October 2018 г.
The manufacture of new furnaces weighing 150 kg of crystal was successfully mastered, which made it possible to produce parts with a diameter of more than 300 mm and a length of 350 mm.
| Parameter name | unit | number | description |
| Sapphire crystal growth method | Modified Kyropulos (KY) | Technology and design development on the base of own long term experience | |
| Crystal weight | kg | 150 | |
| Crystal size:
Diameter (max) High (max) |
mm |
330 500 |
|
| Crucible size; Diameter (O.D.)High, total |
mm | 400
620 |
Tungsten crucible |
| Heating method | Resistive, tungsten heater | New design heater, long life time | |
| Power supply main (50/60 Hz) | V | 380/400 | 3-phase, 5 wire |
| Heater’s supply voltage | V | 12 AC/DC | 2 modifications, SCR or IGBT |
| Max power consumption (kW) | kW | 90 | |
| Actual power consumption at seeding | kW | 75 | High energy saving |
| Total process (cycle) power consumption | kW/h | 20.000 | Total process (whole cycle) time 16-17 days |
| Heating power control accuracy | % | +/-0,01 | High accuracy power control |
| Grown crystal weight sensor capacity up to | kg | 150 | |
| Growing crystal weight measurement accuracy | gr | +/-5 | Growing crystal actual weight (weight increment) control |
| Pulling shaft travelling rate | mm/h | 0.1-2.5 | 150 mm shaft travel length |
| Cooling system (water) | Circulating water in closed system, under the automation control of software | ||
| Inlet water temperature | С | 20-30 | distilled recycling water |
| Cooling water temperature stability | С | +/-2 | |
| Outlet water temperature, up to | С | 45 | Water high temperature alarm |
| Water flow – approx. | m3/h | 8-9 | adjustable |
| Inlet water pressure | 105Pa/kgf/cm2 | 2.5+/-0.5 | adjustable |
| Control system | PLC (programmable controller)
Provides automation overall crystal growing process, except seeding |
||
| Growing process supervision |
|
||
| Controlled parameters in the crystal growing program |
|
||
| Hot zones |
|
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| Dimensions (WxLxH) | mm | 2200x2000x2300 | |
| Total weight (with hot zone) | kg | 2900 | |
September 2015
Our company started the production of new and manufactured furnaces crystal weighing 100 kg.
| Parameter name | unit | number | description |
| Sapphire crystal growth method | Modified Kyropulos (KY) | Technology and design development on the base of own long term experience | |
| Crystal weight | kg | 100-105 | |
| Crystal size:
Diameter (max) High (max) |
mm |
300 450 |
|
| Crucible size: Diameter (O.D.)High, total |
mm | 370
520 |
Tungsten crucible |
| Heating method | Resistive, tungsten heater | New design heater, long life time | |
| Power supply main (50/60 Hz) | V | 380/400 | 3-phase, 5 wire |
| Heater’s supply voltage | V | 12 AC/DC | 2 modifications, SCR or IGBT |
| Max power consumption (kW) | kW | 85 | |
| Actual power consumption at seeding | kW | 70 | High energy saving |
| Total process (cycle) power consumption | kW/h | 20.000 | Total process (whole cycle) time 16-17 days |
| Heating power control accuracy | % | +/-0,01 | High accuracy power control |
| Grown crystal weight sensor capacity up to | kg | 150 | |
| Growing crystal weight measurement accuracy | gr | +/-5 | Growing crystal actual weight (weight increment) control |
| Pulling shaft travelling rate | mm/h | 0.1-2.5 | 150 mm shaft travel length |
| Cooling system (water) | Circulating water in closed system, under the automation control of software | ||
| Inlet water temperature | С | 20-30 | distilled recycling water |
| Cooling water temperature stability | С | +/-2 | |
| Outlet water temperature, up to | С | 45 | Water high temperature alarm |
| Water flow – approx. | m3/h | 8-9 | adjustable |
| Inlet water pressure | 105Pa/kgf/cm2 | 2.5+/-0.5 | adjustable |
| Control system | PLC (programmable controller)
Provides automation overall crystal growing process, except seeding |
||
| Growing process supervision |
|
||
| Controlled parameters in the crystal growing program |
|
||
| Hot zones |
|
||
| Dimensions (WxLxH) | mm | 2200x2000x2300 | |
| Total weight (with hot zone) | kg | 2900 | |
July 2014
Successfully mastered the manufacture of new furnaces for weight crystal 95kg
| Parameter name | unit | number | description |
| Sapphire crystal growth method | Modified Kyropulos (KY) | Technology and design development on the base of own long term experience | |
| Crystal weight | kg | 94-95 | |
| Crystal size:
Diameter (max) High (max) |
mm | 300
400 |
|
| Crucible size; Diameter (O.D.)High, total |
mm | 350
520 |
Tungsten crucible |
| Heating method | Resistive, tungsten heater | New design heater, long life time | |
| Power supply main (50/60 Hz) | V | 380/400 | 3-phase, 5 wire |
| Heater’s supply voltage | V | 12 AC/DC | 2 modifications, SCR or IGBT |
| Max power consumption (kW) | kW | 75 | |
| Actual power consumption at seeding | kW | 65 | High energy saving |
| Total process (cycle) power consumption | kW/h | 20.000 | Total process (whole cycle) time 16-17 days |
| Heating power control accuracy | % | +/-0,01 | High accuracy power control |
| Grown crystal weight sensor capacity up to | kg | 150 | |
| Growing crystal weight measurement accuracy | gr | +/-5 | Growing crystal actual weight (weight increment) control |
| Pulling shaft travelling rate | mm/h | 0.1-2.5 | 150 mm shaft travel length |
