Optimization of inlet velocity profile for uniform epitaxial growth

균일한 에피층 성장을 위한 입구 유속분포 최적화

A numerical optimization procedure is developed to find the inlet velocity profile that yields the most uniform epitaxial layer in a vertical MOCVD reactor. It involves the solution of fully elliptic equations of motion, temperature, and concentration; the finite volume method based on SIMPLE algorithm has been adopted to solve the Navier-Stokes equations. The overall optimization process is highly nonlinear and has been efficiently treated by the sequential linear programming technique that breaks the non-linear problem into a series of linear ones. The optimal profile approximated by a 6th-degree Chebyshev polynomial is very successful in reducing the spatial non-uniformity of the growth rate. The optimization is particularly effective to the high Reynolds number flow. It is also found that a properly constructed inlet velocity profile can suppress the buoyancy driven secondary flow and improve the growth-rate uniformity.