[Object] To provide a single-crystal fiber production equipment and a single-crystal fiber production method that do not at all require high precision control necessary for a conventional single-crystal production equipment, can very easily maintain a stable steady state for a long time, and can stably produce a long single crystal fiber having a length of several hundreds of meters or more. [Solution] The single-crystal fiber production equipment is used to produce a single crystal fiber by irradiating an upper surface of a raw material rod with a laser beam within a chamber to form a melt, immersing a seed single crystal in the melt, and pulling the seed single crystal upward. The single-crystal fiber production equipment includes: a laser light source that emits the laser beam as a collimated beam; a pulling device configured to be upward and downward movable in a vertical direction with the seed single crystal held thereby; and a flat reflector that reflects the laser beam such that the reflected laser beam is incident vertically on the upper surface of the raw material rod. The upper surface of the raw material rod is irradiated with the laser beam such that the melt has a donut-shaped temperature distribution.

A crystal-growth apparatus (10, 10’,10”) and a crystal-growth method for growing a crystal (21) from a molten feed material (23) are presented, where in addition to a molten-zone heater, at least one afterheater laser (5) is arranged to heat an extended afterheater zone (50), the afterheater zone (50) at least partly overlapping a solidification zone (210) adjacent to the molten zone (230). The crystal-growth apparatus (10, 10’,10”) and the crystal-growth method may be used for thermal treatment to reduce crack formation or thermal stress in grown crystals (21).

A crystal-growth apparatus (10, 10’,10”) and a crystal-growth method for growing a crystal (21) from a molten feed material (23) are presented, where in addition to a molten-zone heater, at least one afterheater laser (5) is arranged to heat an extended afterheater zone (50), the afterheater zone (50) at least partly overlapping a solidification zone (210) adjacent to the molten zone (230). The crystal-growth apparatus (10, 10’,10”) and the crystal-growth method may be used for thermal treatment to reduce crack formation or thermal stress in grown crystals (21).

In the method for preparing single crystal superalloy test bars by using a Ni—W heterogeneous seed crystal, on the premise of ensuring that the single crystal superalloy has the required orientation, by reusing the seed crystal, it is achieved that the trouble caused by the need of preparing a new seed crystal when a single crystal superalloy is produced by the seed crystal method every time is avoided, and the production cost is significantly reduced. In the present disclosure, the formation of the stray grains in mushy zone could be avoided by using a Ni—W heterogeneous seed crystal without mushy zone and a built-in corundum tube.

In the method for preparing single crystal superalloy test bars by using a Ni—W heterogeneous seed crystal, on the premise of ensuring that the single crystal superalloy has the required orientation, by reusing the seed crystal, it is achieved that the trouble caused by the need of preparing a new seed crystal when a single crystal superalloy is produced by the seed crystal method every time is avoided, and the production cost is significantly reduced. In the present disclosure, the formation of the stray grains in mushy zone could be avoided by using a Ni—W heterogeneous seed crystal without mushy zone and a built-in corundum tube.

In a crystal manufacturing method, first, a feedstock including a tapered tip portion is disposed above a crystal growth region. Then, a side surface of the tip portion is selectively heated and melted by radiant heat traveling diagonally upward while a shape of the tip portion is maintained, and the side surface of the tip portion is physically connected to an upper surface of the crystal growth region by a material melted from the side surface. In a crystal manufacturing apparatus, the radiant heat for melting the feedstock is radiated from an electric resistance heater.

In a crystal manufacturing method, first, a feedstock including a tapered tip portion is disposed above a crystal growth region. Then, a side surface of the tip portion is selectively heated and melted by radiant heat traveling diagonally upward while a shape of the tip portion is maintained, and the side surface of the tip portion is physically connected to an upper surface of the crystal growth region by a material melted from the side surface. In a crystal manufacturing apparatus, the radiant heat for melting the feedstock is radiated from an electric resistance heater.

A convection pattern estimation method of a silicon melt includes: applying a horizontal magnetic field of 0.2 tesla or more to a silicon melt in a rotating quartz crucible with use of a pair of magnetic bodies disposed across the quartz crucible; before a seed crystal is dipped into the silicon melt to which the horizontal magnetic field is applied; measuring temperatures at a first and second measurement points positioned on a first imaginary line that passes through a center of a surface of the silicon melt and is not in parallel with a central magnetic field line of the horizontal magnetic field as viewed vertically from above; and estimating a direction of a convection flow in a plane in the silicon melt orthogonal to the direction in which the horizontal magnetic field is applied on a basis of the measured temperatures of the first and second measurement points.

A convection pattern estimation method of a silicon melt includes: applying a horizontal magnetic field of 0.2 tesla or more to a silicon melt in a rotating quartz crucible with use of a pair of magnetic bodies disposed across the quartz crucible; before a seed crystal is dipped into the silicon melt to which the horizontal magnetic field is applied; measuring temperatures at a first and second measurement points positioned on a first imaginary line that passes through a center of a surface of the silicon melt and is not in parallel with a central magnetic field line of the horizontal magnetic field as viewed vertically from above; and estimating a direction of a convection flow in a plane in the silicon melt orthogonal to the direction in which the horizontal magnetic field is applied on a basis of the measured temperatures of the first and second measurement points.

A convection pattern estimation method of a silicon melt includes: applying a horizontal magnetic field of 0.2 tesla or more to a silicon melt in a rotating quartz crucible with use of a pair of magnetic bodies disposed across the quartz crucible; before a seed crystal is dipped into the silicon melt to which the horizontal magnetic field is applied; measuring temperatures at a first and second measurement points positioned on a first imaginary line that passes through a center of a surface of the silicon melt and is not in parallel with a central magnetic field line of the horizontal magnetic field as viewed vertically from above; and estimating a direction of a convection flow in a plane in the silicon melt orthogonal to the direction in which the horizontal magnetic field is applied on a basis of the measured temperatures of the first and second measurement points.