Single Cystal Services
Ames Laboratory is a leader in the preparation of high-quality, single crystals
of rare earth and refractory metals and their alloys. For 30 years various scientists throughout the world have used these crystals to determine the physical properties of many pure metals and alloys.
High-purity single crystals of rare earth, transition, and refractory metals and alloys are available on a custom, best-effort basis. Some crystals can be refined to extreme purity by several metal-purification procedures, such as electro-transport and selective de-oxidation. This processing makes available for scientific research metal crystals that are among the purest in the world.
- Arc-zone melting
- Horizontal, levitation-zone melting
- Cyclic-temperature technique
- Float-zone melting
- Recrystallization grain growth
- Bridgman method
- Czochralski method
- Flux techniques
MPC Crystal Fabrication and Characterization Facilities include back-reflection Laue X-ray,
spark planing/cutting by electro-discharge machining, diamond saws and lapping fixtures for precise orientation of crystals
