Metal oxides and method for forming the method oxides are provided. The disclosed functional metal oxides are single crystalline or polycrystalline metal oxides, such as, for example, SrVO.sub.3, and have dimensions, phase purity, and crystalline quality previously unachievable. The disclosed methods include a combination of a gas atmosphere, vacuum sintering, and laser-based directional solidification of a seed rod in contact with a feed rod that is scalable for production quantities.

A transparent horizontal gradient freeze (HGF) furnace enables determining a crystallizing growth rate of an ingot by optically monitoring the rate at which a solid/liquid interface traverses across a charge of melted precursor material. The crystallization can be recorded for subsequent analysis, or a machine vision system can monitor and report the solid/liquid traversing rate in near real time, thereby enabling automated regulation of the growth rate to ensure uniform growth. Embodiments implement the disclosed furnace to produce crystalline or polycrystalline indium antimonide mixed with 1.8 wt % nickel antimonide (InSb:NiSb) at a growth rate specified according to required InSb:NiSb properties and a predetermined relationship between the growth rate and the properties of the NiSb needles formed in the ingot. Growth rates can be between 0.02 and 0.08 cm/hr for substantially single crystal ingots, and between 0.5 and 1.5 cm/hr for polycrystalline ingots. The InSb:NiSb can be doped with tellurium.

A transparent horizontal gradient freeze (HGF) furnace enables determining a crystallizing growth rate of an ingot by optically monitoring the rate at which a solid/liquid interface traverses across a charge of melted precursor material. The crystallization can be recorded for subsequent analysis, or a machine vision system can monitor and report the solid/liquid traversing rate in near real time, thereby enabling automated regulation of the growth rate to ensure uniform growth. Embodiments implement the disclosed furnace to produce crystalline or polycrystalline indium antimonide mixed with 1.8 wt % nickel antimonide (InSb:NiSb) at a growth rate specified according to required InSb:NiSb properties and a predetermined relationship between the growth rate and the properties of the NiSb needles formed in the ingot. Growth rates can be between 0.02 and 0.08 cm/hr for substantially single crystal ingots, and between 0.5 and 1.5 cm/hr for polycrystalline ingots. The InSb:NiSb can be doped with tellurium.