The Thermal Field Design of a 150 mm Sic Crystal Growth System by Numerical Simulation

Abstract Numerical simulation analysis, enabled by the physical vapor transport (PVT) technique, has been widely adopted to study the growth process of silicon carbide (SiC). In this study, a 2D axisymmetric model employed the finite volume method (FVM) is adopted to simulate the thermal fields and mass transfer of SiC powders with different particle sizes, thicknesses of the top thermal insulation, side wall thicknesses of the lid, and distances between the lid center and the top thermal insulation in a SiC crystal growth system. The simulation results revealed that the reduction in particle size increased the radial and axial temperature gradients in the powder region. Meanwhile, when the thickness of the top thermal insulation decreased, the axial temperature gradient inside the crucible increased significantly. Furthermore, the change in the side wall thickness of the lid significantly affected the thermal field distribution on the crystal surface and consequently affected the crystal growth shape. Finally, the variation in the distance between the lid center and the top thermal insulation has a significant influence on the axial and radial temperature gradients. Overall, these results indicate that the quality of SiC crystal growth may be improved by adjusting particle size, thermal insulation and crucible design.