Abstract: [Object] To provide a thin plate-shaped single-crystal production equipment and a thin plate-shaped single-crystal production method that can produce a thin plate-shaped single crystal having a uniform dopant concentration at an optimum chemical composition and a thickness of several hundreds of micrometers continuously at low cost with high precision even when the single crystal is a single crystal of an incongruent melting material or a solid solution material or a single crystal of a congruent melting material.

Abstract: [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.

Abstract: [Object] To provide a thin plate-shaped single-crystal production equipment and a thin plate-shaped single-crystal production method that can produce a thin plate-shaped single crystal having a uniform dopant concentration at an optimum chemical composition and a thickness of several hundreds of micrometers continuously at low cost with high precision even when the single crystal is a single crystal of an incongruent melting material or a solid solution material or a single crystal of a congruent melting material.

Abstract: [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.

Abstract: A single-crystal production equipment which includes, at least: a raw material supply apparatus which supplies a granular raw material to a melting apparatus positioned therebelow; the melting apparatus heats and melts the granular raw material to generate a raw material melt and supplies the raw material melt into a single-crystal production crucible positioned therebelow; and a crystallization apparatus which includes the single-crystal production crucible in which a seed single crystal is placed on the bottom, and a first infrared ray irradiation equipment which irradiates an infrared ray to the upper surface of the seed single crystal in the single-crystal production crucible, and the single-crystal production equipment is configured such that the raw material melt is dropped into a melt formed by irradiating the upper surface of the seed single crystal with the infrared ray, and a single crystal is allowed to precipitate out of the thus formed mixed melt.

Abstract: A method for producing a single crystal having a diameter of 200 mm or greater in which: (1) a seed crystal is provided; (2) an upper surface of the seed crystal is melted with an infrared ray supplied obliquely from above to create a melt covering the upper surface of the seed crystal; and (3) a powder raw material is supplied from above the seed crystal onto an area of the melt that is 90% or less of a diameter of the seed crystal, and the powder raw material supplied onto the melt is melted with the infrared ray supplied obliquely from above to melt the powder raw material while, simultaneously, a lower surface of the melt is solidified on the seed crystal. The infrared ray is applied to an area of the melt that is within 90% of the diameter of the seed crystal.

Abstract: Produced is a large single crystal with no crystal grain boundary, which is a high-quality single crystal that has a uniform composition in both the vertical and horizontal directions at an optimum dopant concentration. Provided is a single-crystal production equipment including, at least: a granular raw material supply apparatus which supplies a certain amount of a granular raw material downward; a granular raw material melting apparatus which heats and melts the granular raw material and supplies the thus obtained raw material melt downward; and a crystallization apparatus which allows a single crystal to precipitate out of a mixed melt that is formed upon receiving a melt formed by irradiating an infrared ray from a first infrared ray irradiation equipment to the upper surface of a seed single crystal and the raw material melt supplied from the granular raw material melting apparatus.

Abstract: Produced is a large single crystal with no crystal grain boundary, which is a high-quality single crystal that has a uniform composition in both the vertical and horizontal directions at an optimum dopant concentration and contains only a small number of negative crystals and exsolution lamellae. A single-crystal production equipment includes at least: a quartz crucible in which a seed crystal is placed on its bottom; a powder raw material supply apparatus which supplies a powder raw material into the quartz crucible; and an infrared ray irradiation apparatus which applies an infrared ray to the powder raw material supplied into the quartz crucible from the powder raw material supply apparatus.

Abstract: Produced is a large single crystal with no crystal grain boundary, which is a high-quality single crystal that has a uniform composition in both the vertical and horizontal directions at an optimum dopant concentration.

Abstract: Produced is a large single crystal with no crystal grain boundary, which is a high-quality single crystal that has a uniform composition in both the vertical and horizontal directions at an optimum dopant concentration and contains only a small number of negative crystals and exsolution lamellae. A single-crystal production equipment includes at least: a quartz crucible in which a seed crystal is placed on its bottom; a powder raw material supply apparatus which supplies a powder raw material into the quartz crucible; and an infrared ray irradiation apparatus which applies an infrared ray to the powder raw material supplied into the quartz crucible from the powder raw material supply apparatus.

