Systems, methods and apparatus are provided for forming layers of a first dielectric material, a semiconductor material, and a second dielectric material in repeating iterations vertically to form a vertical stack and forming a vertical opening using an etchant process to expose vertical sidewalls in the vertical stack. A seed material that is selective to the semiconductor material is deposited over the vertical stack and the vertical sidewalls in the vertical stack and the seed material is processed such that the seed material advances within the semiconductor material such that it transforms a crystalline structure of a portion of the semiconductor material.