Patent ID: 7828897

Claim:
A crystal pulling apparatus using the Czochralski method comprising a crystal lifting and rotating device with which a crystal suspended by a neck is pulled from a melt, the neck including an upper thinner region and a lower thicker region and an enlargement between them; a support device for the crystal supplementing the crystal lifting and rotating device comprising a base body, which can be lowered independently of the crystal lifting and rotating device and, in coordination with the crystal lifting and rotating device, can be raised, on which at least two latches are supported such that they can be moved from a resting position, wherein the latches are capable of passing the enlargement, into an operating position wherein the latches extend beneath the enlargement, wherein each latch is supported on the base body such that it is swivellable about a pivot axis and that the base body comprises for each latch one stop determining the resting position and one stop determining the operating position, these stops being so disposed that in the resting position the center of gravity of the latch, viewed from the neck, is located on the other side of the pivot axis and in the operating position is located on this side of the pivot axis, wherein the base body is a ring encompassing the neck on which the latches are uniformly distributed over the circumference, wherein the latches can be mechanically moved from the resting position into the operating position by means of actuation elements supported on a housing of the apparatus.