Numerical Study on Chemical Vapor Deposition of ZrC and Optimization of Deposition Uniformity with Flexible Flow Controller

Abstract Deposition uniformity and its control are significant indicators for evaluating the CVD process. This work proposed a method for optimizing the deposition uniformity of the CVD-ZrC system with a flexible flow controller. An adaptive optimization procedure for controlling the shape of the flexible flow controller by 6 key points was designed. The control mechanism and parameter design of the deposition system were investigated with numerical and dimensional analysis of flow dynamics and deposition reaction. Three comparison cases were tested through computational fluid dynamics simulation, and the effectiveness of the method was verified by the deposition uniformity evaluation function. The results indicate that the optimized flexible flow controller enhanced the deposition uniformity through adjusting the boundary structure near the substrate plate. The "corner effect" at the edge of the substrate makes the distribution of deposition surface fluctuate, and can be resolved by designing a semi-elliptic structure at the tip of the substrate plate. The final deposition uniformity increased by approximately 71%, after optimizing with the flexible flow controller. This article provides a technical way for the control of the CVD process using high-temperature flexible materials, which should also be an important means for future experimental research.