Single-crystal production equipment and single-crystal production method

A single-crystal production equipment for producing a large single crystal by placing a seed single crystal in a single-crystal production crucible, supplying a raw material melt, which is obtained by melting a granular raw material using a granular raw material melting apparatus, into said single-crystal production crucible, and allowing the single crystal to precipitate as a solid on said seed single crystal,

• wherein said single-crystal production equipment comprises, at least:
• a granular raw material supply apparatus which supplies a certain amount of said granular raw material to the granular raw material melting apparatus positioned therebelow;
• said granular raw material melting apparatus comprises a granular raw material melting vessel which receives said granular raw material and a vessel heating equipment which heats said granular raw material melting vessel and thereby melts said granular raw material in said granular raw material melting vessel to generate the raw material melt which is supplied to said single-crystal production crucible positioned therebelow;
• a crystallization apparatus which includes said single-crystal production crucible in which said seed single crystal is placed on the bottom, and
• an infrared ray irradiation equipment which irradiates an infrared ray to the upper surface of said seed single crystal in said single-crystal production crucible,
• wherein said single-crystal production equipment is configured such that said raw material melt supplied from said granular raw material melting apparatus is dropped into the melt formed by irradiating the upper surface of said seed single crystal with said infrared ray, and the large single crystal is allowed to precipitate out of the thus formed mixed melt and an additional infrared ray irradiation equipment arranged above said single-crystal production crucible heats an area around a periphery of the melt and/or the mixed melt adjacent a sidewall of the single-crystal production crucible, and
• wherein said infrared radiation equipment which irradiates the infrared ray to the upper surface of said seed single crystal comprises an elliptical reflector and an infrared lamp or laser irradiation equipment for laser light irradiation.