The theta-matrix compositor was a device aboard Federation starships to recrystallize dilithium crystals while they were still in the articulation frame of a warp core. This compositor made the recrystallization process ten times more efficient than on the older Excelsior-class ships. (TNG: "Family")
By the 2360s, Starfleet had the ability to synthesize dilithium via recrystallization while it was still enclosed in the warp core's dilithium articulation frame using a theta-matrix compositor. This was done by recompositing fractured crystals. (TNG: "Time Squared", "Relics"; VOY: "Innocence")
See also
External link
- Theta-matrix compositor at Memory Beta, the wiki for licensed Star Trek works