From fixing crystal raw materials for deployment in a microgravity crystal growth reactor to satellite manufacturing.

Abstract

A crystal growth furnace comprises a fixed member configured to hold a crystal growth material within a crystallization zone. The fixed member may include a movable retaining arm, which may be configured to releasely hold the material in a fixed configuration in which the distal portion of the movable retaining arm abuts the outer surface of the material, and may be configured to transition to a released configuration away from the outer surface of the material. The fixed member may be expandable and, when in a contracted configuration, configured to allow the material to be positioned within the crystallization zone, and may be configured to transition to an expanded configuration in which the outer surface of the expandable fixed member abuts the outer surface of the material, and further to transition back to the contracted configuration so that the outer surface of the expandable fixed member is away from the outer surface of the material.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] [Cross - Reference to Related Applications] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 454,614, filed on March 24, 2023, entitled "Microgravity Crystal Growth Furnace". The entire disclosure of the prior application is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes.

[0002] This application relates to systems, devices, and methods for growing crystals, and more particularly, to systems, devices, methods, and computer program products for crystal growth in a low - gravity environment.

Background Art

[0003] Crystals are often used in electronic devices, communication systems, energy and information transfer, etc. Crystals with minimal or no defects can offer many advantages in these and other applications compared to crystals with existing / many defects. However, due to convection related to gravity during crystallization and other perturbations during crystal growth on the ground, the possibility of crystal defects significantly degrades the performance of the crystals in those applications or reduces the production yield due to the need to discard incomplete or highly defective crystals.

Summary of the Invention

[0004] This paper describes systems, devices, methods, and computer program products for growing crystals in low-gravity (e.g., zero-gravity) environments, such as in orbit around a planetary mass object. The apparatus (e.g., a crystal growth furnace) includes a crystallization zone configured to receive a fixed volume (a fixed amount) of crystal growth material. The apparatus includes one or more fixed members configured to hold the fixed volume of crystal growth material within the crystallization zone. The fixed members may include a movable retaining arm configured to hold the crystal growth material in a releasable manner within the crystallization zone in a fixed configuration (e.g., before and during transport of the crystal growth furnace to a low-gravity environment). In the fixed configuration, the distal portion of the movable retaining arm abuts the outer surface of the fixed volume of crystal growth material. The movable retaining arm is further configured to transition to a released configuration before crystal growth in the apparatus in a low-gravity environment. In the released configuration, the movable retaining arm is moved a non-zero distance from the outer surface of the fixed volume of crystal growth material. The fixing member may include an expandable fixing member configured in a contracted state that allows a certain volume of crystal growth material to be placed within the crystallization zone, and the expandable fixing member is configured to transition to an expanded state. In the expanded state, the outer surface of the expandable fixing member contacts the outer surface of the certain volume of crystal growth material (for example, before and during the transfer of the crystal growth furnace to a low-gravity environment). The expandable fixing member is further configured to transition back to a contracted state before crystal growth in the apparatus such that the outer surface of the expandable fixing member moves a non-zero distance from the outer surface of the certain volume of crystal growth material.

[0005] According to one embodiment, a crystal growth furnace equipped with a fixing device may be provided. The fixing device may be configured to fix a crystal growth material within the crystal growth furnace. The device may comprise a crystallization zone configured to hold a certain volume of crystal growth material, and a plurality of movable fixing members, each of the plurality of movable fixing members having a distal portion configured to be positioned in contact with the outer surface of the certain volume of crystal growth material when the plurality of movable fixing members are in a first configuration, and to be positioned at a non-zero distance from the outer surface of the certain volume of crystal growth material when the plurality of movable fixing members are in a second configuration.

[0006] According to another embodiment, a device is provided configured to fix a crystal growth material in a crystal growth furnace, the device comprising: an expandable sample chamber having a flexible surrounding material; a crystallization zone configured to hold a certain volume of crystal growth material; and a plurality of movable fixing members, wherein when the expandable sample chamber is in a first configuration, the expandable sample chamber is expanded to a maximum internal volume; when the expandable sample chamber is in a second configuration, the expandable sample chamber is contracted to a minimum internal volume; and each of the plurality of movable fixing members has a distal portion configured to be positioned in contact with the outer surface of the certain volume of crystal growth material when the plurality of movable fixing members are in a fixed configuration, and to be positioned at a non-zero distance from the outer surface of the certain volume of crystal growth material when the plurality of movable fixing members are in an extended configuration.

[0007] In yet another embodiment, a device is provided configured to fix a crystal growth material in a crystal growth furnace, the device comprising a crystallization zone configured to hold a certain volume of the crystal growth material, and one or more inflatable fixing members. In some embodiments, the one or more inflatable fixing members are configured such that, when in a contracted state, the outer surface of the one or more inflatable fixing members is maintained at a non-zero distance from the outer surface of the certain volume of the crystal growth material in the crystallization zone. In some embodiments, when in an expanded state, the one or more inflatable fixing members are configured such that at least a portion of the outer surface of the one or more inflatable fixing members contacts at least a portion of the outer surface of the certain volume of the crystal growth material.

[0008] In yet another embodiment, a device is provided configured to fix a crystal growth material in a crystal growth furnace, the device comprising: an expandable sample chamber having a flexible enclosing material that defines a certain collapse volume within the flexible enclosing material; a plurality of material holding points in the expandable sample chamber that define a crystal growth region; one or more seed crystals disposed in the expandable sample chamber, at least one of which is located at one of the material holding points; thermocouples configured to transfer heat to one or more parts of the crystal growth region in the expandable sample chamber; and a plurality of movable fixing members configured to hold a certain volume of solid or semi-solid material within the crystal growth region of the expandable sample chamber.

[0009] In some embodiments, the expandable sample chamber is configured to expand from a collapsed volume to an expanded volume greater than the collapsed volume. In some embodiments, the expandable sample chamber is configured to expand from the collapsed volume to the expanded volume by communicating one or more gases into the collapsed volume within the flexible enclosing material. In some embodiments, the plurality of movable fixing members are configured to move from a material holding configuration to a material releasing configuration when the expandable sample chamber expands from the collapsed volume to the expanded volume.

[0010] In yet another embodiment, a crystal growth furnace is provided, comprising: an expandable sample container configured to be heated to between approximately 200°C and approximately 6,000°C to promote crystal growth from a single volume of crystal growth material; a crystal growth material chamber positioned within the expandable sample container and configured to receive a fixed volume of the crystal growth material; and a plurality of material fixing members configured to fix the fixed volume of the crystal growth material in the crystal growth material chamber when positioned in a fixed configuration while the crystal growth furnace is being transported to a microgravity environment, wherein the expandable sample container is configured to be in a contracted configuration before and during the transport of the crystal growth furnace to a microgravity environment; the expandable sample container is further configured to transition from the contracted configuration to an expanded configuration when the crystal growth furnace reaches a microgravity environment and before crystal growth; and the plurality of material fixing members are further configured to transition from the fixed configuration to an open configuration when the crystal growth furnace reaches a microgravity environment and before crystal growth.

[0011] In some embodiments, the crystal growth furnace may further include thermocouples configured to transfer heat to at least a portion of the constant volume of the raw material in the crystal growth raw material chamber. In some embodiments, the expandable sample container may be configured to expand from the contracted state to the expanded state by communicating one or more gases into the expandable sample container of the crystal growth furnace. In some embodiments, when the plurality of raw material retaining members are in the fixed state, at least a portion of each of the plurality of raw material retaining members is in contact with the outer surface of the constant volume of the crystal growth raw material in the crystal growth raw material chamber in the expandable sample container. In some embodiments, when the plurality of raw material retaining members are in the open state, at least a portion of each of the plurality of raw material retaining members is maintained at a non-zero distance from the outer surface of the constant volume of the crystal growth raw material in the crystal growth raw material chamber in the expandable sample container.

[0012] In yet another embodiment, a method may be performed, comprising the steps of: placing a certain volume of crystal growth material into a crystallization zone in a crystal growth furnace, wherein the crystal growth furnace includes a plurality of material fixing members positioned in an open configuration; and transitioning the plurality of material fixing members from the open configuration to a closed configuration, wherein at least the distal portion of each of the plurality of material fixing members is positioned to releasably contact the outer surface of the certain volume of crystal growth material, such that the certain volume of crystal growth material is firmly held within the crystallization zone of the crystal growth furnace. In some embodiments, the method may further comprise the steps of: transferring the crystal growth furnace to a low-gravity environment; and transitioning the plurality of material fixing members from the closed configuration to the open configuration, such that the plurality of material fixing members are withdrawn from the crystallization zone in the crystal growth furnace.

[0013] In yet another embodiment, a method may be performed, comprising the steps of: placing a certain volume of crystal growth material into a crystallization zone in an expandable sample chamber within a crystal growth furnace, wherein the crystal growth furnace includes a plurality of material fixing members positioned in an open configuration, and the expandable sample chamber is in an expanded configuration; transitioning the plurality of material fixing members from the open configuration to a closed configuration, wherein at least the distal portion of each of the plurality of material fixing members is positioned to releasably contact the outer surface of the certain volume of crystal growth material, so that the certain volume of crystal growth material is firmly held within the crystallization zone of the crystal growth furnace; and transitioning the expandable sample chamber from the expanded configuration to a non-expanded configuration. In some embodiments, the method may further comprise the steps of: transporting the crystal growth furnace to a low-gravity environment; and transitioning the plurality of material fixing members from the closed configuration to the open configuration, such that the plurality of material fixing members are withdrawn from the crystallization zone within the crystal growth furnace.

[0014] In some embodiments, a plurality of sample containers may be provided, each containing a fixed volume of crystal growth material. The plurality of sample containers may circulate through one or more crystallization zones, and / or one or more of the plurality of sample containers may circulate through multiple crystallization zones. In some embodiments, a sample changer or an array of sample containers may be provided, capable of accommodating a fixed volume of crystal growth material and similarly accommodating grown crystals for collection by a sample collection container or the like.

[0015] In yet another embodiment, a method can be performed, comprising the steps of: placing a certain volume of crystal growth material into a crystallization zone in a crystal growth furnace, wherein the crystal growth furnace includes one or more expandable fixing members in a contracted state, and when the one or more expandable fixing members are in the contracted state, the outer surfaces of the one or more expandable fixing members are maintained at a non-zero distance from the outer surface of the certain volume of crystal growth material in the crystallization zone; and inflating the one or more expandable fixing members to transition them from the contracted state to an expanded state, wherein at least a portion of the outer surfaces of the one or more expandable fixing members contacts at least a portion of the outer surface of the certain volume of crystal growth material. In some embodiments, the method may further comprise the steps of: transferring the crystal growth furnace to a low-gravity environment; and transitioning the plurality of expandable fixing members from the expanded state to the contracted state, such that the plurality of expandable fixing members are withdrawn from the crystallization zone within the crystal growth furnace.

[0016] In yet another embodiment, a method may be performed which includes the steps of: bringing a certain volume of crystal growth material into communication with a crystallization zone in the expandable sample container of a crystal growth furnace while the expandable sample container of the crystal growth furnace is in an expanded state; transitioning a plurality of material fixing members from an open state in which the distal portion of each of the plurality of material fixing members is maintained at a non-zero distance from the outer surface of the certain volume of the crystal growth material, to a fixed state in which the distal portion of each of the plurality of material fixing members is maintained in secure contact with the outer surface of the certain volume of the crystal growth material, wherein the certain volume of the crystal growth material is held in the crystallization zone in the expandable sample container of the crystal growth furnace while the crystal growth furnace is being transported to a microgravity environment; and transitioning the expandable sample container from the expanded state to a collapsed state before transporting the crystal growth furnace to a microgravity environment. In some embodiments, the crystallization zone includes a moving solvent suspension zone. In some embodiments, the crystal growth material includes a polycrystalline material.

[0017] In yet another embodiment, a method may be performed, comprising the step of providing a crystal growth furnace equipped with a collapsible expandable sample container, the crystal growth furnace comprising a crystallization zone and a fixed volume of crystal growth material positioned within the crystallization zone, the crystal growth furnace further comprising a plurality of material fixing members positioned around the crystal growth material within the internal volume of the expandable sample container, the plurality of material fixing members configured such that, in a fixed configuration, the distal portion of each of the plurality of material fixing members is in secure contact with the outer surface of the fixed volume of crystal growth material, holding the fixed volume of crystal growth material within the crystallization zone of the crystal growth furnace before and during transport to a microgravity environment, the method further comprising the expandable sample container The process includes: transitioning from a crushed state to an expanded state; transitioning the plurality of raw material fixing members from the fixed state to an open state in which the distal portion of each of the plurality of raw material fixing members is maintained at a non-zero distance from the outer surface of the constant volume of the crystal growth raw material; heating at least a portion of the crystallization zone to form a hot zone (e.g., a melting zone) within the constant volume of the crystal growth raw material; allowing the deposition of the crystal growth raw material onto one or more seed crystals positioned within the crystallization zone while maintaining the temperature of the hot zone within a specific temperature range (e.g., a predetermined temperature range based on the crystal growth raw material composition, the crystal growth furnace / technology used, etc.); and allowing the crystallization zone to cool to a temperature below the specific temperature range to allow the formation of a single crystal structure from the crystal growth raw material. In some embodiments, the hot zone may be a non-melting zone in which sublimation or annealing occurs, allowing grain boundary movement and correction of defects in crystal growth without necessarily raising the temperature of the raw material within the hot zone to the melting temperature of the raw material.

[0018] According to other embodiments, there is provided an apparatus comprising a processor and a memory storing instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform any of the methods described herein.

[0019] According to other embodiments, there may be provided a computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform any of the methods described herein.

[0020] These aspects and other aspects are described in detail herein.

