PRODUCTION OF OXIDE SINGLE CRYSTAL, OXIDE SINGLE CRYSTAL RAW MATERIAL USED THEREFOR AND PRODUCTION OF THE RAW MATERIAL

PURPOSE:To prevent the scatter of the melt when the raw material is melted, to suppress the damage of a refractory and to constitute the quality and yield of a single crystal by using a granular single crystal or polycrystal as the raw material for the oxide single crystal. CONSTITUTION:The starting material of an oxide single crystal is sintered anc crushed, and the crushed material is mixed with a dispersion medium such as pure water to prepare a pasty material having desired viscosity. The pasty material 1 is contained in a platinum funnel 2 sharpened at the end and dropped from the thin tube-shaped tip 2a, the falling gelled soln. 3 is heated by an acetylene burner 4 in accordance with the falling rate and gradually melted, and a fixed amt. of the falling melt is rapidly cooled in a water tank 5 to obtain granular material 6 having 0.1-5mm diameter. The granular single crystal or polycrystal is heated in a crucible and melted, a seed crystal is dipped in the melt and then pulled up while rotating the single crystal, and an oxide single crystal is produced.