METHOD OF MANUFACTURING SAPPHIRE SINGLE CRYSTAL

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method of manufacturing a single crystal capable of obtaining a quality sapphire single crystal restrained from generation of an inclusion caused by the reaction between crucible material or carbon vapor and melt solution of the raw material during the growth of the single crystal.SOLUTION: This method of manufacturing a sapphire single crystal is a melt solution growth method in which a crucible 1 made of molybdenum, tungsten or their alloy is set in a chamber 6 using carbon heaters 3, 4 or a carbon insulating material 5, and the sapphire raw material powder is charged in the crucible 1 and after previously substituting the ambient gas with an inactive gas, the crucible 1 is directly heated to melt the sapphire raw material powder, then the raw material melt solution 10 thus obtained is contacted with a seed crystal 11 and grown crystal 12 is drawn up. The ambient gas is a mixed gas of an inactive gas and carbon monoxide gas, and the content of carbon monoxide gas is sufficient in quantity to restrain the generation of the inclusion caused by the reaction between carbon vapor or the crucible material and the sapphire raw material melt solution.