[0021] Some embodiments of the apparatus and / or method according to the present invention are described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0022] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 shows a crystal growth raw material fixing device for a crystal growth furnace in a first form according to an embodiment disclosed herein.

[0023] [Figure 2] FIG. 2 shows a crystal growth raw material fixing device for a crystal growth furnace in a second form according to an embodiment disclosed herein.

[0024] [Figure 3] FIG. 3 shows a crystallization zone in a crystal growth furnace according to an embodiment disclosed herein.

[0025] [Figure 4] FIG. 4 shows a crystallization zone in a crystal growth furnace according to an embodiment disclosed herein.

[0026] [Figure 5A]Figures 5A to 5C show a crystallization zone in a crystal growth furnace equipped with a movable heating element for forming a hot zone within the crystal growth material held within the crystallization zone, according to an embodiment disclosed herein. [Figure 5B] Figures 5A to 5C show a crystallization zone in a crystal growth furnace equipped with a movable heating element for forming a hot zone within the crystal growth material held within the crystallization zone, according to an embodiment disclosed herein. [Figure 5C] Figures 5A to 5C show a crystallization zone in a crystal growth furnace equipped with a movable heating element for forming a hot zone within the crystal growth material held within the crystallization zone, according to an embodiment disclosed herein.

[0027] [Figure 6] Figure 6 shows the configuration of a crystal growth furnace according to an embodiment disclosed herein.

[0028] [Figure 7] Figure 7 shows the configuration of a crystal growth furnace according to an embodiment disclosed herein.

[0029] [Figure 8A] Figures 8A and 8B show a plurality of movable fixing members for fixing crystal growth material in a crystal growth furnace according to embodiments disclosed herein, where Figure 8A shows the movable fixing member of the first embodiment and Figure 8B shows the movable fixing member of the second embodiment. [Figure 8B] Figures 8A and 8B show a plurality of movable fixing members for fixing crystal growth material in a crystal growth furnace according to embodiments disclosed herein, where Figure 8A shows the movable fixing member of the first embodiment and Figure 8B shows the movable fixing member of the second embodiment.

[0030] [Figure 9] Figure 9 shows a movable fixed member including a vibration damping member according to an embodiment disclosed herein.

[0031] [Figure 10] Figure 10 shows a movable fixed member including a vibration damping member according to an embodiment disclosed herein.

[0032] [Figure 11] Figure 11 shows a crystallization zone within a material container of a crystal growth furnace configured to hold crystal growth material according to an embodiment disclosed herein, the material container having a vibration damping member.

[0033] [Figure 12A] Figures 12A and 12B show an expandable material fixing device for fixing crystal growth material in the crystallization zone of a crystal growth furnace according to embodiments disclosed herein, where Figure 12A shows the expandable material fixing device in a contracted form and Figure 12B shows the expandable material fixing device in an expanded form. [Figure 12B] Figures 12A and 12B show an expandable material fixing device for fixing crystal growth material in the crystallization zone of a crystal growth furnace according to embodiments disclosed herein, where Figure 12A shows the expandable material fixing device in a contracted form and Figure 12B shows the expandable material fixing device in an expanded form.

[0034] [Figure 13] Figure 13 shows a crystallization zone within a material container of a crystal growth furnace configured to hold crystal growth material according to an embodiment disclosed herein, the material container having a vibration damping member.

[0035] [Figure 14] Figure 14 shows a crystallization zone within a material container of a crystal growth furnace configured to hold crystal growth material according to an embodiment disclosed herein, the crystal growth furnace having a vibration damping member.

[0036] [Figure 15]Figure 15 shows a crystallization zone in a crystal growth furnace, which has vibration damping members at one or more raw material holding points in the crystal growth furnace, according to an embodiment disclosed herein.

[0037] [Figure 16] Figure 16 shows a crystallization zone in a crystal growth furnace according to an embodiment disclosed herein, the crystal growth furnace having a movable fixed member having one or more vibration damping members.

[0038] [Figure 17] Figure 17 illustrates an approach for controlling one or more operations of a crystal growth furnace according to embodiments disclosed herein.

[0039] [Figure 18] Figure 18 shows an approach for storing one or more crystal growth furnaces in a payload delivery vessel according to an embodiment disclosed herein, wherein the crystal growth furnace and / or the payload delivery vessel have one or more damping dampers.

[0040] [Figure 19A] Figures 19A and 19B show the crystallization zone in the raw material container of a crystal growth furnace equipped with one or more inflatable fixing members according to embodiments disclosed herein, where Figure 19A shows one or more inflatable fixing members in a deflated state, and Figure 19B shows one or more inflatable fixing members in an expanded state. [Figure 19B] Figures 19A and 19B show the crystallization zone in the raw material container of a crystal growth furnace equipped with one or more inflatable fixing members according to embodiments disclosed herein, where Figure 19A shows one or more inflatable fixing members in a deflated state, and Figure 19B shows one or more inflatable fixing members in an expanded state.

[0041] [Figure 20]Figure 20 shows an exemplary computing device configured to perform all or part of the methods disclosed herein, such as crystal growth, fixing of crystal growth material, and release of crystal growth material.

[0042] [Figure 21] Figure 21 shows an external computing device configured to perform all or part of the methods, such as crystal growth, fixing of crystal growth material, and release of crystal growth material, according to embodiments disclosed herein.

[0043] [Figure 22] Figure 22 is a block flowchart illustrating a method for fixing crystal growth material in a sample chamber of a crystal growth furnace for transfer to a microgravity or microgravity environment, according to embodiments disclosed herein.

[0044] [Figure 23] Figure 23 is a block flowchart illustrating a method for releasing crystal growth material fixed in the sample chamber of a crystal growth furnace for transfer to a microgravity or microgravity environment, according to embodiments disclosed herein.

[0045] [Figure 24] Figure 24 is a block flowchart illustrating a method for growing crystals in a zero-gravity or microgravity environment according to embodiments disclosed herein. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0046] The growth of high-quality crystals on Earth is limited by gravitational convection, acoustic and vibrational perturbations, requirements for crystal growth rate, and other environmental and process-related factors that can lead to defects (e.g., stress-induced impurities, heterogeneous crystal structure, polycrystalline macrostructure, and other undesirable properties). In recent years, attempts have been made to grow crystals in microgravity or microgravity environments to mitigate or eliminate gravity-related convection and other perturbations that can adversely affect crystal growth. For example, the International Space Station National Laboratory has conducted microscale and benchtop-scale crystal growth experiments in the microgravity and microgravity environments of the International Space Station orbiting the Earth. These experiments have primarily focused on crystals of organic molecules such as proteins and amino acids for pharmaceutical manufacturing in space, and crystals of inorganic molecules for optics and electronics. These experiments have shown that crystals grown under microgravity grow in a more uniform manner, can grow larger without experiencing defects due to a lower likelihood of defects occurring during crystal growth, and can improve the quality of the crystal structure due to slower growth.

[0047] While a weightless or microgravity environment can provide a static, convection-free environment for crystal growth, the process of loading crystal growth materials into a crystal growth reactor on Earth and transporting that reactor into orbit (e.g., the International Space Station or the orbit of other satellites such as manufacturing satellites) imposes or induces many direct or indirect stresses on the crystal growth materials. For example, crystal growth reactors are often transported into orbit as rocket payloads, and they are exposed to many vibrations, loud noises, increased heat, temperature fluctuations, and other launch-related stresses. Once in orbit, the payload vehicle typically needs to orient itself into a stable orbit around Earth or another planetary body and then dock with a satellite such as the International Space Station or manufacturing satellite. The processes of launch, fuel stage ejection, orienting the payload vehicle in orbit, and docking the payload vehicle each impose additional vibrations and acoustic shocks on the crystal growth materials. This can further affect the final quality of the crystals grown from the crystal growth materials. Such transport-related stresses can introduce defects and impurities into the crystals grown from the raw material, even when the crystal growth process is carried out in a convection-free, static environment such as a zero-gravity or micro-gravity environment.

[0048] Therefore, there is a need for improved methods and apparatus for securing the crystal growth material during launch, fuel stage release, orbital orientation, and payload vehicle docking, in order to reduce or eliminate the transport-related stresses on the crystal growth material.

[0049] Furthermore, there is a need for improved methods and apparatus for releasing the fixed crystal growth material after the crystal growth reactor has been mounted on the satellite and before the crystal growth (experiment) begins.

[0050] Furthermore, there is a need for improved methods and apparatus for crystal growth in zero-gravity or micro-gravity environments.

[0051] This disclosure, with reference to the accompanying drawings, more fully describes various embodiments relating to crystal growth in zero gravity or microgravity, and to methods and devices for fixing and releasing crystal growth materials to address these and other needs. It should be understood that only some, and not all, of the embodiments are illustrated and described herein. In fact, embodiments can take many different forms, and therefore this disclosure should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments described herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided to satisfy the legal requirements to which this disclosure applies. Throughout, similar figures refer to similar elements.

[0052] Various embodiments of this disclosure are described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The accompanying drawings show some (but not all) embodiments of the disclosed systems, methods, and apparatus. In fact, the disclosed systems, methods, and apparatus can be carried out in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments described herein, but rather these embodiments are provided to satisfy the legal requirements to which this disclosure applies. In this specification, unless otherwise specified, the term “or” is used in both an alternative and a conjunctive sense. The term “exemplary” is used to mean an example that does not indicate a level of quality. Throughout, similar figures refer to similar elements.

[0053] As used herein, the terms “directive,” “file,” “design,” “data,” “content,” “information,” and similar terms may be used interchangeably to refer to data that can be transmitted, received, manipulated, displayed, and / or stored according to some exemplary embodiments of this disclosure. Therefore, the use of such terms should not be construed as limiting the spirit and scope of this disclosure. Furthermore, where it is described herein that a computing device receives data from another computing device, it is understood that the data may be received directly from that other computing device or indirectly through one or more computing devices (e.g., one or more servers, relays, routers, network access points, base stations, etc.).

[0054] As used herein, the term “computer-readable medium” refers to any medium configured to participate in providing information to a processor, including instructions for execution. Such mediums can take many forms, including, but are not limited to, non-transient computer-readable storage media (e.g., non-volatile media, volatile media) and transmission media. Transmission media include, for example, coaxial cables, copper wires, and optical fiber cables, as well as carrier waves that propagate through space without the use of wires or cables, such as radio waves, light waves, infrared waves, sound waves, and electromagnetic waves. Signals include artificial transient changes in amplitude, frequency, phase, deflection, or other physical properties transmitted through a transmission medium. Examples of non-transient computer-readable media include floppy disks, flexible disks, hard disks, magnetic tapes, any other non-transient magnetic media, compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), compact disk rewritable (CD-RW), digital versatile discs (DVD), Blu-ray, any other non-transient optical media, punch cards, paper tape, optical mark sheets, any other physical media having hole patterns or other optically recognizable indicators, random access memory (RAM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash EPROM, any other memory chip or cartridge, carrier waves, or any other non-transient computer-readable media. Other exemplary memory devices include quantum data storage (solid-state devices using quantum mechanics) in which the probability density / cloud is expanded by power changes at the gate and "stores" a stochastic state (superposition) in the direction of electron spin within a charge trap behind a dielectric insulating barrier in one of several memory cells within a chiplet of memory cells. In this specification, the term computer-readable storage medium is used to refer to any computer-readable medium other than transmission media. However, if an embodiment is described as using a computer-readable storage medium, it will be understood that other types of computer-readable media may be used instead of or in addition to said computer-readable storage medium.As an example, a design file for a printed article may be stored on a computer-readable medium and read by a computing device, as described below, in order to control some or all of the crystal growth process, as well as the associated furnaces, sample containers, raw material containers, and other devices or their components, according to the various embodiments described herein.

[0055] As used herein, the term “circuit” means all of the following: (a) a hardware-only circuit implementation (such as an implementation of analog and / or digital circuits only); (b) a combination of a circuit and a computer program product including software (and / or firmware instructions stored in one or more computer-readable memories), for example (where applicable), (i) a combination of (multiple) processors; or (ii) parts of a processor / software (including a digital signal processor), software, and memory that work together to cause a device such as a mobile phone or server to perform the various functions described herein; and (c) a circuit that requires software or firmware for operation even if the software or firmware is not physically present, such as a microprocessor or part of a microprocessor. This definition of “circuit” applies to all use of the term in this application, including any claim. As a further example, as used in this application, the term “circuit” also covers an implementation of just one (or more) processors, or an implementation of a part of a processor and the software and / or firmware associated with it. The term “circuit” also covers, for example, a baseband integrated circuit or application processor integrated circuit for a mobile phone, or a similar integrated circuit in a server, cellular network device, other network device, and / or other computing device, where applicable to the elements of a particular claim.

[0056] As used herein, the term “computing device” means a specialized, centralized device, network, or system comprising at least one processor and a memory device containing computer program code, configured to provide guidance or instructions relating to billing transactions performed on one or more billing networks.

[0057] Where used herein, the terms “about,” “substantially,” and “approximately” generally mean plus or minus 50% of the stated value; for example, about 200 μm includes 100 μm to 300 μm, and about 1,000 μm includes 500 μm to 1,500 μm. All values ​​provided, whether or not they are modified with terms such as “about,” “substantially,” or “approximately,” refer to a range of values ​​relating to a given value, or a range of values ​​near those values, as described above.

[0058] As used herein, "and / or" encompasses all possible combinations of one or more of the related list items, as well as the absence of any combination, where it is interpreted alternatively ("or").

