Effect of Buoyancy, Susceptor Motion, and Conjugate Transport in Chemical Vapor Deposition Systems

Abstract

The fluid flow and heat transfer in the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) manufacturing process are studied numerically. Several crucial aspects such as thermal buoyancy, continuous processing, and conjugate transport are considered. For each aspect, the predicted heat transfer rate and the susceptor temperature are computed and qualitatively linked with the rate and uniformity of film deposition. It is shown that buoyancy effects in helium carrier gas commonly used in diffusion-limited CVD has a negligible effect on deposition rates. Susceptor motion is shown as a feasible alternative to improving the productivity. Conjugate heat transfer effects that arise demonstrate that reactor wall thickness and material may be judiciously chosen to improve temperature uniformity and enhance heat transfer rates, thereby improving deposition rate, film uniformity, and quality.