Liquid phase growth (LPG) of Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3 was performed by the sliding-boat method. The LPG samples were found to be highly oriented along the hexagonal c-axis, where the thermoelectric properties are excellent. The loss of Te during the LPG process is compensated by setting up a Te reservoir or in raw material rooms in a sliding-boat. (C) 2003 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.