Book 27, Question 46
How do scientists grow big, perfect crystals in a lab?
Scientists give crystals the conditions they love: very clean liquids, a seed crystal, and slow, steady changes in temperature.
To make the silicon crystals used for computer chips, a seed crystal is dipped into hot liquid silicon and slowly pulled up while turning. The silicon freezes onto it, growing a long, smooth cylinder. The process can take days and must be extremely precise.