There are various magnetic field based approaches to melt flow control that are used commercially to improve the quality of a crystal grown from the melt. Most of them are based on either a uniform or a rotating magnetic field. In this work, the effect of applying a suitably positioned magnetic field gradient on the growth of single crystals, particularly the interface curvature, growth rate and dopant distribution is investigated. Comparison between crystal growth under the influence of a uniform magnetic field and a magnetic field gradient brings out the significant advantages of the developed method. The use of a magnetic gradient is shown to give a uniform dopant distribution and produce a planar interface. The ease of control as well as the commercial feasibility of such a technique is emphasized. Finally, its promising role in biological macromolecular growth is addressed. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.