An Inversion Technique to Determine the Aerosol Size Distribution in Multicomponent Systems from In Situ Light Scattering Measurements

An inversion technique based on angular dissymmetry to determine the size distribution of a nonabsorbing aerosol formed in a multicomponent system is developed. The parameters of the lognormal distribution function and an effective refractive index are determined by fitting the computed Mie scattering intensities to measured scattering intensities at multiple angles. The technique is used to determine the evolution of the aerosol size distribution formed by oxidation of silicon tetrachloride, phosphorous oxy-chloride, and germanium tetrachloride. The addition of varying quantities of POCl3 and GeCl4 to a SiCl4 vapor feed on the alteration of the size distribution and morphology of particles is established.