A Method of Growing Oriented Sections of Certain Optical Crystals

A new method is described for growing extended crystal sections normal to a threefold axis

from melts of sodium nitrate, and of certain alkali halides such as potassium bromide and

potassium iodide. Such sections result when crystallization in the melt is started at a mica

cleavage surface and is allowed to proceed in a direction normal thereto, the mica acting as an

insoluble, infusible seed for the new crystal growth. The mica cleavage surface adsorbs from

the melt a hexagonal net of alkali ions whose side is 5.17A, and this plane net constitutes the

first layer of the new crystal growth

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