Design Optimization of Induction Heater in Planetary Reactors for Semiconductor Industry
One application of induction heating is a planetary reactor for deposition of compound semiconductor layers from the gas phase. High temperature needed for the process is provided by a “pancake” induction coil. Temperature distribution in the reactor influences the deposition quality as well as the lifetime of the reactor components. The induction coil shape has been improved by numerical modelling combined with automatic optimization. The developed two-and three-dimensional models include coupled electromagnetic and thermal calculations to take into account temperature dependent material properties. Three-dimensional structural analysis, based on the predicted temperature distribution, was used to estimate the level of the appeared thermal stresses in the reactor parts. The received optimal design of the induction coil has been successfully tested in the industrial planetary reactor.