Transport phenomena and the effects of reactor geometry for epitaxial GaN growth in a vertical MOCVD reactor

In this study a numerical simulation was carried out to analyze the transport phenomena in a vertical type metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) reactor for Gallium Nitride (GaN) growth. The simulated results were compared and validated by experiment. The effects of showerhead design and chamber height are investigated and discussed. It was found that, by properly adjusting the height of the chamber, both the growth rate and film uniformity could be significantly improved. This is attributed to the suppression of the thermal and mass transfer boundary layers by the injection flow of reacting gas mixtures, as well as the confined vertical vortices caused by the geometry of the reduced space. However, inappropriate design of the distance between the showerhead and the susceptor can result in uneven distribution of the organic source in the vicinity of the substrate surface resulting in an uneven growth rate of the GaN film. Consequently, there exists an optimal chamber height that will give the best growth rate and uniformity to the GaN film as discussed in this study. This study provides comprehensive insight into the transport phenomena of GaN growth that includes coupled heat and mass transfer as well as chemical reactions. The results provide important information in a succinct format and enable decisions to be made about the showerhead and the geometrical design and size of a vertical MOCVD reactor.