THE EFFECT OF WALL HEATING IN HORIZONTAL ORGANOMETALLIC VAPOR-PHASE EPITAXIAL REACTORS

Numerical solutions of the conservation of mass, momentum, and energy equations in a horizontal organometallic vapor phase epitaxial reactor have been obtained for different temperature boundary conditions. The idealized case of isothermal reactor walls was compared to the physically realistic case of a wall which interacts radiatively and convectively with its surroundings. The thermal radiation analysis includes a two-band model for the nongray, semitransparent, quartz walls of the reactor. The radiation analysis is coupled with convection to (or from) the gas on the inside and to the ambient on the outside of the reactor. Wall heating is shown to have a substantial effect on the velocity and temperature fields in the reactor. The simulated temperature fields show a close match with experimental results. The temperature distribution along the wall for the radiation case was compared with the isothermal case. Finally, the effect on growth rate along the susceptor was studied.