Patent ID: 8506706

Claim:
A method for growing a monocrystalline germanium (Ge) crystal, comprising: loading a first raw Ge material into a crucible, the crucible including a seed well holding a seed crystal; loading a second raw Ge material into a container for supplementing the first raw Ge material; sealing the crucible and the container in an ampoule; placing the ampoule in a crystal growth furnace having a movable ampoule support that supports the ampoule; melting the first raw Ge material in the crucible to create a melt; melting the second raw Ge material in the container; adding the second raw Ge material as melted to the melt; controlling a crystallizing temperature gradient of the melt so that the melt crystallizes when in contact with the seed crystal and forms a monocrystalline germanium ingot; and cooling the monocrystalline germanium ingot.