Using its its proprietary modified Kyropoulos (KY) method, Monocrystal Inc of Stavropol, Russia, which manufactures large-diameter sapphire substrates and cores for LED, optical product and RFIC applications (as well as screen printing metallization pastes for silicon-based solar cells), has produced what is reckoned to be the world's first 300kg KY sapphire crystal.
Picture: Monocrystal's CEO Oleg Kachalov with 300kg Kyropoulous crystal.
"We are committed to helping our customers enable large-size sapphire applications in both LED and consumer electronics by growing extra-large sapphire crystals," says CEO Oleg Kachalov. "At the same time, larger crystals will drive sapphire cost down and open new price-sensitive markets to us," he adds. "Our 300kg crystals put Monocrystal production scalability to a revolutionary level and are vital for broader sapphire adoption in smartphones and other handsets, where glass is still the mainstream."
Monocrystal has been developing sapphire crystal growing technology for more than 30 years, and 300kg crystal represents a milestone in expanding its capabilities in both capacity development and cost reduction.