[0059] Where used herein, conditional language, such as “can,” “could,” “might,” “may,” and “e.g.,” is generally intended to convey that a particular embodiment includes certain features, elements, and / or processes, while other embodiments do not, unless otherwise specified or understood in the context in which they are used. Therefore, such conditional language is generally not intended to suggest that features, elements, and / or processes are in any way essential to one or more embodiments, nor does it imply that one or more embodiments necessarily include logic for determining whether these features, elements, and / or processes are included in or planned to be performed in a particular embodiment, with or without author input or prompting. Terms such as “comprising,” “including,” and “having” are synonymous and are used comprehensively and openly (without restriction), without excluding additional elements, features, actions, or behaviors. Furthermore, the term "or" is used in an inclusive sense (rather than an exclusive one), and when used to connect a list of elements, for example, the term "or" means one, some, or all of the elements in the list.

[0060] In some embodiments, crystal growth furnaces (furnace assemblies) for growing crystals in low-gravity environments (e.g., lower gravity than Earth, microgravity, weightlessness, etc.) can be provided, capable of withstanding the rigors of transport and operation within a spacecraft. Existing furnaces are designed for growing crystals in highly controlled terrestrial laboratory environments. However, such existing furnaces are not designed for space travel or space operations and are therefore not configured to withstand the various forces encountered during transport, nor to cope with extreme temperature changes, nor to cool grown crystals in a vacuum, nor to facilitate remote sample preparation. This specification describes systems, methods, apparatus, and computer program products for crystal growth furnaces and their components, sized and configured to withstand the functions and characteristics of transport forces, temperature fluctuations, cooling in a vacuum, remote sample preparation, and other such functions and characteristics.

[0061] In some embodiments, the crystal growth furnace may include multiple furnaces capable of growing crystals while exposed to the harshness and forces of space travel. This specification describes several systems, devices, methods, and computer program products configured to promote high-quality crystal growth in lower gravity environments than currently possible in terrestrial environments and to improve the quality of commercially available crystals.

[0062] Figures 1 and 2 show a raw material container 10 configured for use in a crystal growth furnace 1. The raw material container 10 may be configured to hold a fixed volume (a fixed amount) of crystal growth raw material 100 inside. The raw material container 10 further has raw material holding points 105A and 105B. The raw material holding points 105A and 105B are configured to hold a fixed volume of crystal growth raw material 100. In some embodiments, the raw material container 10 may have two raw material holding points 105A and 105B, which are configured to contact the proximal portion and the distal portion of the crystal growth raw material 100.

[0063] The raw material container 10 further comprises a plurality of movable fixing members 110A, 110B, 110C, and 110D. In some embodiments, the plurality of movable fixing members 110A, 110B, 110C, and 110D may include two, three, four, or more movable fixing members, arms, supports, accessories, etc.

[0064] As shown in Figure 1, the multiple movable fixing members 110A, 110B, 110C, and 110D may include elongated members attached to the raw material container 10 at pivot points, and the distal portion of such elongated parts may include contact points.

[0065] As shown in Figure 1, the multiple movable fixing members 110A, 110B, 110C, and 110D are in a first configuration, also referred to herein as the "fixed configuration." In the first configuration, the multiple movable fixing members 110A, 110B, 110C, and 110D are launched in a first direction around a pivot point until the contact points of the distal portions of the elongated members are maintained in contact with the outer surface of a certain volume of crystal growth material 100.

[0066] As shown in Figure 2, the multiple movable fixing members 110A, 110B, 110C, and 110D are in a second configuration, also referred to herein as the “release configuration”. In the second configuration, the multiple movable fixing members 110A, 110B, 110C, and 110D are launched in a second direction around a pivot point until the contact points of the distal portions of the elongated members are maintained at a non-zero distance from the outer surface of a certain volume of crystal growth material 100.

[0067] Figure 3 shows an alternative configuration of the raw material container 10, which includes raw material holding points 105A and 105B configured to contact the proximal and distal portions of the crystal growth raw material 100. In some embodiments, the crystal growth raw material 100 may include one or more pure elements, minerals, metals, intermetallic compounds, inorganic materials, organic materials, or combinations thereof. In some embodiments, the crystal growth raw material 100 may include one or more of gallium, zinc, cadmium, rutile, indium, silicone, germanium, molybdenum, tungsten, copper, titanium, graphene, aluminum, tin, antimony, manganese, magnesium, iodine, combinations thereof, and / or similar. In some embodiments, the crystal growth raw material 100 may be heated and then cooled to form crystals with few or minimal impurities. In some embodiments, a crystal growth furnace may be used to form crystals from the crystal growth raw material 100. In some embodiments, the crystals formed from the crystal growth material 100 can be used in applications including semiconductors, superconductors, optics, photonics, magnetic systems, analytical chemistry, imaging, piezoelectric elements, electronic devices, ferroelectrics, and the like.

[0068] Figure 4 shows various zones within the crystallization zone in a crystal growth furnace. As shown in Figure 4, the crystal growth material 100 is heated sequentially or sweepingly along its length. In some embodiments, heating may include heating one or more portions of the crystal growth material 100 based on a specific ramp (slope) speed, a specific temperature or temperature range, a cooling rate, etc. In some embodiments, a heating element (not shown) may be moved along the length of the crystal growth material 100 at a speed necessary to adequately heat one or more portions of the crystal growth material 100. As shown in Figure 4, an active crystallization zone (CZ) may be formed by heating a specific portion of the crystal growth material 100. The crystal-forming portion is formed above the CZ based on the heating and subsequent cooling steps. The CZ is a hot zone (e.g., a molten zone), and the remaining material portion in an amorphous or polycrystalline state is located below the CZ. As shown in Figure 4, the direction of movement of the hot zone is from 105A to 105B. However, the direction of movement of the hot zone may also be from 105B to 105A, in which case the crystal-forming portion is formed below the CZ, and the remaining raw material portion is located above the CZ.

[0069] In some embodiments, such as when crystal growth is performed using the Czochralski method, the hot zone can be a molten zone. In this case, the crystal is "drawn out" from the molten zone or the molten raw material. The shape of such crystals can be controlled by one or more different variables, such as a temperature gradient or a die held in contact with the molten material.

[0070] Figures 5A to 5C show the first position P of the heating element. o From the final position P n This shows a process for growing a crystal from a crystal growth material 100 based on its movement up to a certain point. Along the length of the crystal growth material 100, one or more interstitial positions P'' are defined between 105A and 105B. As shown in Figures 5A to 5C, the direction of movement of the heating element is from top to bottom between 105A and 105B, but the direction of movement of the heating element may alternatively be from bottom to top between 105B and 105A.

[0071] Figure 6 shows a crystal growth furnace configuration in which multiple sample containers 100A, 100B, and 100C are arranged alongside multiple parabolic mirrors. Although Figure 6 shows a crystal growth furnace in which the ratio of sample containers 100A, 100B, and 100C to the parabolic mirrors is 1:1, the ratio of sample containers 100A, 100B, and 100C to the parabolic mirrors may be 2:1, 3:1, 1:2, 1:3, or any other appropriate ratio. For example, Figure 7 shows a crystal growth furnace configuration in which the ratio of sample containers 100A, 100B, 100C, and 100D to the parabolic mirrors is 4:1. In such an arrangement, the parabolic mirror may be configured to move relative to the sample containers 100A, 100B, 100C, and 100D, and / or the sample containers 100A, 100B, 100C, and 100D may be configured to move relative to the parabolic mirror, thereby adjusting the duration of focused energy / heat directed towards the crystal growth material in each of the sample containers 100A, 100B, 100C, and 100D, and achieving appropriate temperature, heating ramp (slope) rate, cooling ramp (slope) rate, etc., for crystal formation from the crystal growth material.

[0072] Figures 8A and 8B show the configurations of a plurality of movable fixing members 110A, 110B, 110C, and 110D for fixing the crystal growth material 100 within the crystal growth furnace 1. Figure 8A shows the movable fixing members 110A, 110B, 110C, and 110D in the first embodiment, and Figure 8B shows the movable fixing members 110A, 110B, 110C, and 110D in the second embodiment. In the first embodiment, the movable fixing members 110A, 110B, 110C, and 110D are positioned in a fixed configuration. The movable fixing members 110A, 110B, 110C, and 110D may have pivot portions configured to be installed inside the sample container 10 or inside the crystal growth furnace 1. For example, the movable fixed members 110A, 110B, 110C, and 110D may be coupled at the pivot portion to the inner wall of the sample container 10 or to the inner wall of the crystal growth furnace 1. In some embodiments, the movable fixed members 110A, 110B, 110C, and 110D may have longitudinal portions (also referred to herein as “elongated portions” or “arms”). The pivot point (pivot portion) may be coupled to the longitudinal portion at its proximal end (for example, it may be coupled detachably). In some embodiments, the longitudinal portion may be of a length set based on the dimensions of the crystal growth material 100 (e.g., length, width, depth, diameter, aspect ratio, etc.). In some embodiments, the longitudinal portion may be adjusted to accommodate crystal growth material 100 having different dimensions.

[0073] In some embodiments, each of the movable fixed members 110A, 110B, 110C, and 110D may further comprise a contact portion formed on or joined to the longitudinal portion at the distal end of the longitudinal portion. The distal end is on the opposite side of the proximal portion. Each contact portion of the movable fixed members 110A, 110B, 110C, and 110D may be sized and configured to be positioned in contact with the outer surface of the crystal growth material 100. When the movable fixed members 110A, 110B, 110C, and 110D are positioned in the first embodiment, the crystal growth material 100 can be held within the material container 10 of the crystal growth furnace 1.

[0074] As shown in Figure 8B, the movable fixing members 110A, 110B, 110C, and 110D transition from the first form to the second form (also referred to herein as the "open form" or "release form"). In the second form, the movable fixing members 110A, 110B, 110C, and 110D are rotated around the pivot portion, and a non-zero distance can be established between the contact portion of the distal end of each longitudinal portion of the movable fixing members 110A, 110B, 110C, and 110D and the outer surface of the crystal growth material 100.

[0075] In some embodiments, for example, when the crystal growth furnace 1 is configured to operate in a low-gravity environment such as a microgravity or zero-gravity environment, the mobility of the movable fixing members 110A, 110B, 110C, and 110D can facilitate the placement of the crystal growth material 100 in the material container 10 within the crystal growth furnace 1. The movable fixing members 110A, 110B, 110C, and 110D can be moved to a second configuration before the crystal growth material 100 is loaded into the material container 10 of the crystal growth furnace 1. After the crystal growth material 100 is loaded into the material container 10 of the crystal growth furnace 1, the movable fixing members 110A, 110B, 110C, and 110D can be transitioned from the second configuration to the first configuration by moving the contact portion at the distal end of the longitudinal portion to contact the outer surface of the crystal growth material 100. The movable fixing members 110A, 110B, 110C, and 110D maintain contact with the outer surface of the crystal growth material 100 at the distal ends of their longitudinal portions, thereby holding the crystal growth material 100 in a predetermined position within the material container 10 of the crystal growth furnace 1 before and during the transfer of the crystal growth furnace 1 from the ground environment to the low-gravity environment.

[0076] By safely holding the crystal growth material 100 within the material container 10 of the crystal growth reactor 1, the likelihood of damage to the crystal growth material 100 from vibrations, acoustics, heat, and / or other perturbations that may occur while the crystal growth reactor 1 is mounted on a payload launch vehicle, during launch into orbit around the Earth or other planets, and / or while the payload launch vehicle is docked with a manufacturing satellite or planet is increased.

[0077] When the crystal growth furnace 1 is transferred from a terrestrial environment to a low-gravity environment, the movable fixing members 110A, 110B, 110C, and 110D can transition from a first configuration to a second configuration, thereby releasing the crystal growth material 100 and separating the movable fixing members 110A, 110B, 110C, and 110D from the outer surface of the crystal growth material 100. The degree of rotation of the movable fixing members 110A, 110B, 110C, and 110D around their pivot points allows for the achievement of a desired distance between the contact portion of the movable fixing members 110A, 110B, 110C, and 110D and the outer surface of the crystal growth material 100, for example, to suit the crystal growth process of the crystal growth material 100 for forming crystals.

[0078] Figure 9 shows one embodiment of a movable-fixed member 110A including a vibration damping member 116A according to embodiments disclosed herein. The movable-fixed member 110A may be dimensioned and configured such that the vibration damping member 116A is positioned along the longitudinal portion between the pivot portion 112A and the contact portion 114A at the distal end of the longitudinal portion. The vibration damping member 116A may be an active damping device or a passive damping device, or may have an active damping device or a passive damping device. For example, the vibration damping member 116A may be or include a spring, a viscoelastic damper such as a spring, a viscoelastic damper such as a magnetic flux damper or a Sorbothane® vibration damper, an electromagnetic induction damper, a pneumatic damper, or other suitable damping device.

[0079] Figure 10 shows one embodiment of a movable fixed member 110A in which the vibration damping member 116A is an active vibration damping device or has an active vibration damping device. In some embodiments, the active vibration damping device may be positioned between the longitudinal pivot portion 112A and the distal end contact portion 114A.

[0080] Figure 11 shows one embodiment of the raw material container 10 inside the crystal growth furnace 1, in which active damping devices 118A and 118B are positioned between the crystal growth raw material 100 and the raw material holding points 105A and 105B inside the raw material container 10.

[0081] In one embodiment, a crystal growth furnace (e.g., 1) may be used to grow gallium nitride crystals in a microgravity environment. The crystal growth furnace may employ a moving solvent suspension zone crystal growth, which can reduce the effects of convection in both the atmosphere and the hot zone (e.g., CZ).

[0082] While not intended to be bound by any particular theory, using polycrystalline gallium nitride (GaN) as a raw material allows for the direct placement of stoichiometric amounts of nitrogen at the interface where dissolution occurs, eliminating the need for nitrogen diffusion over long length scales related to Boolean diameter. This does not preclude approaches that utilize such diffusion under different growth conditions. To prepare for this, samples are prepared on the ground and packaged in a manner that can withstand transport.

