Process and apparatus for the production of single crystal compounds

Claim 1

AS AN ARTICLE OF MANUFACTURE AN ELONGATED, HORIZONTAL GRADIENT FREEZE CRYSTALLIZING CONTAINER COMPRISING: (A) AN INNER SECTION OF GREATER LENGTH THAN WIDTH AND DEPTH AND HAVING SIDES AND ENDS WHICH RISE UPWARDLY AND OUTWARDLY AS CONTINUOUS EXTENSIONS OF A DOWNWARDLY CONCAVE BOTTOM, SAID SIDES AND ENDS HAVING UPPER EDGES WHICH DEFINE AN OPEN TOP FOR SAID SECTION (B) AN OUTER SECTION HAVING SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME GEOMETRICAL CONFIGURATION AS SAID INNER SECTION (C) AN ANNULAR SPACE BETWEEN (A) AND (B) AND SURROUNDING (A) ON ALL SIDES AND BOTTOM (D) MEANS OF SUSPENSION ATTACHMENT TO AND SUPPORT BY (B) OF (A), SAID MEANS COMPRISING TIE-BAR MEANS FIXEDLY SECURED TO THE SIDES OF BOTH SAID SECTIONS ADJACENT THE UPPER EDGES OF ONE END THEREOF AND A CROSSBAR MEANS FIXEDLY SECURED TO THE INNER SECTION ADJACENT ITS UPPER EDGES AND RESTING ON THE UPPER EDGES OF THE OUTER SECTION, AND (E) A RESTRICTED OPENING IN (A) LEADING INTO (C), SAID OPENING BEING OF SUCH SIZE THAT THE SURFACE TENSION OF A MOLTEN COMPOUND SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF I-VII, II-VI AND III-V COMPOUNDS WILL NOT PREVENT ITS PASSAGE THERETHROUGH AT SUBSTANTIALLY THE TEMPERATURE OF CRYSTALLIZATION.