System Grows Single-Crystal Fibers

Abstract

Award-winning Melt Modulation(TM) system produces single or multiple fibers of any variety of single-crystal materials in continuous or discrete lengths. Developed specifically to produce research quantities of fibers for strong, lightweight composite materials that withstand high temperatures in aerospace applications. Also used to grow such single-crystal materials as high-temperature superconductors and fiber-optic materials. Modifications enable system to apply conformal coats to fibers as they are being grown, producing fibers for greater number of composites in which coatings provide thermal and chemical compatibility between fiber and matrix materials.