[0083] This can be done using inflatable or movable fixing members (e.g., 110, 210) as described elsewhere in this specification. In one embodiment, a seed crystal can be “bonded” to a larger GaN polycrystalline cylinder using a portion of elemental sodium (selectively containing some gallium). The entire assembly is held by a plurality of retractable arms having articulated joints. When the crystal growth furnace (e.g., 1) reaches a low-gravity environment (e.g., orbit around the Earth), those same arms can be used to orient / align the sample within the sample chamber. It is important to provide mounting points at opposite ends of the chamber for carefully holding both ends of the sample. During growth, a hot zone (e.g., molten zone) exists between the two portions, held in place only by surface tension. Therefore, these mounting points must avoid transmitting vibrations to the growing crystal, and magnetic dampers or polymer dampers may be employed to absorb those vibrations. These mounting points may use the ability (function) to increase or decrease the distance between the ends or the ability (function) to rotate in order to manipulate the crystal growth.

[0084] Upon reaching a low-gravity environment, this hot zone can be realized by applying directed energy, induction heating, or both within a suitable atmosphere (referred to here, for brevity, as the "heating element"). The heating element is also aligned with the sample for growth preparation and to counteract shift movement during transport. This simple embodiment focuses on induction heating in a nitrogen atmosphere between approximately 5 bar and 50 bar. A conductive part composed of sodium can be selectively heated between two non-conductive parts of GaN. The specific temperature of the sodium molten material is monitored by a thermal camera or pyrometer. A visible light camera may also be used for this monitoring. The temperature of this approach is expected to be in the range of approximately 700°C to 950°C. While some mass loss is expected, the reduction in convection is anticipated to mitigate the mass loss compared to the terrestrial application of related techniques.

[0085] Once heated to equilibrium, the heating element is moved away from the seed crystal at a very slow speed (e.g., approximately 0.01 mm / hour to approximately 10 mm / hour) to facilitate the movement of the hot zone and the deposition of material for growing the seed crystal. The heating element can be moved by careful rotation of a screw and monitored with either a rotary or linear encoder. Seed crystal recrystallization requires a large amount of thermal energy, potentially exceeding 500 W, to be dissipated by the seed holder, depending on the growth size. Therefore, compatible materials (e.g., ceramics and metals), active cooling, and the free application of heat pipes may be required to disperse and safely radiate the heat. The same may apply to the heating element and supporting electronics, depending on the growth size.

[0086] At the end of the growth process, the power is reduced and both ends of the sample are manipulated to avoid thermal shock and cracking of the grown crystal due to differences in thermal expansion of dissimilar materials.

[0087] Once cooled, the sample is stabilized again for transport. This can be done using the same arm initially used to hold the sample, an inflated "airbag" to prevent movement, or some combination of these. This stabilized sample container can then be transported for retrieval, or the entire furnace assembly can be transported.

[0088] In some embodiments, the crystal growth furnace 1 may have an aluminum or titanium frame. In some embodiments, after the crystal growth furnace 1 is placed in a low-gravity environment, it may be configured to recycle heat using a heat exchanger on any gas flow. When operating at relatively high temperatures, materials such as ceramic or metallic materials may be used. In some embodiments, one or more active and / or passive cooling solutions may be used to guide and radiate heat from the crystal growth furnace 1. In some embodiments, the crystal growth furnace 1 may be at least partially integrated with heating, cooling, gas supply, electricity, or other process streams, and the on-site systems of the manufacturing satellite in a low-gravity environment.

[0089] In some embodiments, redundant safety systems may be included in the crystal growth furnace 1, or may be provided by a manufacturing satellite or the like when the crystal growth furnace 1 is transported to such a facility. Such safety systems may include systems for discharging hazardous materials, excess temperatures, waste, unused raw materials, excess pressure conditions, etc. Such safety systems may also include secondary containment.

[0090] In some embodiments, the crystal growth furnace 1 may have a variable number of posts to accommodate different sizes of crystal growth materials 100 and different sizes of grown crystals. In some embodiments, the crystal growth furnace 1 may have one or more sample chambers (e.g., about 4 inches to about 6 inches in diameter) to support the crystal growth needs for semiconductor wafers and other applications.

[0091] In some embodiments, the crystal growth furnace 1 may include one or more cameras configured to capture and cache video from within the raw material container 10 and / or the crystallization zone. The captured video may be transmitted as a feedback signal to a remote (ground or extraterrestrial) control center / device configured to adjust the crystal growth process within the crystal growth furnace 1 based on the crystal growth performance from the captured video. Additionally or alternatively, the captured video may be processed locally using computer vision algorithms, image processing algorithms, and / or machine learning algorithms / models to determine the crystal growth performance and locally control the operation of the crystal growth furnace 1.

[0092] In some embodiments, various components of the crystal growth furnace 1 may be manufactured from materials that can be thermally cycled over extreme temperature ranges. In some embodiments, the crystal growth furnace 1 may be adaptable to high vacuum, may have an open frame, and / or may use only cryogenic and high vacuum greases and seals to facilitate operation in extreme temperature environments, extreme gravity environments, extreme radiation environments, extreme pressure environments, etc. Fluid dampers, hydraulic dampers, pneumatic dampers, mechanical dampers, electromagnetic dampers, and / or magnetic dampers may be utilized to reduce vibration.

[0093] In some embodiments, the manufacturing satellite configured to house the crystal growth reactor 1 may be configured for, for example, encrypted communication with remote ground or extraterrestrial stations or control devices, heat dissipation exceeding approximately 2 kW, interchangeability of the crystal growth reactor 1 and the raw material container 10 (whether identical or different in dimensions and form factor), the ability to deorbit in an emergency, the ability to secure and package grown crystal samples for deorbit and re-entry of the payload ship into Earth, and so on.

[0094] In some embodiments, the crystal growth furnace 1 may be or may include a floating zone crystal growth furnace, a moving solvent crystal growth furnace, a sublimation crystal growth furnace, a reactive gas (e.g., showerhead) crystal growth furnace, a halide gas phase epitaxy crystal growth furnace, an inert gas crystal growth furnace, an ammonia thermal / hydrothermal (liquid / supercritical) crystal growth furnace, an evaporation crystal growth furnace, etc.

[0095] In some embodiments, the floating zone may be an LED, laser, halogen, arc lamp, or solar concentrator (adjustable based on the winding / rewinding area via a large Fresnel lens sheet). Induction may be utilized by using a conductive moving solvent flux or by heating the applicable material until it becomes sufficiently conductive. Examples of materials (with a wide variety of furnace geometries) include cubic zirconia in a skull crucible.

[0096] In some embodiments, the application of a sample geometry with an intermediate conical region / constriction may be employed to promote single crystal growth. In some embodiments, the crystal growth furnace 1 may be configured to employ one or more of various sample centering approaches, such as acoustic, gas jets (airflow) directed at the sample, induction / magnetic centering, or surface tension with the seed crystal by retracting an arm used to hold the sample during transport.

[0097] In some embodiments, the crystal growth furnace 1 may be equipped with one or more remote visualization and alignment devices (not shown), such as a pyrometer, a thermal camera, or an optical camera with various filters. In one embodiment, a bandpass filter may be selected to correspond to specific material properties. In some embodiments, a shutter system may be used between the remote visualization device (e.g., a camera) and the sample container 10, so that when the shutter is open, an image of the raw material / sample in the crystallization zone (e.g., CZ) is captured, while when the shutter is closed, the remote visualization device and other components of the crystal growth furnace 1 are protected from damage caused by high temperature, high pressure, exposure to undesirable materials, etc.

[0098] In some embodiments, the crystal growth furnace 1 may be configured to integrate ammonia hardware into the cooling infrastructure of a spacecraft / manufacturing satellite, such as when the crystal growth furnace 1 is a reactive gas crystal growth furnace or an ammonia thermal crystal growth furnace. In some embodiments, the crystal growth furnace 1 may include a system for radiative cooling of critical components (e.g., seals), one or more heat exchangers to facilitate cooling of the grown crystals, and may include only a minimal number of glass components or none at all due to the associated vibration risks. In some embodiments, the crystal growth furnace 1 may utilize the strong vacuum / absolute vacuum of space to sinter a sample container (e.g., a raw material container 10) with a heater or solar radiation. In some embodiments, the crystal growth furnace 1 may utilize the strong vacuum of space to anneal the grown crystals. In some embodiments, the crystal growth furnace 1 may be oxygen-free.

[0099] In some embodiments, the crystal growth material 100 may be failed crystals or residue / waste from a previous crystal growth process, polycrystalline rods, ground-produced and sintered rods, etc.

[0100] In some embodiments, each inflatable fixing member / mechanism or movable fixing member / mechanism is obtained to have a stable “home” position to which it returns before, during, and / or after crystal growth. The crystal growth furnace 1 may include sensors or other devices to facilitate remote determination of the current position of each inflatable fixing member or movable fixing member. A sensor, such as a force sensor, may be positioned in the material container 10 on the side of the inflatable fixing member / mechanism away from the crystal growth material 100, so that the force exerted by the inflatable fixing member / mechanism on the outer surface of the crystal growth material 100 when in the expanded state can be determined or approximated by the force acting on the force sensor.

[0101] Additionally or alternatively, other sensors, sensing devices, optical analysis devices, etc., may be included in the crystal growth furnace 1 to sporadically, repeatedly, or continuously analyze / test the morphology, form factor, degree of crystallinity, dimensions, shape, growth rate, etc., of the raw material or crystal. Other sensors or devices may be used to analyze the hot zone / molten zone, including size, shape, temperature rise rate, etc. Such devices include optical sensors, temperature sensors, pyrometers, etc. Feedback information, data, images, etc., generated using such devices may be maintained locally in the crystal growth furnace 1 and used for in-situ control (e.g., using a proportional-integral-derivative [PID] controller, etc.) and / or provided to a remote control center or device, such as a ground control center. However, in some cases, remote control requiring such feedback data to be provided to a remote control center or device (used to prepare process control commands or furnace parameter change commands sent back to the crystal growth furnace 1) may result in unwanted signaling or control feedback delays. Based on such feedback data, local control can be performed using a local processing or computing device that manages machine learning models or artificial intelligence programs. This can reduce signaling delays and shorten the time between analysis / imaging and process control changes in the crystal growth furnace 1.

[0102] While there is no intention to be bound by any particular theory, if convection is not an issue, sample growth does not necessarily need to be confined to a glass or ceramic tube. Instead, in some embodiments, the crystal growth furnace 1 may not have a raw material container 10, but instead may have a crystallization zone where the crystal growth raw material 100 is placed. Tubes may only be necessary if experimental conditions need to be more strictly restricted.

[0103] In some embodiments, the raw material container 10 may be configured modularly so that it can be removed from the crystal growth furnace 1 or moved to a storage space within the crystal growth furnace 1 after crystal growth from the crystal growth raw material 100 is complete. Similarly, after the modular raw material container 10 has been removed or stored after crystal growth inside, a new modular raw material container 10 containing new crystal growth raw material 100 may be loaded into the crystal growth furnace 1 or moved from the staging area within the crystal growth furnace 1 so that the crystal growth furnace 1 can perform crystal growth from the new crystal growth raw material 100 in the new raw material container 10.

[0104] In some embodiments, after crystals have grown from the crystal growth material 100 in the raw material container 10, the raw material container may be known / referred to as a sample container. After crystal growth, the sample container may be moved from the crystal growth furnace 1 to a payload ship or the like and transported to Earth, to a recovery ship, or to another destination. The sample container in the payload ship or recovery ship may be stored in any suitable form, which may include vibration damping devices and may be in thermal communication for heat dissipation (e.g., connected by copper braids and heat pipes). The sample container may be moved between the crystal growth furnace 1 and the payload ship / recovery ship using screws and cryogenic / high vacuum grease, a motor with an encoder used to calculate relative movement, a magnetic damper to minimize vibrations reaching the crystal during recovery, etc.

[0105] Figures 12A and 12B show embodiments of expandable material holders 210A and 210B configured to be sized and configured to hold crystal growth material 200 in a crystal growth furnace (e.g., 1), with Figure 12A showing the expandable material holders 210A and 210B in a contracted configuration, and Figure 12B showing the expandable material holders 210A and 210B in an expanded configuration. The expandable material holders 210A and 210B can be positioned around the crystal growth material 200 between material holding points 205A and 205B and configured to expand. The expandable material holders 210A and 210B can be in a contracted configuration, allowing sufficient space within the crystallization section or material container 10 so that the crystal growth material 200 can be placed within the crystallization section or material container 10 in the crystal growth furnace 1. After the crystal growth material 200 is placed in the crystallization section or material container 10 of the crystal growth furnace 1, the expandable material fixing devices 210A and 210B can be expanded to transition them from the first to the second configuration so that the outer surfaces of the expandable material fixing devices 210A and 210B are firmly positioned relative to the outer surface of the crystal growth material 200. Once the expandable material fixing devices 210A and 210B are firmly positioned relative to the outer surface of the crystal growth material 200, the crystal growth furnace (e.g., 1) can be transported on a payload delivery ship or otherwise moved without acoustic and mechanical vibrations causing damage to the crystal growth material 200.

