Film deposition in multi-wafer low-pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) reactors is typically very sensitive to the wafer surface temperature. Reactor heat transfer in the wafer stack can therefore play a key role in determining the uniformity of the deposited films. For this reason, it is important to understand the heat transfer in such reactors in order to control film deposition.

The Thermal Analyzer models radiant and conductive heat transfer within a multi-wafer LPCVD reactor to predict a 2-dimensional temperature profile. This temperature profile can then be used as input to the LPCVD Furnace Model for detailed chemical vapor deposition simulations. The LPCVD Thermal Analyzer can predict either the steady-state and transient behavior of the temperature field for a given set of heat-transfer boundary and initial conditions.