zone melting

noun

a process of purifying any of various metals and other materials, as germanium or silicon, by passing it in bar form through an induction coil.

Compare cage zone melting.

Origin of zone melting

First recorded in 1955–60

Also called zone refining.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

British Dictionary definitions for zone refining

zone refining

noun

a technique for producing solids of extreme purity, esp for use in semiconductors. The material, in the form of a bar, is melted in one small region that is passed along the solid. Impurities concentrate in the melt and are moved to the end of the bar

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