[0106] Figure 13 shows a vibration damping device 300, sized and configured to dampen vibrations of a crystal growth furnace (e.g., 1) having a raw material container 10 configured to hold crystal growth raw materials 100 inside. In some embodiments, the vibration damping device 300 may be positioned partially or entirely around the crystal growth furnace (e.g., 1). In some embodiments, the vibration damping device 300 may have a plurality of damper devices 310A, 310B, 310C. In some embodiments, the vibration damping device 300 may be configured so that the entire crystal growth furnace 1 is partially or largely isolated from vibrations within a payload delivery vessel or transport vessel. In some embodiments, the plurality of damper devices 310A, 310B, 310C may be positioned at any suitable location around or inside the crystal growth furnace 1. In some embodiments, the plurality of damper devices 310A, 310B, 310C may be positioned along the bottom surface, along the top surface, along the sides, or inside the crystal growth furnace 1. In some embodiments, the multiple damper devices 310A, 310B, 310C may include any suitable number or type of damper devices, as described elsewhere in this specification. Although Figure 13 is illustrated to include three damper devices, the vibration damping device 300 may include one damper device, two damper devices, or four or more damper devices.

[0107] Additionally or alternatively, as shown in Figure 14, alternative embodiments of the vibration damping device 300 may include a vibration damping device 300 sized and configured to dampen vibrations of a material container 10 configured to hold crystal growth material 100. In some embodiments, the vibration damping device 300 may be partially or entirely located inside the crystal growth furnace (e.g., 1). In some embodiments, the vibration damping device 300 may have a plurality of damper devices 310A, 310B, 310C. In some embodiments, the vibration damping device 300 may be configured such that the material container 10 is partially or largely isolated from vibrations within the crystal growth furnace (e.g., 1). In some embodiments, the plurality of damper devices 310A, 310B, 310C may be located at any suitable location around or inside the material container 10. In some embodiments, the plurality of damper devices 310A, 310B, 310C may be located along the bottom surface, along the top surface, along the sides, or inside the material container 10. In some embodiments, the multiple damper devices 310A, 310B, 310C may include any suitable number or type of damper devices, as described elsewhere in this specification. Although Figure 14 is illustrated to include three damper devices, the vibration damping device 300 may include one damper device, two damper devices, or four or more damper devices.

[0108] Additionally or alternatively, as shown in Figure 15, one embodiment of the raw material container 10 may be sized to hold the crystal growth material 100 within a crystal growth furnace 1, where the crystal growth material 100 itself is vibrationally isolated from the rest of the sample container 10 using vibration damping devices 330A, 330B.

[0109] Additionally or alternatively, as shown in Figure 16, one embodiment of the raw material container 10 may have movable fixing members 110C, 110D configured to hold the crystal growth raw material 100 between raw material holding points 105A, 105B. In some embodiments, the movable fixing members 110C, 110D may have pivot points 1100A, 1110A at the proximal ends of the longitudinal portions 1100B, 1110B, and contact members 1100C, 1110C at the distal ends of the longitudinal portions 1100B, 1110B.

[0110] Referring here to Figure 17, an approach (method) 500 may be performed, as illustrated, to control one or more operations of a crystal growth furnace (e.g., 1). The approach 500 may be initiated, facilitated, or performed, at least in part, by a ground remote control device 502 configured to transmit commands 506 to the crystal growth furnace 504, which includes a material container 10. Commands 506 may include commands relating to the operation of the crystal growth furnace 504. Commands 506 may include commands relating to the position, movement, or activation of movable and / or expandable fixed members (e.g., 110) and / or expandable fixed members (e.g., 210) within the crystal growth furnace 504, for example, within the material container 10.

[0111] The ground remote control device 502 may also be configured to receive feedback 508 from the crystal growth furnace 504, such as information regarding the position, movement, or activation of movable fixing members (e.g., 110) and / or expandable fixing members (e.g., 210) within the crystal growth furnace 504, for example, within the raw material container 10.

[0112] Additionally or alternatively, approach 500 may be initiated, facilitated, or executed, at least in part, by an extraterrestrial remote control device 510 configured to transmit commands 512 to a crystal growth furnace 504 including a raw material container 10. Commands 512 may include commands relating to the operation of the crystal growth furnace 504. Commands 512 may include commands relating to the position, movement, or activation of movable fixing members (e.g., 110) and / or expandable fixing members (e.g., 210) within the crystal growth furnace 504, for example, within the raw material container 10.

[0113] The extraterrestrial remote control device 510 may further be configured to receive feedback 514 from the crystal growth furnace 504, such as information regarding the position, movement, or activation of movable fixing members (e.g., 110) and / or expandable fixing members (e.g., 210) within the crystal growth furnace 504, for example, within the raw material container 10.

[0114] Figure 18 shows one embodiment of an approach (method) for storing multiple crystal growth furnaces 1A, 1B, each having a raw material container 10A, 10B, within a payload delivery ship 600. The payload delivery ship 600 may include damping devices 602A, 602B configured to at least partially isolate the crystal growth furnaces 1A, 1B from acoustic, mechanical perturbations, heat, vibration, or other perturbations that the crystal growth furnaces 1A, 1B experience during transport of the payload delivery ship 600 to a low-gravity environment, such as during a rocket launch where gravity increases.

[0115] Figures 19A and 19B show one embodiment of a raw material container 10 configured to fix a crystal growth raw material 100 inside, wherein one or more expandable raw material fixing devices (e.g., 210) are positioned between the crystal growth raw material 100 and the inside of a rigid surface such as the inner wall of the raw material container 10.

[0116] In Figure 19A, the expandable raw material holder is shown in a contracted state, and in Figure 19B, the expandable raw material holder is shown in an expanded state. The expandable raw material holder can be positioned around the crystal growth raw material 100 between raw material holding points (e.g., 105A, 105B) and configured to expand. The expandable raw material holder can be in a contracted state so as to allow sufficient space in the raw material container 10 so that the crystal growth raw material 100 can be placed in the raw material container 10 in the crystal growth furnace (e.g., 1). After the crystal growth raw material 100 is placed in the raw material container 10 of the crystal growth furnace, the expandable raw material holder can be expanded to transition the expandable raw material holder from the first state to the second state so that the outer surface of the expandable raw material holder is firmly positioned relative to the outer surface of the crystal growth raw material 100. Once the expandable material fixing device is firmly positioned against the outer surface of the crystal growth material 100, the crystal growth furnace (e.g., 1) can be transported on a payload delivery ship or otherwise moved without acoustic and mechanical vibrations causing damage to the crystal growth material 100.

[0117] While Figures 19A and 19B show the expandable raw material holder as being pneumatically expandable, alternative embodiments are also conceivable in which the expandable raw material holder is fluidically expandable, mechanically expandable, or expandable in other ways to cushion (protect) the crystal growth material 100 from vibrations and perturbations occurring during transfer in the crystal growth furnace (e.g., 1). In some embodiments, the expandable raw material holder may be expanded with air, nitrogen gas, or other suitable gas. In other embodiments, the expandable raw material holder may be expanded with a liquid or other fluid such as a supercritical fluid. For example, liquids and supercritical fluids are often incompressible compared to gases, which are typically compressible. The incompressible or nearly incompressible nature of liquids and supercritical fluids or other viscous fluids can provide additional support for the crystal growth material and increased damping of vibrations at various frequencies.

[0118] Figures 1 to 19B show various different fixing mechanisms and devices, as well as various different vibration damping mechanisms and devices. However, embodiments are conceivable in which two or more or all of various different fixing mechanisms and devices, and / or two or more or all of various different vibration damping mechanisms and devices are implemented to reduce mechanical damage, vibrational damage, acoustic damage, thermal damage, or other damage to the crystal growth material 100 before, during, and after transporting the crystal growth reactor 1 to a low-gravity environment such as inside a payload delivery ship launched from Earth into orbit around a planet, or between a planet and other cosmic mass objects such as asteroids or manufacturing satellites.

[0119] [Computer program products, methods, and computing entities] Embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in various ways, including as a computer program product including a product. Such a computer program product may include one or more software components, such as software objects, methods, data structures, etc. Software components may be coded in any of various programming languages. An exemplary programming language may be a low-level programming language, such as an assembly language associated with a particular hardware architecture and / or operating system platform. A software component containing assembly language instructions may require conversion to machine code executable by an assembler before execution by the hardware architecture and / or platform. Another exemplary programming language may be a high-level programming language that is portable across multiple architectures. A software component containing high-level programming language instructions may require conversion to an intermediate representation by an interpreter or compiler before execution.

[0120] Other examples of programming languages ​​include, but are not limited to, macro languages, shell or command languages, job control languages, scripting languages, database query languages, search languages, and / or reporting languages. In one or more exemplary embodiments, a software component containing instructions within one of the aforementioned examples of programming languages ​​may be executed directly by an operating system or other software component without first needing to be converted to another form. Software components may be stored as files or other data storage structures. Software components of similar type or functionally related may be stored together, for example, in a particular directory, folder, library, etc. Software components may be static (e.g., pre-established or fixed) or dynamic (e.g., created or modified at runtime).

[0121] A computer program product may include non-temporary computer-readable storage media that store applications, programs, program modules, scripts, source code, program code, object code, byte code, compiled code, interpreted code, machine code, executable instructions (hereinafter also referred to as executable instructions, executable instructions, computer program product, program code, and / or similar terms used interchangeably herein). Such non-temporary computer-readable storage media include all computer-readable media, including volatile and non-volatile media.

[0122] In one embodiment, non-volatile computer-readable storage media may include floppy disks, flexible disks, hard disks, solid-state storage (SSS) (e.g., solid-state drives (SSDs), solid-state cards (SSCs), solid-state modules (SSMs), enterprise flash drives, magnetic tapes, or any other non-temporary magnetic media). Non-volatile computer-readable storage media may also include punch cards, paper tapes, optical mark sheets (any other physical media having patterns of holes or other optically recognizable indicators), compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), compact disk rewriteable (CD-RW), digital versatile discs (DVDs), Blu-ray discs (BDs), and any other non-temporary optical media. Such non-volatile computer-readable storage media include read-only memory (ROM), programmes, etc. This may also include multi-readable memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory (e.g., serial, NAND, NOR, etc.), multimedia memory cards (MMC), secure digital (SD) memory cards, SmartMedia cards, CompactFlash (CF) cards, Memory Sticks, and the like. Furthermore, non-volatile computer-readable memory media may also include conductive bridging random access memory (CBRAM), phase-change random access memory (PRAM), ferroelectric random access memory (FeRAM), non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM), magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM), resistive random access memory (RRAM), silicon oxide nitride silicon memory (SONOS), floating junction gate random access memory (FJG RAM), millipede memory, racetrack memory, and the like.

[0123] In one embodiment, the volatile computer-readable storage medium is a random access memory (RAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), fast page-mode dynamic random access memory (FPM DRAM), extended data output dynamic random access memory (EDO DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data-rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), double data-rate type 2 synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR2 SDRAM), double data-rate type 3 synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR3 SDRAM). This may include SDRAM, Low Power Double Data Rate 4 (LPDDR4), LPDDR5, DDR4, DDR5, and / or other types of SDRAM, Rambus Dynamic Random Access Memory (RDRAM), Twin Transistor RAM (TTRAM), Thyristor RAM (T-RAM), Zero Capacitor RAM (Z-RAM), Rambus In-Line Memory Module (RIMM), Dual In-Line Memory Module (DIMM), Compressed Attachment Memory Module (CAMM), CAMM2, Small Outline Dual In-Line Memory Module (SO-DIMM), Single In-Line Memory Module (SIMM), Video Random Access Memory (VRAM), Cache Memory (including various levels), Flash Memory, Register Memory, etc. Although embodiments are described using one type of computer-readable storage medium, it will be understood that other types of computer-readable storage mediums may be used as substitutes or in addition to the aforementioned computer-readable storage mediums.

[0124] As those skilled in the art will understand, various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented as methods, apparatus, systems, computing devices, computing entities, etc. Accordingly, embodiments of the present disclosure may take the form of apparatus, systems, computing devices, computing entities, etc., that execute instructions stored in a computer-readable storage medium to perform a particular process or operation. Accordingly, embodiments of the present disclosure may take the form of entirely hardware embodiments, entirely computer program product embodiments, and / or embodiments that include a combination of a computer program product and hardware to perform a particular process or operation.

[0125] Embodiments of this disclosure will be described below with reference to block diagrams and flowcharts. It will be understood that each block in the block diagrams and flowcharts may be implemented in the form of a computer program product, a fully hardware embodiment, a combination of hardware and a computer program product, and / or a device, system, computing device, computing entity, etc., that executes instructions, operations, processes, and similar terms used interchangeably therein (e.g., executable instructions, execution instructions, program code) on a computer-readable storage medium. For example, code acquisition, loading, and execution may occur sequentially, such that one instruction is acquired, loaded, and executed at a time. In some embodiments, acquisition, loading, and / or execution may occur in parallel, such that multiple instructions are acquired, loaded, and / or executed together. Such embodiments may generate specially configured machines that perform the processes or operations specified in the block diagrams and flowcharts. Thus, block diagrams and flowcharts support various combinations of embodiments for performing specified instructions, operations, or processes.

[0126] [Example Computing Entity] Figure 20 is a schematic diagram of a computing device 700 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. Generally, terms used interchangeably herein, such as computing device, computing entity, computer, entity, apparatus, system, etc., may refer to, for example, one or more computers, computing entities, desktops, mobile phones, tablets, phablets, notebooks, laptops, distributed systems, kiosks, input terminals, servers or server networks, blades, gateways, switches, processing devices, processing entities, set-top boxes, relays, routers, network access points, base stations, and / or any combination of apparatus or entities adapted to perform the functions, operations and / or processes described herein. Such functions, operations and / or processes may include, for example, transmitting, receiving, operating, processing, displaying, storing, deciding, creating / generating, monitoring, evaluating, comparing, and / or similar terms used interchangeably herein. In one embodiment, these functions, operations and / or processes may be performed on data, content, information, and / or similar terms used interchangeably herein.

