| abstract |
A crystal growth apparatus (10) having a heated spherical growth container (12) is filled with a crystalline material in solid or liquid form. The crystalline material is heated by resistance heating wire (58) to a predetermined temperature, whereupon the application of heat to the crystalline material is reduced and the accumulated heat is drawn off and dissipated by a seed crystal (76) attached to a rod (70) of heat conductive material, which in turn is attached to a heat dissipating member (72). This results in the formation of a single, defect-free crystal on seed crystal (76), which grows outward in a generally spherical configuration as more heat is removed. |