Structural Design Optimization of Physical Vapor Transport Furnace for Aluminum Nitride Crystal Growth via Modeling and Simulation

The growth of high-quality aluminum nitride (AlN) crystals heavily relies on precision of high temperatures that the thermal gradient impacts their growth rate, size, and quality, especially when the physical vapor transport (PVT) method is used. In this paper, we proposed innovative mechanical and design improvements to the crystal growing furnace by optimizing the shape and height of the blind hole to achieve a uniform or better thermal distribution. We presented simulation results of the thermal field in the crystal growing device using COMSOL and found that the proposed modification effectively reduces the thermal gradient and minimizes the thermal stress. Additionally, the new structure promotes organized natural convection, which benefits species transport in the furnace.