Systems and methods for growing high-quality CdTe-based materials at high growth rates are provided. According to an aspect of the invention, a method includes depositing a first CdTe-based layer on a CdTe-based template at a rate of greater than 1 m/min. Each of the first CdTe-based layer and the CdTe-based template has a single-crystal structure and/or a large-grain polycrystalline structure. The depositing is performed by physical vapor deposition.

The present disclosure relates to the field of directional solidification, and in particular, to an apparatus, method, and process for directional solidification by liquid metal spraying enhanced cooling (LMSC). The process has the following beneficial effects: the apparatus of the present disclosure can regulate a solidification structure of a casting, refine a dendrite spacing, and reduce or avoid metallurgical defects, and can be used to prepare high-quality large-sized columnar/single crystal blades or other castings.

The present disclosure relates to the field of directional solidification, and in particular, to an apparatus, method, and process for directional solidification by liquid metal spraying enhanced cooling (LMSC). The process has the following beneficial effects: the apparatus of the present disclosure can regulate a solidification structure of a casting, refine a dendrite spacing, and reduce or avoid metallurgical defects, and can be used to prepare high-quality large-sized columnar/single crystal blades or other castings.

Disclosed is a method of growing a zirconia single crystal that has excellent physical properties free from low-temperature degradation and thus enables precise machining, the method including raw material preparation, raw material charging, raw material melting, melt soaking stage, seed production, and single crystal growth.

Disclosed is a method of growing a zirconia single crystal that has excellent physical properties free from low-temperature degradation and thus enables precise machining, the method including raw material preparation, raw material charging, raw material melting, melt soaking stage, seed production, and single crystal growth.

An oxychloride infrared nonlinear optical crystal and the preparation method and use thereof, the optical crystal has a general chemical formula of Pb.sub.2+xOCl.sub.2+2x, therein 0<x<0.139 or 0.141<x<0.159 or 0.161<x0.6. The crystal is non-centrosymmetric, belongs to orthonormal system with space group of Fmm2, cell parameter is a=35.4963(14)0.05 , b=5.8320(2)0.05 , c=16.0912(6)0.05 . The crystal is prepared by high temperature melt method or flux method. The crystal has a strong second harmonic generation efficiency of 4 times that of KDP (KH.sub.2PO.sub.4) tested by Kurtz method, it is phase machable, transparent in the range of 0.34-7 m. The laser damage threshold is 10 times that of the current commercial infrared nonlinear optical crystal AgGaS.sub.2. No crystalline water exists in lead oxychloride, and it is stable in the air and has good thermal stability.

An oxychloride infrared nonlinear optical crystal and the preparation method and use thereof, the optical crystal has a general chemical formula of Pb.sub.2+xOCl.sub.2+2x, therein 0<x<0.139 or 0.141<x<0.159 or 0.161<x0.6. The crystal is non-centrosymmetric, belongs to orthonormal system with space group of Fmm2, cell parameter is a=35.4963(14)0.05 , b=5.8320(2)0.05 , c=16.0912(6)0.05 . The crystal is prepared by high temperature melt method or flux method. The crystal has a strong second harmonic generation efficiency of 4 times that of KDP (KH.sub.2PO.sub.4) tested by Kurtz method, it is phase machable, transparent in the range of 0.34-7 m. The laser damage threshold is 10 times that of the current commercial infrared nonlinear optical crystal AgGaS.sub.2. No crystalline water exists in lead oxychloride, and it is stable in the air and has good thermal stability.

A casting method includes forming a seed. The seed has a first end and a second end. The forming includes bending a seed precursor. The seed second end is placed in contact or spaced facing relation a chill plate. The first end is contacted with molten material. The molten material is cooled and solidifies so that a crystalline structure of the seed propagates into the solidifying material. The forming further includes inserting the bent seed precursor into a sleeve leaving the bent seed precursor protruding from a first end of the sleeve.

An additive manufacturing system utilizing an epitaxy process, and method of manufacture, utilizes a heating source and a cooling source to control thermal gradients and a solidification rate of each slice of a workpiece manufactured from a seed having a directional grain microstructure. An energy gun is utilized to melt selected regions of each successive layer of a plurality layers of a powder in a powder bed to successively form each solidified slice of the workpiece.

An additive manufacturing system utilizing an epitaxy process, and method of manufacture, utilizes a heating source and a cooling source to control thermal gradients and a solidification rate of each slice of a workpiece manufactured from a seed having a directional grain microstructure. An energy gun is utilized to melt selected regions of each successive layer of a plurality layers of a powder in a powder bed to successively form each solidified slice of the workpiece.