• The autoclave is filled to some predetermined factor with water plus mineralizer (NaOH or Na2CO3).
• The baffle localizes the temperature gradient so that each zone is nearly isothermal.
• The seeds are thin slices of (usually) Z-cut single crystals.
• The nutrient consists of small (~2½ to 4 cm) pieces of single-crystal quartz (“lascas”).
• The temperatures and pressures are typically about 3500C and 800 to 2,000 atmospheres; T2 – T1 is typically 40C to 100C. 
• The nutrient dissolves slowly (30 to 260 days per run), diffuses to the growth zone, and deposits onto the seeds.