The most important application area of sapphire is still the manufacturing of LED (substrate for epitaxial wafer process). At this stage, LED lighting equipment is very competitive with traditional lighting equipment, although the cost of LED lighting equipment is still high. But I think this is only a matter of time, because the epitaxial wafer process continues to improve, and the cost of LED lighting equipment has a downward trend.
In fact, only a few sapphire manufacturers are currently profitable. There are many sapphire crystal growth methods. It is worth mentioning that actually only the KY (infusion method) can be used for industrial applications (HMI heat exchange method – actually the inversion of the KY method, but it has no way to control the initial crystallization method).
It would not be fair to ignore other crystal growth methods (vertical crystallization, horizontal crystallization of STC), but the important thing is that to obtain high-quality sapphire, the first choice is still the KY (absorption method). This is an obvious and natural fact. Look at the world's leading sapphire manufacturers, they all use the KY (in-a-buffer method). I believe that this method or other methods based on the KY (aerosol method), regardless of the name, will be used to produce high quality (low defect) sapphires.
It must be noted that because sapphire is a unique material, its production is highly complex and requires high technology. Many companies are trying to engage in production when sapphire prices are at high prices, but all this is a "swarm" of influx, and because of this, quite a few of these manufacturers that have invested in manufacturing are making profits in the market.
The production and manufacturing of this industry definitely requires time and serious attitude. It's not feasible to quickly jump into a hot market and make a profit. But it's not entirely impossible. I would like to reiterate that this is an industry with high technical requirements, and you must be highly professional if you want to engage in it. This is the only way to get 100% positive results. You know, the technical requirements must be 100%. Even if you just ignore 1 percentage point, you cannot get 100% of the expected results.
The process of crystal growth itself takes a long time. This is its physical characteristics, and it takes time to master the crystal growth technology. For example, it takes 200 hours to grow a 60 kilogram sapphire crystal, and the total process time is 15 days. Patience and professionalism are necessary. Therefore, you must understand that sapphire production is not about "getting rich overnight." You buy equipment to install it today and start laying golden eggs.
This material should be respected, and sapphire needs to be respected and loved. I am fortunate to have spent a lot of time in this industry with many colleagues, and I have learned that those who are truly engaged in sapphire crystal growth truly love sapphires, and sapphires are their lives. I can say, this is my life! Natural sapphires and rubies are among the most expensive gemstones; growing sapphires is an art.
I believe that the professionals who have worked with us will make the most fair and objective evaluation of our efforts. We don't look at others, we go our own way, use our own methods and decisions to produce KY (bubble method) crystal growth equipment. Of course, we study and rely on the experience of the Soviet era and Russian crystal growth technicians. After all, they were among the best in starting KY (soaking method).
It is no coincidence that such a great substance gives people light... Thank you, Sapphire! (Text/General Manager Alexander Matukhnov of Ateva International Co., Ltd.)
ANNA