[0127] As shown in Figure 20, in one embodiment, the computing device 700 may include, or may be in a state of communication with, one or more processing elements 702 (also called processors, processing circuits, and / or similar terms used herein interchangeably) that communicate with other elements within the computing device 700, for example, via a bus. As understood, the processing elements 702 can be embodied in a variety of ways. For example, the processing elements 702 may be embodied as one or more composite programmable logic devices (CPLDs), microprocessors, multicore processors, coprocessing entities, application-specific instruction set processors (ASIPs), microcontrollers, and / or controllers. Furthermore, the processing elements 702 may be embodied as one or more other processing units or circuits. The term "circuit" may refer to an entirely hardware embodiment or a combination of hardware and a computer program product. Accordingly, the processing element 702 may be embodied as an integrated circuit, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a programmable logic array (PLA), a hardware accelerator, other circuits, and so on. Thus, as can be understood, the processing element 702 may be configured for a specific application, or may be configured to execute instructions stored in a volatile or non-volatile medium or otherwise accessible to the processing element 702. Thus, whether it is comprised of hardware or computer program products, or a combination thereof, the processing element 702 may be capable of performing steps or operations according to embodiments of the present disclosure, if configured accordingly.

[0128] In some embodiments, the computing device 700 may further include or be in communication with non-volatile media (also called non-volatile storage, memory, memory storage, memory circuits, and / or similar terms used interchangeably herein). In one embodiment, the non-volatile storage or memory may include one or more non-volatile memories 703, including but not limited to hard disks, ROMs, PROMs, EPROMs, EEPROMs, flash memory, MMCs, SD memory cards, memory sticks, CBRAMs, PRAMs, FeRAMs, NVRAMs, MRAMs, RRAMs, SONOS, FJG RAMs, millipede memory, racetrack memory, and the like. As recognized, the non-volatile storage or memory media may store databases, database instances, database management systems, data, applications, programs, program modules, scripts, source code, object code, bytecode, compiled code, interpreted code, machine code, executable instructions, and the like. Terms used interchangeably herein, such as database, database instance, and database management system, may refer to a collection of records or data stored on a computer-readable storage medium using one or more database models, such as a hierarchical database model, network model, relational model, entity relationship model, object model, document model, semantic model, or graph model.

[0129] In some embodiments, the computing device 700 may further include or be in communication with volatile media (also called volatile storage, memory, memory storage, memory circuits, and / or similar terms used interchangeably herein). In one embodiment, the volatile storage or memory may include one or more volatile memories 704, including but not limited to RAM, DRAM, SRAM, FPM DRAM, EDO DRAM, SDRAM, DDR SDRAM, DDR2 SDRAM, DDR3 SDRAM, RDRAM, TTRAM, T-RAM, Z-RAM, RIMM, DIMM, SIMM, VRAM, cache memory, register memory, etc. As recognized, the volatile storage or memory media may be used to store at least a portion of databases, database instances, database management systems, data, applications, programs, program modules, scripts, source code, object code, bytecode, compiled code, interpreted code, machine code, executable instructions, etc., which are executed by, for example, the processing element 702. Therefore, databases, database instances, database management systems, data, applications, programs, program modules, scripts, source code, object code, bytecode, compiled code, interpreted code, machine code, executable instructions, etc., with the assistance of processing elements 702 and the operating system, may be used to control specific aspects of the operation of the computing device 700.

[0130] In some embodiments, the computing device 700 may include one or more network interfaces, such as a network interface / transceiver 708, for communicating with various computing entities, including communicating data, content, information, and / or similar terms used herein interchangeably, which can be transmitted, received, manipulated, processed, displayed, and / or stored. Such communication may be performed using wired data transmission protocols such as Fiber Distributed Data Interface (FDDI), Digital Subscriber Line (DSL), Ethernet, Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), Frame Relay, Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification (DOCSIS), or any other wired transmission protocol.Similarly, the Computing Device 700 supports GPRS (General Packet Radio Service), UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System), CDMA2000 (Code Division Multiple Access 2000), CDMA2000 IX (IxRTT), WCDMA (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access), GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications), EDGE (Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution), TD-SCDMA (Time Division-Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access), LTE (Long Term Evolution), E-UTRAN (Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network), EVDO (Evolution-Data Optimized), HSPA (High Speed ​​Packet Access), HSDPA (High-Speed ​​Downlink Packet Access), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi), Wi-Fi Direct, 802.16 (WiMAX), UWB (Ultra Wideband), IR (Infrared) protocol, and NFC (Near Field Communication). It can be configured to communicate over a wireless external communication network using any of the following protocols: Bluetooth Communication protocol, Wibree, Bluetooth protocol, USB (wireless universal serial bus) protocol, and / or other wireless protocols.

[0131] Although not shown, the computing device 700 may include, or be in communication with, one or more input elements such as keyboard input, mouse input, touchscreen / display input, motion input, movement input, audio input, pointing device input, joystick input, and keypad input. The computing device 700 may also include, or be in communication with, one or more output elements (not shown) such as audio output, video output, screen / display output, motion output, and movement output.

[0132] [Example External Computing Entity] Figure 21 is an exemplary schematic diagram showing an external computing device 800 that may be used in combination with embodiments of the present disclosure. Generally, terms used interchangeably herein, such as device, system, computing entity, entity, etc., may refer to, for example, one or more computers, computing entities, desktops, mobile phones, tablets, phablets, notebooks, laptops, distributed systems, kiosks, input terminals, servers or server networks, blades, gateways, switches, processing devices, processing entities, set-top boxes, relays, routers, network access points, base stations, and / or any combination of devices or entities adapted to perform the functions, operations and / or processes described herein. The external computing device 90 may be operated by various parties (relevant objects). As shown in Figure 21, the external computing device 800 may include an antenna 807, a transmitter 806a (e.g., wireless), a receiver 806b (e.g., wireless), and a processing element 802 (e.g., a CPLD, microprocessor, multicore processor, coprocessing entity, ASIP, microcontroller, and / or controller) that provides signals to the transmitter 806a and the receiver 806b and receives signals from them.

[0133] The signals provided to and received by the transmitter 806a and receiver 806b may include signaling information / data in accordance with the applicable wireless system air interface standard. In this regard, the external computing device 800 may operate in one or more air interface standards, communication protocols, modulation types, and access types. More specifically, the external computing device 800 may operate in accordance with any of several wireless communication standards and protocols, such as those described above with respect to computing device 700. In certain embodiments, the external computing device 800 may operate in accordance with several wireless communication standards and protocols, such as UMTS, CDMA2000, 1xRTT, WCDMA, GSM, EDGE, TD-SCDMA, LTE, E-UTRAN, EVDO, HSPA, HSDPA, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, WiMAX, UWB, IR, NFC, Bluetooth, and USB. Similarly, the external computing device 800 may operate in accordance with several wired communication standards and protocols, such as those described above with respect to computing device 700, via the network interface 808.

[0134] Through these communication standards and protocols, the external computing device 800 can communicate with various other entities using concepts such as Unstructured Supplemental Service Data (USSD), Short Message Service (SMS), Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS), Dual Tone Multi-Frequency Signaling (DTMF), and / or Subscriber Identification Module Dialer (SIM Dialer). The external computing device 800 can also download changes, add-ons, and updates to its firmware, software (including, for example, executable instructions, applications, and program modules), and operating system.

[0135] According to one embodiment, the external computing device 800 may include a location-determining feature (side), device, module, function, and / or similar terms used interchangeably herein. For example, the external computing device 800 may include an outdoor location feature such as a location module adapted to acquire latitude, longitude, altitude, geocode, course, direction, direction of travel, speed, Universal Time (UTC), date, and / or various other information / data. In one embodiment, the location module may acquire data known as ephemeris data by identifying the number of satellites in the field of view and the relative positions of those satellites (e.g., using the Global Positioning System (GPS)). Satellites can be various satellites, including low orbit (LEO) satellite systems, Department of Defense (DOD) satellite systems, the European Union's Galileo positioning system, China's Compass Navigation System, India's Regional Navigation Satellite System, and the like. This data can be collected using various coordinate systems, such as decimal (DD), degrees-minutes-seconds (DMS), universal transverse Mercator (UTM), and universal polar orthographic projection (UPS) coordinate systems. Alternatively, location information / data can be determined by triangulating the location of the external computing device 800 by connecting to various other systems, including cell phone base stations, Wi-Fi access points, etc. Similarly, the external computing device 800 may include indoor positioning feature units, such as a location module adapted to acquire latitude, longitude, altitude, geocode, course, direction, direction of travel, speed, time, date, and / or various other information / data. Some indoor systems may use various location or positioning technologies, including RFID tags, indoor beacons or transmitters, Wi-Fi access points, cell phone base stations, and / or nearby computing devices (e.g., smartphones, laptops). For example, such technologies may include iBeacons, gimbal proximity beacons, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) transmitters, NFC transmitters, etc.These indoor positioning features can be used in a variety of settings to pinpoint the location of a person or object in inches or centimeters.

[0136] The external computing device 800 may also include a user interface (which may include a display 805 coupled to the processing element 802) and / or a user input interface (which may be coupled to the processing element 802). For example, the user interface may be a user application, browser, user interface, and / or similar terms used herein interchangeably, which runs on and / or is accessible via the external computing device 800 and can interact with and / or display information / data from the computing device 700 as described herein. The user input interface may consist of any of the various devices or interfaces that allow the external computing device 800 to receive data, such as a keypad 809 (hard or soft), a touch display, a voice / speech or motion interface, or other input devices. In embodiments including a keypad 809, the keypad 809 may include (or be displayed) conventional numeric keys (0-9) and associated keys (#, *), and other keys used to operate an external computing device 800, and may also include a full set of alphabetic keys, or a set of keys that are activated to provide a full set of alphabetic keys. In addition to providing input, the user input interface may be used to enable or disable certain functions, such as a screen saver and / or sleep mode.

[0137] The external computing device 800 may also include volatile storage or memory 803a and / or non-volatile storage or memory 803b. These may be embedded and / or removable. For example, non-volatile memory may be ROM, PROM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory, MMC, SD memory card, memory stick, CBRAM, PRAM, FeRAM, NVRAM, MRAM, RRAM, SONOS, FJG RAM, millipede memory, racetrack memory, etc. Volatile memory may be RAM, DRAM, SRAM, FPM DRAM, EDO DRAM, SDRAM, DDR SDRAM, DDR2 SDRAM, DDR3 SDRAM, RDRAM, TTRAM, T-RAM, Z-RAM, RIMM, DIMM, SIMM, VRAM, cache memory, register memory, etc. Volatile and non-volatile storage or memory (803a, 803b) are capable of storing databases, database instances, database management systems, data, applications, programs, program modules, scripts, source code, object code, bytecode, compiled code, interpreted code, machine code, executable instructions, etc., in order to implement the functions of the external computing device 800. As previously stated, this may include user applications that reside on the entity or are accessible through a browser or other user interface for communicating with the computing device 700 and / or various other computing entities.

[0138] In another embodiment, the external computing device 800 may include one or more components or functions identical or similar to those of the computing device 700, as described in detail above. As is recognized, these architectures and descriptions are provided for illustrative or explanatory purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure to one, some, or all of the various embodiments described herein.

[0139] In some embodiments, as shown, for example in Figures 1 to 19B, the apparatus / device for crystal growth and / or fixing of crystal raw materials may include and / or be in communication with a computing device 700, which is suitable for performing actions such as movement, flow rate or deposition / dispersion rate of various components of the printing apparatus / device. In some embodiments, the apparatus / device or its components, for example, the computing device 700, may be configured to be in communication with an external computing device 800, which may be configured to provide the computing device 700 with printing instructions, design files for printed articles, printing nozzles, and / or routing instructions for a non-solvent vapor dispersion device. The computing device 700 is configured to fix the crystal growth raw material and / or perform crystal growth.

[0140] Figures 22 to 24 illustrate various methods as described elsewhere in this specification. The methods described herein may be carried out by means such as computing device 700 and / or external computing device 800.

[0141] Referring to Figure 22, block 902 shows a method 900 comprising the step of placing a certain volume (a fixed amount) of crystal growth material into a crystallization zone using a crystal growth furnace equipped with a plurality of material fixing members positioned in an open configuration. The method 900 may further include, in block 904, a step of transitioning the plurality of material fixing members from an open configuration to a closed configuration so that at least the distal portion of each of the plurality of material fixing members is reliably positioned relative to the outer surface of the certain volume of crystal growth material. The method 900 may optionally further include, in block 906, a step of transferring the crystal growth furnace to a low-gravity environment. The method 900 may optionally further include, in block 908, a step of transitioning the plurality of material fixing members from a closed configuration to an open configuration so that the plurality of material fixing members are withdrawn from the crystallization zone in the crystal growth furnace. Some or all elements / steps of the method 900 may be performed by a device / apparatus such as a crystal growth furnace or its components. Some or all elements / steps of the method 900 may be programmed to be performed, for example, by using a computing device (e.g., 700 and / or 800). The computing device may be separate from or part of the device / apparatus for crystal growth and / or for fixing the crystal growth material 100.

