Hydrodynamic and Chemical Modeling of a Chemical Vapor Deposition Reactor for Zirconia Deposition

(Received 12 November 1996, revised 25 February 1997, accepted 7 May 1997)

Abstract
Zirconia is deposited on cylindrical substrates by flowing post-discharge enhanced chemical vapor deposition. In this paper, a two dimensional hydrodynamic and chemical modeling of the reactor is described for given plasma characteristics. It helps in determining rate constants of the synthesis reaction of zirconia in gas phase and on the substrate which is ZrCl ₄ hydrolysis. Calculated deposition rate profiles are obtained by modeling under various conditions and fits with a satisfying accuracy the experimental results. The role of transport processes and the mixing conditions of excited gases with remaining ones are studied. Gas phase reaction influence on the growth rate is also discussed.