mastihawa

Several multibillion/million US$ industries are based on bulk-grown crystals of both semiconductors and oxides/fluorides. These industries include information technology, telecommunications, infrared imaging (both military and civilian), lasers, medical imaging, high-energy physics and solar cells. Bulk-grown crystals have, in some cases, been commercially available for over 50 years, and in that time average sizes have increased greatly, leading to lower unit costs, consequently lower device costs and hence greater consumer benefit. These improvements have arisen mainly through an increase in the understanding of the basic scientific principles on which bulk crystal growth is based, work that has included theoretical modelling both with and without computers.