[0142] Referring to Figure 23, block 1002 shows a method 1000 comprising the step of transitioning a plurality of raw material fixing members from a closed configuration to an open configuration so that the plurality of raw material fixing members are withdrawn from the crystallization zone in the crystal growth furnace. The method 1000 may further comprise block 1004, comprising the step of transitioning a plurality of raw material fixing members from a closed configuration to an open configuration so that the plurality of raw material fixing members are withdrawn from the crystallization zone in the crystal growth furnace. The method 1000 may further comprise block 1006, comprising the step of transitioning a plurality of raw material fixing members from a closed configuration to an open configuration so that the plurality of raw material fixing members are withdrawn from the crystallization zone in the crystal growth furnace. The method 1000 may optionally further comprise block 1008, comprising the step of transferring the crystal growth furnace to a low-gravity environment. The method 1000 may optionally further include a step in block 1010 to transition a plurality of raw material fixing members from a closed state to an open state so that the plurality of raw material fixing members are withdrawn from the crystallization zone in the crystal growth furnace. Some or all elements / steps of the method 1000 may be performed by a device / apparatus such as a crystal growth furnace or its components. Some or all elements / steps of the method 900 may be performed programmatically by using a computing device (e.g., 1000 and / or 800). The computing device may be separate from or part of the device / apparatus for crystal growth and / or for fixing the crystal growth raw material 100.

[0143] Referring to Figure 24, block 1102 shows a method 1100 comprising the steps of placing a certain volume of crystal growth material in a crystallization zone within a crystal growth furnace, wherein the crystal growth furnace has one or more inflatable fixing members in a contracted state, and when the one or more inflatable fixing members are in a collection state, the outer surfaces of the one or more inflatable fixing members are maintained at a non-zero distance from the outer surface of the certain volume of crystal growth material in the crystallization zone. The method 1100 may further comprise, in block 1104, the steps of inflating the one or more inflatable fixing members to transition them from a contracted state to an expanded state, such that at least a portion of the outer surfaces of the one or more inflatable fixing members contact at least a portion of the outer surface of the certain volume of crystal growth material. The method 1100 may optionally further comprise, in block 1106, the steps of transferring the crystal growth furnace to a low-gravity environment. The method 1100 may optionally further include a step in block 1108 of transitioning a plurality of expandable fixing members from an expanded state to a contracted state so that the plurality of expandable fixing members are withdrawn from the crystallization zone in the crystal growth furnace. Some or all elements / steps of the method 1100 may be performed by a device / apparatus such as a crystal growth furnace or its components. Some or all elements / steps of the method 1100 may be performed programmatically by using a computing device (e.g., 700 and / or 800). The computing device may be separate from or part of the device / apparatus for crystal growth and / or for fixing the crystal growth material 100.

[0144] [Conclusion] While efforts are made to ensure the accuracy of the numerical values ​​used (e.g., quantities, temperatures, etc.), a certain degree of experimental error and deviation should be taken into consideration.

[0145] Those skilled in the art will recognize that many methods and materials similar to or equivalent to those described herein can be used in carrying out the subject matter described herein. This disclosure is not limited to the methods and materials described herein.

[0146] Throughout this specification and the claims, the terms “comprise,” “comprises,” and “comprising” are used non-exclusively unless the context requires otherwise. The examples described herein are understood to include examples consisting of and / or consisting essentially of.

[0147] When a range of values ​​is provided, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, it is understood to include each intervening value between the upper and lower limits of that range, up to one-tenth of a unit of the lower limit, and any other specified or intervening values ​​within that specified range. The upper and lower limits of these smaller ranges, which may independently be contained within smaller ranges, are also included within the specified range, subject to any explicitly excluded limits (if any). If the specified range includes one or both of the limit values, it also includes the range that excludes one or both of the included limit values.

[0148] Many modifications and other examples of those described herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art who benefit from the teachings shown in the preceding description and the accompanying drawings. Therefore, the subject matter of the present invention is not limited to the specific examples disclosed, and modifications and other examples are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. Specific terms are used herein, but they are used only in a general descriptive sense and not for limiting purposes.

[0149] It should be understood that all combinations of the aforementioned concepts and additional concepts described in more detail below (unless such concepts are mutually contradictory) are considered to be part of the subject matter of the invention disclosed herein. In particular, the combination of subject matter of the claims set out at the end of this disclosure is considered to be part of the subject matter of the invention disclosed herein. Terms used expressly herein and that may also appear in disclosures incorporated by reference should be given meanings consistent with the specific concepts disclosed herein.

[0150] In some embodiments, one or more of the operations, steps, elements, or processes described herein may be modified or further extended as shown below. Furthermore, in some embodiments, additional selective operations may also be included. Each of the modifications, selective additions, and / or extensions described herein may be included in the operations described herein, either alone or in combination with other features of the features described herein.

[0151] The provided descriptions of the methods, drawings, and process flowcharts are provided merely as illustrative examples and do not require or imply that each or all of the steps of the various embodiments must be performed, and / or should be performed in the order presented or described. As will be understood by those skilled in the art, the order of steps in some or all of the described embodiments may be performed in any order. Words such as “then,” “then,” and “next” are not intended to restrict the order of steps but are used merely to guide the reader through the description of the method. Furthermore, the use of articles such as “a,” “an,” or “the” to indicate elements of a claim in the singular form should not be interpreted as limiting such elements to the singular form. Furthermore, references to dispensing, arrangement, deposition, dispersion, transport, injection, insertion, communication, and other such technical terms should not be interpreted as limiting the elements to specific means, methods, apparatus, or systems, but rather as meaning transporting material in any suitable manner within a receiving container, solution, conduit, etc.

[0152] Many modifications and other embodiments of those described herein will be conceivable to those skilled in the art who benefit from the teachings shown in the foregoing description and the accompanying drawings. While the drawings show only certain components of the apparatus and systems described herein, it will be understood that various other components may be used in combination with the systems. Accordingly, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed, and modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. Furthermore, the steps of the above-described methods are not necessarily performed in the order shown in the appended drawings, and in some cases, one or more of the steps shown may be performed substantially simultaneously, and additional steps may be included. Specific terms are used herein, but they are used only in a general descriptive sense and not for limiting purposes. The specific equipment and materials described in the examples are for illustrative purposes only and not for limiting purposes. For example, any article, part of an article, structure, bulk material, etc., having any form factor, scale, dimensions, aesthetic properties, material properties, internal structure, and / or mechanical properties, formed using any of the construction materials / resins described herein or any of the variations thereof, by any device, apparatus, apparatus, system, or any of the variations thereof, according to any of the disclosed methods, approaches, processes, or variations thereof, is all assumed and covered by this disclosure. None of the provided examples are intended to, and should not be intended to, limit the scope of this disclosure in any way.

[0153] Various parts of this disclosure, such as the background, overview, brief description of the drawings, and summary, are provided in accordance with the requirements of the MPEP and should not be considered as an acknowledgment of prior art or an indication that any part of this disclosure constitutes common general knowledge in any country in the world. This disclosure is provided as a discussion of the inventor's own research and improvements based on that research. See, for example, Riverwood Int'l Corp. vRA Jones & Co., 324F.3d 1346,1354 (Fed. Cir. 2003).

[0154] In some embodiments, one or more of the operations, steps, or processes described herein may be modified or further extended as shown below. Furthermore, in some embodiments, additional selective operations may also be included. Each of the modifications, selective additions, and / or extensions described herein may be included in the operations described herein, either alone or in combination with other features of the features described herein.

[0155] While specific advantages have been mentioned above, various embodiments may include some, all, or none of the listed advantages.

[0156] Other technical advantages will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following drawings and description.

[0157] While exemplary embodiments are shown in the drawings and described below, it should be understood that the principles of this disclosure can be implemented using any number of techniques, whether currently known or not. This disclosure is not limited to the examples, experimental results, exemplary embodiments, preferred configurations, illustrated equipment, disclosed processes, or specific implementations and techniques shown in the drawings and described below.

[0158] The provided descriptions of the methods, drawings, and process flowcharts are provided merely as illustrative examples and do not require or imply that the steps of the various embodiments must be performed individually or in whole, and / or should be performed in the order presented or described. As will be understood by those skilled in the art, the order of steps in some or all of the described embodiments may be performed in any order. Words such as “then,” “then,” and “next” are not intended to restrict the order of steps but are used merely to guide the reader through the description of the method. Furthermore, the use of articles such as “a,” “an,” or “the” to indicate elements of a claim in the singular form should not be interpreted as limiting such elements to the singular form. Furthermore, references to dispensing, arrangement, deposition, dispersion, transport, injection, conveyance, insertion, communication, and other such technical terms should not be interpreted as limiting the elements to specific means, methods, apparatus, or systems, but rather as meaning the transport of material in any suitable manner within a receiving container, solution, conduit, etc.

[0159] Unless otherwise indicated, all numerical values ​​used in this specification and the claims, representing the quantity of equipment, the number of processes, the amount of material, the mass of material, the volume of material, operating conditions, etc., should be understood in all cases to be modified by the term “approximately”. Thus, unless otherwise indicated, the numerical parameters described herein and in the appended claims are approximations and may vary depending on the desired characteristics to be obtained by this application. In general, as used herein, the term “approximately” means that when referring to measurable values ​​such as weight, time, volume, ratio, temperature, etc., it encompasses ±50% of the stated value. For example, the value “1,000” is interpreted from the foregoing explanation to mean “approximately 1,000,” indicating a range of values ​​from 500 to 1,500, including all values ​​and ranges between them. As another example, the value “approximately 1,000” is interpreted to include the values ​​of 500 and / or 1,500, and to indicate any one value or subrange between 500 and 1,500. Therefore, if the value “approximately 1,000” is disclosed or claimed, the components disclosed or claimed include, for example, the value 500, the value 500.0000000000001, the value 500.1, the value 501, ..., the value 1,000, ..., the value 1,499.9999999, the value 1,500, and all other values ​​or ranges or subranges between them (including values ​​between adjacent integers up to any number of decimal places).

[0160] Generally, as used herein, the term “substantially” means, when referring to a measurable value, to encompass ±50% of the stated value. Generally, as used herein, the term “substantially” means, when relating to an individual location or orientation of a piece, component, or subcomponent of equipment, to encompass an individual location within ±50% of that individual location. Generally, as used herein, the term “substantially” means, with respect to the position of a piece, component, or subcomponent of equipment along the entire range of movement of said piece, component, or subcomponent of equipment (including translational, rotational, and extensional movement in any direction, orientation, or form), encompassing individual positions of said piece, component, or subcomponent of equipment within ±50% of said position over the entire range of said movement of said piece, component, or subcomponent of equipment. Therefore, the use of the phrase “substantially located within a container” is to be interpreted, from the foregoing description, as meaning that 50% or more of the elements in question are located within a container.

[0161] All transitional phrases such as "comprising," "including," "carrying," "having," "containing," "involving," "holding," and "composed of" should be understood as open-ended (unrestricted), meaning they include but are not limited to them. As specified in Section 2111.03 of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's Manual of Patent Examination Procedures (MPEP), only the transitional phrases "consisting of" and "consisting essentially of" are considered closed or semi-closed transitional phrases.

[0162] This specification uses conventional terminology in the fields of crystal growth, materials science, mechanical engineering, and inorganic chemistry. These terms are known in the art and are provided only as non-limiting examples for convenience. Accordingly, the interpretation of corresponding terms in the claims is not limited to any particular definition unless otherwise specified. Accordingly, the terms used in the claims should be given the broadest reasonable interpretation.

[0163] The figures show only specific components of the apparatus and systems described herein, but it is understood that various other components may be used in combination with the system. Accordingly, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed, and modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. Furthermore, the steps of the methods described above are not necessarily performed in the order shown in the appended drawings, and in some cases one or more of the steps shown may be performed substantially simultaneously, and additional steps may be included. Specific terms are used herein, but they are used only in a general descriptive sense and not as limitations. The specific equipment and materials described in the examples are for illustrative purposes only and not as limitations. For example, any article, part of an article, structure, bulk material, etc., having any form factor, scale, dimensions, aesthetic properties, material properties, internal structure, and / or mechanical properties, formed using any device, apparatus, apparatus, system, or any variation thereof, according to any of the disclosed methods, approaches, processes, or variations thereof, using any of the construction materials, printing mixtures, inks, yield stress support materials, other material compositions, or variations thereof described herein, is all assumed and covered by this disclosure. None of the provided examples are intended to, and should not be intended to, limit the scope of this disclosure in any manner.

[0164] In this detailed description, various features (functions) may be grouped together for the sake of simplification of disclosure. This should not be interpreted as meaning that any disclosed features not claimed are essential to any of the claims. Rather, the subject matter of the invention may reside in fewer features than all of the features of a particular embodiment disclosed. Accordingly, the following claims are incorporated into the detailed description, and each claim stands independently as a separate embodiment. Such embodiments may be combined with one another in various combinations or permutations. The scope of the embodiments should be determined by reference to the appended claims and the entire scope of equivalents of such claims.

[0165] While this instruction is described in relation to various embodiments and examples, it is not intended to be limited to such embodiments or examples. On the contrary, this instruction includes various substitutes, modifications and equivalents, as will be understood by those skilled in the art.

[0166] While various embodiments of the present invention have been described and illustrated herein, those skilled in the art will readily conceive of various other means and / or structures for performing the functions and / or obtaining one or more of the results and / or advantages described herein. Each of such variations and / or modifications is considered to fall within the scope of the embodiments of the present invention described herein. More generally, those skilled in the art will readily understand that some or all of the parameters, dimensions, materials, equipment, processes, methods, and forms described herein are intended to be preferred embodiments, and that the actual parameters, dimensions, materials, and / or forms will depend on the specific one or more applications in which the teachings of the present invention are used. Those skilled in the art will recognize that there are many equivalents to the specific embodiments of the invention described herein. Accordingly, it will be understood that the embodiments described herein are presented only as examples, and that embodiments of the present invention may be carried out in ways different from those specifically described and claimed, within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents. Embodiments of the invention in this disclosure are subject to each individual feature, system, article, material, kit, and / or method described herein. Furthermore, any combination of two or more such features, systems, articles, materials, kits, and / or methods is included within the scope of the invention of this disclosure, provided that they are not mutually contradictory.

