Complex Flow and Gas-Phase Reactions in a Horizontal Reactor for GaN Metalorganic Vapor Phase Epitaxy

Abstract

Three-dimensional fluid simulations are performed in a horizontal reactor for GaN epitaxy. Attention is paid to the effect of gas flow velocity at the inlet and gas pressure. It is found that the gas flow rate rather than the velocity or the pressure is a key parameter which controls the spatial distribution of streamlines, temperature and gas-phase species. As the gas flow rate increases, the size of return-flow or flow-separation appearing near the gas entrance of the expansion region with a tapering angle increases. This causes velocity peaking near the reactor symmetry plane and complicated transport of gas-phase species along the streamlines of the return-flow. If an optimum gas flow rate which gives minimum return-flow and uniform macroscopic spatial distribution for flow pattern and gas-phase species can be determined, then it is desirable to change the gas flow velocity and the gas pressure on the condition that the gas flow rate is maintained.