single crystal

crystallography

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single crystal, any solid object in which an orderly three-dimensional arrangement of the atoms, ions, or molecules is repeated throughout the entire volume. Certain minerals, such as quartz and the gemstones, often occur as single crystals; synthetic single crystals, especially silicon and gallium arsenide, are used in solid-state electronic devices such as integrated circuits and light-emitting diodes (LEDs).

In the preparation of synthetic single crystals, special techniques are employed to control the deposition of material upon one nucleus (see nucleation), which often is a small single crystal of the substance obtained from a previous preparation.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.