[0167] All definitions defined and used herein should be understood to take precedence over dictionary definitions, definitions incorporated by reference within documents, and / or the ordinary meanings of the defined terms.

[0168] The indefinite articles "a" and "an" used herein and in the claims should be understood to mean "at least one" unless explicitly stated otherwise. Any scope referenced herein is an inclusive scope.

[0169] As used herein and in the claims, the phrase “and / or” should be understood to mean “either or both” of the elements thus combined, that is, elements that exist as a combination in some cases and elements that exist separately in other cases. Multiple elements listed in “and / or” should similarly be interpreted as “one or more” of the elements thus combined. In addition to the elements specifically identified in the phrase “and / or,” other elements may optionally exist, whether or not they are related to those specifically identified elements. Thus, as an unrestricted example, a reference to “A and / or B” when used in combination with open-ended language such as “comprising” may in one embodiment refer to A only (optionally including elements other than B), in another embodiment refer to B only (optionally including elements other than A), in yet another embodiment refer to both A and B (optionally including other elements), and so on.

[0170] Where used herein and in the claims, the phrase “or” should be understood to have the same meaning as “and / or” as set forth herein. For example, when separating items in a list, “or” or “and / or” should be interpreted as inclusive; that is, including at least one (including two or more) of several elements or listed elements, and additional items that are not optionally listed. Only terms that explicitly indicate the opposite, such as “only one” or “exactly one,” or the term “consisting of” where used in the claims, refer to the inclusion of exactly one element of several elements or listed elements. In general, where used herein, the term “or” should be interpreted as indicating an exclusive choice (i.e., “one or the other, and not both”) only when preceded by terms indicating exclusivity, such as “either one,” “one of the two,” “only one of the two,” or “exactly one.” Where used in the claims, “essentially consisting of” should have the usual meaning as used in the field of patent law.

[0171] As used herein and in the claims, the phrase “at least one” used with respect to a list of one or more elements should be understood to mean at least one element selected from any one or more elements in the list of elements, but not necessarily including at least one of each element specifically described in the list of elements, and not excluding any combination of elements in the list of elements. This definition allows for the selective presence of elements other than those specifically identified in the list of elements to which the phrase “at least one” refers, regardless of whether or not they are related to the specifically identified elements. Therefore, as an unrestricted example, "at least one of A and B" (or equivalently, "at least one of A or B," or equivalently, "at least one of A and / or B") may, in one embodiment, refer to at least one (optionally including two or more) A's that do not include B (and optionally include elements other than B); in another embodiment, refer to at least one (optionally including two or more) B's that do not include A (and optionally include elements other than A); and in yet another embodiment, refer to at least one (optionally including two or more) A's and at least one (optionally including two or more) B's (and optionally including other elements), and so on.

[0172] As used herein, "at.%" refers to atomic percentage, "vol.%" refers to volume percentage, and "wt.%" refers to weight percentage. However, in certain embodiments, when "at.%" is used, the stated value may also be "vol.%" and / or "wt.%", when "vol.%" is used, the stated value may also be "at.%" and / or "wt.%", and when "wt.%" is used, the stated value may also be "at.%" and / or "vol.%". For example, if "20at.%" is stated in one embodiment, the same statement may refer to "20wt.%" or "20vol.%" in other embodiments. As a result, it should be understood that all "at.%" values ​​refer to "wt.%" in some cases and "vol.%" in others, all "vol.%" values ​​refer to "wt.%" in some cases and "at.%" in others, and all "wt.%" values ​​refer to "at.%" in some cases and "vol.%" in others.

[0173] Unless otherwise specified, the claims should not be construed as being limited to the order or elements described. It should be understood that various modifications in form and detail can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the attached claims. All embodiments and their equivalents that fall within the spirit and scope of the following claims are claimed.

Claims

1. A device configured to fix crystal growth raw materials in a crystal growth furnace, A crystallization zone configured to hold a certain volume of crystal growth material, Multiple movable fixing members, Equipped with, Each of the plurality of movable fixing members has a distal portion, configured to be positioned in contact with the outer surface of the fixed volume of the crystal growth material when the plurality of movable fixing members are in the first configuration, and to be positioned at a non-zero distance from the outer surface of the fixed volume of the crystal growth material when the plurality of movable fixing members are in the second configuration. A device characterized by the following features.

2. A device configured to fix crystal growth raw materials in a crystal growth furnace, An expandable sample chamber with a flexible surrounding material, A crystallization zone configured to hold a certain volume of crystal growth material, Multiple movable fixing members, Equipped with, When the expandable sample chamber is in the first configuration, the expandable sample chamber is expanded to its maximum internal volume. When the expandable sample chamber is in the second form, the expandable sample chamber is contracted to its minimum internal volume. Each of the plurality of movable fixing members has a distal portion, which is configured to be positioned in contact with the outer surface of the fixed volume of the crystal growth material when the plurality of movable fixing members are in a fixed state, and to be positioned at a non-zero distance from the outer surface of the fixed volume of the crystal growth material when the plurality of movable fixing members are in an extended state. A device characterized by the following features.

3. A device configured to fix crystal growth raw materials in a crystal growth furnace, A crystallization zone configured to hold a certain volume of crystal growth material, One or more inflatable fixing members, Equipped with, The one or more expandable fixing members are configured such that, when in a contracted state, the outer surface of the one or more expandable fixing members is maintained at a non-zero distance from the outer surface of the certain volume of the crystal growth material within the crystallization zone. The one or more expandable fixing members are configured such that, when in an expanded state, at least a portion of the outer surface of the one or more expandable fixing members contacts at least a portion of the outer surface of the certain volume of the crystal growth material. A device characterized by the following features.

4. A device configured to fix crystal growth raw materials in a crystal growth furnace, An expandable sample chamber having a flexible surrounding material and defining a certain collapse volume within the flexible surrounding material, A plurality of raw material holding points in the expandable sample chamber, wherein a plurality of raw material holding points define a crystal growth region, One or more seed crystals arranged in the expandable sample chamber, wherein at least one of the seed crystals is located at one raw material holding point, A thermocouple configured to transfer heat to one or more portions of the crystal growth region within the expandable sample chamber, A plurality of movable fixing members configured to hold a certain volume of solid or semi-solid raw material within the crystal growth region of the expandable sample chamber, An apparatus characterized by being equipped with

5. The expandable sample chamber is configured to expand from its collapsed volume to an expanded volume larger than that collapsed volume. The apparatus according to feature 4.

6. The expandable sample chamber is configured to expand from the collapsed volume to the expanded volume by communicating one or more gases into the collapsed volume within the flexible surrounding material. The apparatus according to feature 5.

7. The plurality of movable fixing members are configured to move from a raw material holding configuration to a raw material release configuration when the expandable sample chamber expands from the collapsed volume to the expanded volume. The apparatus according to feature 5.

8. It is a crystal growth furnace, An expandable sample container configured to be heated between approximately 200°C and approximately 6,000°C in order to promote crystal growth from a single volume of crystal growth material, A crystal growth material chamber is positioned within the expandable sample container and configured to receive a fixed volume of the crystal growth material, When the crystal growth furnace is positioned in a fixed configuration during transfer to a microgravity environment, a plurality of material fixing members are configured to fix a certain volume of the crystal growth material in the crystal growth material chamber, Equipped with, The expandable sample container is configured to be in a contracted state before and during the transfer of the crystal growth furnace to a microgravity environment. The expandable sample container is further configured to transition from the contracted state to the expanded state when the crystal growth furnace reaches a microgravity environment and before crystal growth occurs. The plurality of raw material fixing members are further configured to transition from the fixed state to the released state when the crystal growth furnace reaches a weightless environment and before crystal growth has begun. A crystal growth furnace characterized by the following features.

9. A thermocouple configured to transfer heat to at least a portion of the fixed volume of the raw material in the crystal growth raw material chamber. The crystal growth furnace according to claim 8, further comprising the above.

10. The expandable sample container is configured to expand from the contracted state to the expanded state by communicating one or more gases into the expandable sample container of the crystal growth furnace. The crystal growth furnace according to feature 8.

11. When the plurality of raw material fixing members are in the fixed configuration, at least a portion of each of the plurality of raw material fixing members is in contact with the outer surface of the certain volume of the crystal growth raw material in the crystal growth raw material chamber within the expandable sample container. The crystal growth furnace according to feature 8.

12. When the plurality of raw material fixing members are in the open configuration, at least a portion of each of the plurality of raw material fixing members is maintained at a non-zero distance from the outer surface of the constant volume of the crystal growth material in the crystal growth material chamber within the expandable sample container. The crystal growth furnace according to feature 11.

13. A step of placing a certain volume of crystal growth material into a crystallization zone in a crystal growth furnace, wherein the crystal growth furnace includes a plurality of material fixing members positioned in an open configuration. A step of transitioning the plurality of raw material fixing members from the open state to the closed state, wherein at least the distal portion of each of the plurality of raw material fixing members is arranged to be in releasably in contact with the outer surface of the certain volume of the crystal growth raw material, so that the certain volume of the crystal growth raw material is firmly held within the crystallization zone of the crystal growth furnace. A method characterized by comprising:

14. The process includes transferring the crystal growth furnace to a low-gravity environment, A step of transitioning the plurality of raw material fixing members from the closed configuration to the open configuration, wherein the plurality of raw material fixing members are withdrawn from the crystallization zone in the crystal growth furnace. The method according to 13, further comprising the following:

15. A step of placing a certain volume of crystal growth material into a crystallization zone within an expandable sample chamber in a crystal growth furnace, wherein the crystal growth furnace includes a plurality of material fixing members positioned in an open configuration, and the expandable sample chamber is in an expanded configuration. A step of transitioning the plurality of raw material fixing members from the open state to the closed state, wherein at least the distal portion of each of the plurality of raw material fixing members is arranged to be in releasably in contact with the outer surface of the certain volume of the crystal growth raw material, so that the certain volume of the crystal growth raw material is firmly held within the crystallization zone of the crystal growth furnace. A step of transitioning the expandable sample chamber from the expanded form to the non-expanded form, A method characterized by comprising:

16. The process includes transferring the crystal growth furnace to a low-gravity environment, A step of transitioning the plurality of raw material fixing members from the closed configuration to the open configuration, wherein the plurality of raw material fixing members are withdrawn from the crystallization zone in the crystal growth furnace. The method according to 15, further comprising the following:

17. A step of placing a fixed volume of crystal growth material into a crystallization zone in a crystal growth furnace, wherein the crystal growth furnace includes one or more expandable fixing members in a contracted state, and when the one or more expandable fixing members are in the contracted state, the outer surfaces of the one or more expandable fixing members are maintained at a non-zero distance from the outer surface of the fixed volume of crystal growth material in the crystallization zone; A step of inflating one or more expandable fixing members to transition one or more expandable fixing members from a contracted state to an expanded state, wherein at least a portion of the outer surface of one or more expandable fixing members comes into contact with at least a portion of the outer surface of a certain volume of the crystal growth material. A method characterized by comprising:

18. The process includes transferring the crystal growth furnace to a low-gravity environment, A step of transitioning the plurality of expandable fixing members from the expanded state to the contracted state, wherein the plurality of expandable fixing members are withdrawn from the crystallization zone in the crystal growth furnace, The method according to 17, further comprising the following:

19. A step of bringing a certain volume of crystal growth material into contact with the crystallization zone within the expandable sample container of a crystal growth furnace while the expandable sample container is in its expanded state, A step of transitioning a plurality of raw material fixing members from an open configuration in which the distal portion of each of the plurality of raw material fixing members is maintained at a non-zero distance from the outer surface of a certain volume of the crystal growth raw material, to a fixed configuration in which the distal portion of each of the plurality of raw material fixing members is maintained in secure contact with the outer surface of the certain volume of the crystal growth raw material, wherein the certain volume of the crystal growth raw material is held within the crystallization zone in the expandable sample container of the crystal growth furnace while the crystal growth furnace is being transported to a microgravity environment. Before transferring the crystal growth furnace to a microgravity environment, the expandable sample container is transformed from its expanded form to a collapsed form. A method characterized by comprising:

20. The crystallization zone includes a mobile solvent suspension zone. The method according to feature 19.

21. The crystal growth raw material includes a polycrystalline material. The method according to feature 19.

22. A process for providing a crystal growth furnace equipped with a collapsible, expandable sample container. A method comprising, The crystal growth furnace includes a crystallization zone and a fixed volume of crystal growth material positioned within the crystallization zone. The crystal growth furnace further includes a plurality of material fixing members positioned around the crystal growth material within the internal volume of the expandable sample container, The plurality of raw material fixing members are configured such that, in their fixed configuration, the distal portion of each of the plurality of raw material fixing members is in reliable contact with the outer surface of the fixed volume of the crystal growth raw material, and that they hold the fixed volume of the crystal growth raw material within the crystallization zone of the crystal growth furnace before and during the transfer of the crystal growth furnace to a microgravity environment. This method further, A step of transitioning the expandable sample container from the collapsed state to the expanded state, A step of transitioning the plurality of raw material fixing members from the fixed configuration to a released configuration in which the distal portion of each of the plurality of raw material fixing members is maintained at a non-zero distance from the outer surface of the certain volume of the crystal growth raw material, A step of heating at least a portion of the crystallization zone to form a hot zone within a certain volume of the crystal growth material, A step of allowing the deposition of the crystal growth material onto one or more seed crystals positioned within the crystallization zone while maintaining the temperature of the hot zone within a predetermined temperature range, A step of allowing the crystallization zone to cool to a temperature below the predetermined temperature range, thereby allowing the formation of a single crystal structure from the crystal growth material, A method characterized by comprising:

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