crystal growth
Mineral structure development
Crystal growth is the process by which atoms or molecules arrange themselves into a highly ordered, repeating structure.
It occurs naturally in minerals, snowflakes, and gemstones, or is induced artificially to produce semiconductors, laser components, and other materials requiring precise atomic arrangement.
The rate and conditions of growth—temperature, pressure, concentration—determine crystal size and purity: Slow crystal growth yields fewer defects.
- nucleationInitial cluster formation
- thin filmNarrow surface coating
- stalactitesMineral deposits hanging downward
- rock candyCrystalline sugar confection
- Ostwald ripeningDissolution feeding larger crystals
solidification · quartz · snowflakes · lattice · supersaturation · crystallography · habit · salt crystals · solar cells · ice crystals · ice formation · frost patterns · furnaces · silicon · electron microscopy · diffusion · facet · seed
crystal growthmelting
Solid-to-liquid transition
dissolution · liquefaction · deliquescence · sublimation · dissolving