Numerical Simulation of the Flow, Temperature, and Concentration Fields in a Radio Frequency Plasma CVD Reactor

A mathematical model is presented for the numerical simulation of the flow in a radio frequency (RF) plasma chemical, vapor, and deposition (CVD) reactor. The main parts include a plasma torch (2.5 cm in radius, 22.5 cm long), a reactor (2.5 cm in radius, 20.0 cm long), and a powder collector (4.0 cm in radius, 20 cm long) with a water-cooling tank at the center. The model is based on the solution of two-dimensional continuity, momentum, energy, and species equations in cylindrical coordinates simultaneously with the one-dimensional magnetic and electric-field equations. Detailed knowledge about the velocity, species distributions, and temperature field (both in the flow and in the wall which confines the flow) is obtained by the numerical method SIMPLER of Patankar and Spalding. The effect of some important parameters such as side injection slit width and swirl velocity are investigated. Calculation is made under atmospheric pressure at a power level of 8.4 kW with argon as a heating gas and SiCl4, NH3, H2 as reactants. Owing to the lack of related reaction rate, the chemical reaction and crystallization are not taken into account. Some comments on the flow field in the reactor are made.