited powder and a portion of the initial layer at a superliquidus temperature to form a successive layer having the predetermined primary orientation, heat treating the layer at a subsolvus temperature to precipitate gamma prime solid solution phase particles, and repeating depositing additional powder, melting the additional powder and the portion of the successive layer at the superliquidus temperature, and heat treating the successive layer at a subsolvus temperature.

An induction furnace assembly comprising a chamber having a mold; a primary inductive coil coupled to the chamber; a layered susceptor comprising at least two layers of magnetic field attenuating material surrounding the chamber between the primary inductive coil and the mold to nullify the electromagnetic field in the hot zone of the furnace chamber.

Methods and systems for low etch pit density gallium arsenide crystals with boron dopant may include a gallium arsenide single crystal wafer having boron as a dopant, an etch pit density of less than 500 cm.sup.2, and optical absorption of 6 cm.sup.1 or less at 940 nm. The wafer may have an etch pit density of less than 200 cm.sup.2. The wafer may have a diameter of 6 inches or greater. The wafer may have a boron concentration between 110.sup.19 cm.sup.3 and 210.sup.19 cm.sup.3. The wafer may have a thickness of 300 m or greater. Optoelectronic devices may be formed on a first surface of the wafer, which may be diced into a plurality of die and optical signals from an optoelectronic device on one side of one of the die may be communicated out a second side of the die opposite to the one side.

Disclosed is a method for melting and solidification of a scintillating material in micromechanical structures, including controlling the melting and solidification of the scintillating material by individually controlled heat sources, a top heater and a bottom heater, placed above and below a process chamber, housing a sample with the micromechanical structures and the scintillating material. The heaters are controlled to set a vertical temperature gradient over the sample to control the melting and solidification of the scintillating material. During melting, the top heater is ramped up and stabilized at a temperature where no melting occurs and the bottom heater is ramped up and stabilized at a temperature where melting occurs during a period of time while the scintillating material melts and flows into the micromechanical structures. During solidification, the temperature of the bottom heater decreases to enable solidification to take place starting from the bottom of the micromechanical structures.

A sapphire crystal growth apparatus is provided that includes a chamber, a hot zone and a muffle. More specifically, the hot zone is disposed within the chamber and includes at least one heating system, at least one heat removal system, and a crucible containing feedstock. Additionally, a muffle that surrounds at least two sides of the crucible is also provided to ensure uniform temperature distribution through the feedstock during crystal growth to allow the crystalline material to be grown with a square or rectangular shaped cross section.

A production apparatus and a production method for a gallium oxide crystal, including growing a gallium oxide single crystal by VB method, HB method, or VGF method, under an air atmosphere, by using a crucible containing a PtIr-based alloy having an Ir content of 20 to 30 wt %, and the production apparatus (10) includes a vertical Bridgman furnace including: a base body (12); a furnace body (14) in a cylindrical shape having heat resistance, disposed on the base body (12); a lid member (18) occluding the furnace body (14); a heater (20) disposed inside the furnace body (14); a crucible bearing (30) disposed vertically movably penetrating through the base body (12); and a crucible (34) disposed on the crucible bearing (30), heated with the heater (20), the crucible (34) being a crucible (34) containing a PtIr-based alloy having an Ir content of 20 to 30 wt %.

The invention relates to a lithium metaborate crystal and a preparation method and use thereof. The crystal has a chemical formula of LiBO.sub.2, a molecular weight of 49.75, and is a member of the monoclinic crystal system. The crystal has a P2.sub.1/c space group and lattice constants of a=5.85(8) , b=4.35(7) , c=6.46(6) , =115(5), and Z=4. The crystal can be applied in wavelengths of infrared-visible-deep ultraviolet, and is grown by utilizing a melt crystallization method or a flux method. The crystal obtained using the method described in the invention is easily grown and processed, and can be used in the manufacture of a polarizing beam splitting prism such as a Glan prism, a Wollaston prism, a Rochon prism or a beam-splitting polarizer, and other optical components, enabling crucial applications in the fields of optics and communication.

A method of manufacturing a component includes additively manufacturing a crucible; directionally solidifying a metal material within the crucible; and removing the crucible to reveal the component. A component for a gas turbine engine includes a directionally solidified metal material component, the directionally solidified metal material component having been additively manufactured of a metal material concurrently with a core, the metal material having been remelted and directionally solidified.