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Thread: Biggest damn crystal I've seen all day!

  1. #1
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    Cool Biggest damn crystal I've seen all day!

    Check this out; they're making KDP (note, not KTP) crystals for the National Ignition Facility fusion research center. They figured out how to grow an 800 lb crystal in just 2 months! Crazy... (Link to video)

    Adam

  2. #2
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    OH MY!!


    that is one big crystal! and its insane how it only took 2 months!

    thanks for sharing!
    -Josh

  3. #3
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    Red face

    That's a big chuck o crystal... but...
    Love, peace, and grease,

    allthat... aka: aaron@pangolin

  4. #4
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    I think in the deformable resonator mirror video, they programmed it to create a smiley face aberration!

  5. #5
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    One word, WOW!

    That is a HUGE crystal!!!!

    I wonder how they cut it? With lasers maybe??

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by Things View Post
    One word, WOW!

    That is a HUGE crystal!!!!

    I wonder how they cut it? With lasers maybe??
    Good question...diamond coated bandsaw?

  7. #7
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    I think, like silicon wafers, they fracture it along the crystal plane, no mechanical cutting really done.

  8. #8
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    For you non-chemists out there, let me just say that growing crystals is no trivial matter. It is an art hard to master. Now, having said that... KDP is a fairly friendly material to crystallize, but hardly at that scale. Getting such a large monocrystal is very impressive and especially that fast. Even small disturbances could cause the crystallization to fail.

    Would suck to have someone spill a cup of coffee on it though; KDP is highly water soluble.

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