Sapphire has been used for many high technology applications because of its excellent optical, mechanical, high temperature, abrasion resistance and dielectric properties. However, it is expensive and the volume of sapphire used has been limited. The potential sapphire requirements for LED and consumer electronic applications are very high. Emphasis has been on producing larger sapphire boules to achieve significant cost reductions so these applications are realized. World's largest sapphire boules, 500 mm diameter 300+kg, have been grown to address these markets. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.