Abstract: A single-crystal production equipment includes a transparent quartz tube, in which a seed crystal is placed; a powder raw material supply apparatus, which is arranged above the transparent quartz tube and supplies a powder raw material onto the seed crystal placed in the transparent quartz tube; and an infrared ray irradiation apparatus, which is arranged outside the transparent quartz tube and applies an infrared ray to the upper surface of the seed crystal placed in the transparent quartz tube as well as the powder raw material supplied into the transparent quartz tube by the powder raw material supply apparatus. The infrared ray melts the upper surface of the seed crystal and the powder raw material and subsequently the resulting melt solidifies on the seed crystal to provide a single crystal.

Abstract: [Technical Problem] It is an object to provide a device for a single-crystal growth and a method of a single-crystal growth in which even when materials that are different in, for example, a melting point or a diameter are to be grown, the conditions for the stable growth of a single crystal can be obtained and a high-quality single crystal having a desired diameter can hence be grown. In addition, the device and the method have a reduced fluctuation of heating intensity to facilitate a crystal growth. [Solution of Problem] A device for a single-crystal growth is provided with a raw material rod (14) that is supported by an upper crystal driving shaft (8), a seed crystal rod (16) that is supported by a lower crystal driving shaft (12), and a heating means, and a contact part of the raw material rod (14) with the seed crystal rod (16) is heated with a heating means to form a melting zone (18) and grow a single crystal.

Abstract: This invention provides a floating zone melting apparatus in which a sample rod especially having a large diameter can be stably melted with a certainty and the crystal being grown can retain a flat shape at the interface of the solid phase and the liquid phase, whereby a single crystal having a large diameter can be grown. [Problem] It is an object to provide a floating zone melting apparatus of the infrared concentration heating type in which a sample is set in a sample chamber made of a transparent quartz tube, an atmospheric gas is introduced into the sample chamber, infrared rays emitted from a plurality of infrared ray irradiation means are converged to the sample to heat and melt the sample in this state, thereby obtaining a melt, and the melt is solidified on a seed crystal to grow a single crystal.

Abstract: This invention provides a floating zone melting apparatus of an infrared intensive heating system in which a temperature gradient in the circumferential direction of a sample in a molten part is small, a temperature gradient in the vertical direction thereof is steep, a satisfactorily high maximum achieving temperature can be realized, and a stable molten state can be achieved. In a floating zone melting apparatus of a four elliptical mirror type comprising a rotary ellipsoidal reflecting mirror 2 disposed opposite to each other on an orthogonal axis, the eccentricity of the rotary ellipsoidal reflecting mirror 2 is in the range of 0.4 to 0.65, and the ratio of a depth of the rotary ellipsoidal reflecting mirror 2 to a diameter of an opening in the rotary ellipsoidal reflecting mirror 2 is in the range of 0.38 to 0.75. Moreover, a glass mirror is used as the rotary ellipsoidal reflecting mirror 2.

Abstract: Disclosed are a production apparatus and a production process in which a thick and high-quality single crystal film can be formed on both sides of a colored substrate. Both single crystal growth surfaces of a colored substrate which has been fixed through a substrate holder within a reactor are substantially evenly heated by at least one pair of infrared irradiation devices each comprising an infrared generating source and a reflecting mirror to produce a single crystal.

Abstract: An antifogging product comprises an inorganic hydrophilic hard layer having a great number of nano-size concave portions with an average depth of 10 nm to 10 &mgr;m from the surface, and being filled up a surfactant in the concave portions so as to flow out continuously. The hard layer has a high mechanical strength and its antifogging effect sustainable for long periods of time, and is formed on a transparent base material of a lens, a plastic plate or the like at a low temperature near room temperature. Therefore, the antifogging product are extremely useful not only in eye-glass lenses but in many applications, including goggles and optical windows.

Abstract: The present invention provides an apparatus for permitting easy formation of a stable molten region and easy growing of even large-diameter single crystals, with a good-quality of single crystals, of which a floating zone melting apparatus of the infrared-ray concentrated heating type has halogen lamps at one side focal point of four oppositely arranged ellipsoidal reflecting mirrors along orthogonal axes with the inside surfaces thereof as the reflectors, and condensing infrared-rays reflected from the reflectors onto the other side focal point, thereby accomplishing heating, wherein the eccentricity is within a range of from 0.4 to 0.65.

Abstract: A single crystal of yttrium-iron garnet or solid solution comprising aluminum oxide component, gallium oxide component, iron oxide and/or the other rare earth oxide component is produced by a floating zone method.