Numerical Verification of Gallium Nitride Thin-Film Growth in a Large MOCVD Reactor

A numerical verification procedure and the effects of operating conditions in a large, vertical, and close-spaced reactor for metalorganic chemical vapor deposition are investigated through simulation and analysis. A set of epitaxy experiments are presented for verifying the growth rate of the gallium nitride (GaN) mechanism reported in our previous study. The full governing equations for continuity, momentum, energy, and chemical reaction are solved numerically. The results show that the real operating parameters (susceptor temperature: 1188 degrees C or 1238 degrees C; pressure: 100-300 torr) affect thin-film uniformity, and the predicted growth rates agree reasonably well with the experimental data, indicating the accuracy of the projected chemical reaction mechanisms.