Three-dimensional predictions of transport phenomena in a circular horizontal MOCVD reactor

摘要

A three-dimensional numerical model is developed to analyze the mixed convection transport phenomena problem and predict the diffusion-controlled growth of GaAs from trimethyl-gallium [TMG=Ga(CH_3)_3] and arsine (AsH_3) in a horizontal metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) reactor with a circular cross-section. To correctly account for the circular cross-sectional shape of the horizontal reactor, a boundary-fitted coordinate (BFC) transformation technique is used. The mass, momentum, energy and species transport equations governing the MOCVD reactor are suitably non-dimensionalised and the non-dimensional set of transport equations are solved using a modified control-volume based finite-difference scheme. The effects of the inlet gas flow rate and susceptor width as well as the thermal boundary condition at the circular envelope of the reactor wall on the gas flow patterns and temperature and mass fraction profiles inside the reactor are studied. The local Nusselt number variations and the GaAs-film growth rate distributions on the susceptor are also presented and discussed