A casting method includes: forming a seed, the seed having a first end and a second end, the forming including bending a seed precursor; placing the seed second end in contact or spaced facing relation with a chill plate; contacting the first end with molten material; and cooling and solidifying the molten material so that a crystalline structure of the seed propagates into the solidifying material. The forming further included reducing a thickness of the seed proximate the first end relative to a thickness of the seed proximate the second end.

A single-crystal turbine blade and a method of making such single-crystal turbine blade are disclosed. During manufacturing, a secondary crystallographic orientation of the material of the single-crystal turbine blade is controlled based on a parameter of a root fillet between an airfoil of the single-crystal turbine blade and a platform of the single-crystal turbine blade. The parameter can be a location of peak stress in the root fillet expected during use of the turbine blade.

A single-crystal turbine blade and a method of making such single-crystal turbine blade are disclosed. During manufacturing, a secondary crystallographic orientation of the material of the single-crystal turbine blade is controlled based on a parameter of a root fillet between an airfoil of the single-crystal turbine blade and a platform of the single-crystal turbine blade. The parameter can be a location of peak stress in the root fillet expected during use of the turbine blade.

In a method of manufacturing a monocrystalline crystal, in particular a sapphire, a monocrystalline seed crystal is arranged in a base region of a crucible with a cylindrical jacket-shaped crucible wall or forms a base of the crucible and a crystallographic c-axis of the seed crystal is aligned corresponding to a longitudinal axis of the crucible extending in the direction of the top of the crucible wall, whereupon a base material is arranged above the seed crystal in the crucible and melted, crystal growth taking place progressively in the direction of the c-axis by crystallization at a boundary layer between melted base material and seed crystal.

In a method of manufacturing a monocrystalline crystal, in particular a sapphire, a monocrystalline seed crystal is arranged in a base region of a crucible with a cylindrical jacket-shaped crucible wall or forms a base of the crucible and a crystallographic c-axis of the seed crystal is aligned corresponding to a longitudinal axis of the crucible extending in the direction of the top of the crucible wall, whereupon a base material is arranged above the seed crystal in the crucible and melted, crystal growth taking place progressively in the direction of the c-axis by crystallization at a boundary layer between melted base material and seed crystal.

A method and apparatus for measuring a melt back of a seed in a boule are provided. The method includes lifting a boule once it has been produced using an actuating device onto a support table to automatically manipulate the boule from a furnace to the support table. The melt back of the seed is then automatically measured using a vision system that is installed on an imaging device disposed below the boule.

A method and apparatus for measuring a melt back of a seed in a boule are provided. The method includes lifting a boule once it has been produced using an actuating device onto a support table to automatically manipulate the boule from a furnace to the support table. The melt back of the seed is then automatically measured using a vision system that is installed on an imaging device disposed below the boule.

Growth of single crystal epitaxial films of the perovskite crystal structure by liquid- or vapor-phase means can be accomplished by providing single-crystal perovskite substrate materials of improved lattice parameter match in the lattice parameter range of interest. Current substrates do not provide as good a lattice match, have inferior properties, or are of limited size and availability because cost of materials and difficulty of growth. This problem is solved by the single-crystal perovskite solid solutions described herein grown from mixtures with an indifferent melting point that occurs at a congruently melting composition at a temperature minimum in the melting curve in the pseudo-binary molar phase diagram. Accordingly, single-crystal perovskite solid solutions, structures, and devices including single-crystal perovskite solid solutions, and methods of making single-crystal perovskite solid solutions are described herein.

Growth of single crystal epitaxial films of the perovskite crystal structure by liquid- or vapor-phase means can be accomplished by providing single-crystal perovskite substrate materials of improved lattice parameter match in the lattice parameter range of interest. Current substrates do not provide as good a lattice match, have inferior properties, or are of limited size and availability because cost of materials and difficulty of growth. This problem is solved by the single-crystal perovskite solid solutions described herein grown from mixtures with an indifferent melting point that occurs at a congruently melting composition at a temperature minimum in the melting curve in the pseudo-binary molar phase diagram. Accordingly, single-crystal perovskite solid solutions, structures, and devices including single-crystal perovskite solid solutions, and methods of making single-crystal perovskite solid solutions are described herein.

A process for casting a single crystal axis-symmetric thick walled tube comprising forming a axisymmetric single crystal ring seed around a circular internal core, wherein the ring seed has an inner diameter and a taper on the inner diameter, and wherein the internal core has an outer diameter and a matching taper on the outer diameter, the matching taper matching the taper of the inner diameter of the ring seed, and the internal core being free to translate in a vertical direction relative to the ring seed; and heating the ring seed so as to expand the ring seed relative to the internal core, and allowing the circular internal core to translate relative to the ring seed in a direction of the force of gravity, thereby maintaining contact between the circular internal core and the ring seed.