| Cooling system (water) | Circulating water in closed system, under the automation control of software | ||
| Inlet water temperature | С | 20-30 | distilled recycling water |
| Cooling water temperature stability | С | +/-2 | |
| Outlet water temperature, up to | С | 45 | Water high temperature alarm |
| Water flow – approx. | m3/h | 8-9 | adjustable |
| Inlet water pressure | 105Pa/kgf/cm2 | 2.5+/-0.5 | adjustable |
| Control system | PLC (programmable controller)
Provides automation overall crystal growing process, except seeding |
||
| Growing process supervision |
|
||
| Controlled parameters in the crystal growing program |
|
||
| Hot zones |
|
||
| Dimensions (WxLxH) | mm | 2200x2000x2300 | |
| Total weight (with hot zone) | kg | 2900 | |
February 2014
Our company started to develop the stations for sapphire tape growing by Stepanov method (EFG) for smartphone glasses.
August 2013
Currently, for the first time in world practice, we have developed a hardware-software product with the code name “Technologist’s Calculator”. This development is unique, and it embodies the results of experiments, physical and technological aspects of the growth of single crystals and unique engineering developments.
The Technologist’s Calculator allows us to automatically calculate the optimal growth program for a single crystal of leucosapphire weighing from 32 to 90 kg and integrate it into a common growth monitoring and control system for each specific stations.
The calculations take into account the mass and energy parameters of crystal growth, as well as the dimensions of the crucible, the charge mass, the diameter of the last constrictions, the speed of the rod, crystallization rate and power on the heater when the process is set to crystallization. In addition, the angles of growth of the growth cone and other parameters are set.
Any operator of low qualification can cope with work in the Technologist’s Calculator. All that is required from him is to enter several parameters into the dialog window and click the button “Calculate the growth program”. Then everything happens automatically without operator intervention.
An example of the display of a technological program in a control system for crystal growth is below:
February 2013
A special device has been developed that allows maintaining the viewing window in a transparent state (without pollution) for an unlimited time. This device is part of the television system, provides a good overview of the seed zone. The system allows the etching process to be carried out not only through the technological window by visual inspection, but also through the monitor screen. It is possible to conduct the process remotely, outside the area of growth stations.
October 2012
Based on the modernization strategy developed by us and the development directions of technological equipment for crystal growth, the concept of a new generation of growth stations is proposed. The concept is based on the complete exclusion of the “human factor” at all stages of the growth process: from the moment of receiving the melt, seeding and exit of the finished crystal.This will reduce energy consumption, improve the quality of crystals, and ultimately reduce the cost of the final product.
Knowledge of the intricacies of physical and chemical processes occurring during the crystallization from the melt, and knowledge of modern, non-traditional methods of obtaining and processing information, as well as its own processing methods and technical developments have allowed our development team of 15 people (scientists, technologists and engineers design) to create a new a type of growth equipment with a fundamentally new structure of a control and management system for the growth of a sapphire crystal, which has no analogues in the world.
Today an automatic hardware-software complex for technological control and growth management of leucosapphire crystals weighing up to 100 kg has been developed and is successfully testing.
The complex allows to:
1. Carry out automatic crystal seeding, control of constriction parameters with the possibility of visual control of the seeding process from a technologist’s remote workstation and, if necessary, intervention, in order to adjust the technological map of a specific growth process. In this case, a special mathematical apparatus for object recognition, color contrasting and grayscale image filtering is used.
2. 2D – visualization of the process of crystal growth from the melt in real time. The metric characteristics of constrictions are used to control the mass parameters of the growing crystal at the initial stage of cone growth..
3. New physical principles and mathematical methods have been developed for processing the information received, which will make it possible in the near future to exclude weight load cells from the information acquisition chain for controlling the crystal growth process. Strain gauges will remain only for monitoring the process from thetechnologist`s workplace and for documenting the weight indicators at each growth unit for analysis when developing new thermal units.
February 2012
We are conducting experimental work to test a three-phase heater of a new design. Preliminary results indicate that the life of the heater can be increased several times.
November 2011
An active development of a new control system is underway to significantly reduce temperature fluctuations during the growth process.