Following the issues at
GT Advanced, one of Apple's producers of sapphire glass for the Apple Watch has been identified as a Russian company called
Monocrystal, according to a report. The synthetic sapphire producer is claimed to be a supplier to Apple, providing two-inch sapphire wafers specifically for the wearable device, and is believed to be one of the few sapphire glass producers making an operating profit by the end of 2014, with Monocrystal bringing in $87 million in annual revenue.
A report from analysis firm Yoke Development, supplied
to Sputnik News, claims Monocrystal now holds 27 percent of the global sapphire market for optoelectric applications and 11 percent of the market for aluminum pastes for solar energy. As a main supplier to Apple, the report counts the two-inch wafers as making up around 40 percent of its shipments, with four-inch versions making up the remainder, though it also produces wafers measuring eight and ten inches.
A 300-pound sapphire boule created by Monocrystal in July
Based on Stavropol, Russia, the company has benefited from a depreciation of the ruble, allowing it to increase production of two-inch wafers from 4 million to 5 million by the end of this year. It also expects to increase production capacity by more than 20 percent by the end of this year, in the process boosting its standing to taking up 30 percent of the global market.
The company produces its sapphire crystal via its own technology using the "kyropolous method." This has allowed it to create sapphire boules weighing 100kg (220 pounds) in the past, with it producing a 300-pound sapphire crystal in July.
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