| 摘要 |
PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method of producing a single crystal, by which a product having a prescribed shape can be obtained without cutting and polishing. SOLUTION: A vessel 1 for accommodating a molten liquid 3 is provided and heaters 2 are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the vessel 1. The vessel 1 has such a form that the cross section at the front is symmetrical. Then, the vessel 1 is filled with the molten liquid 3 of a crystal and the vessel is heated with the heaters 2 to form a temperature gradient such that the temperature at the upper part of the vessel 1 is higher than the temperature at the lower part of the vessel 1, thereby the high temperature molten liquid ascends along the inner wall surface of the vessel 1. At that time, the molten liquid present in the left side of the flat plane (mirror symmetry plane) including a vertical line dividing the vessel 1 into equal halves ascends clockwise and the molten liquid present in the right side of the mirror symmetry plane ascends counterclockwise. The both liquids each having symmetrical flow collide at the mirror symmetry plane of,the upper end of the vessel 1 and the both move as the descending flow toward the lower end of the vessel 1, being a lower temperature part. When the temperature at the lower end of the vessel 1 is gradually lowered to a temperature lower than the melting point of the molten material, the molten liquid is turned into a single crystal. |
