aSoft-Impact Ltd, CVD Modeling Department, P.O. Box 33, 27 Engels av., 194156 St. Petersburg, Russia
bInstitute for Quantum Electronics and Photonics, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
Abstract:
A simple quasi-thermodynamic model of surface chemistry in GaN hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE) is presented. The model is coupled with the detailed 3D simulations of species transport in a horizontal-tube reactor and validated by the comparison with the data on the GaN growth rate obtained by laser reflectometry. Parametric study of the growth rate as a function of temperature and species flow rates has been performed over a wide range of growth conditions. The important role of species transport in an HVPE reactor is demonstrated. In particular, a strong effect of the natural concentration convection resulting in the formation of recirculation zones and in a non-uniform vapor composition is revealed by modeling. The impact of these effects on the GaN growth rate and V/III ratio on the growth surface is discussed in detail.