Reactive Flow in Halide Chemical Vapor Deposition of Silicon Carbide Epitaxial Films

Halide chemical vapor deposition emerges as a potent technique for growing silicon carbide epitaxial films at high deposition rates. Experimental studies suggest that thermal environment and fluid flow in the reactor are important factors that control the gas-phase and surface chemistry and therefore have a profound influence on the deposition rate, quality, and properties of the as-deposited films. In this study, a comprehensive transport model that includes gas dynamics, heat and mass transfer, gas-phase and surface chemistry, and radio-frequency induction heating is employed to study the complex heterogeneous chemical reactions as well as transport of multiple chemical species in a high-temperature environment. Simulations are performed over a wide range of operational parameters in a horizontal hot-wall reactor Using SiCl4/C3H8/H-2 as the precursors. The. results show that deposition temperature and the flow rate of carrier gas are important factors determining the processing conditions and deposition rate. The model can be further used to improve reactor design and to optimize the processing conditions.