Epitaxial wafer production apparatus and susceptor structure
A susceptor structure capable of discharging the atmosphere containing dopant species and filling a wafer pocket, without causing a large quantity of a raw material gas to flow from the front surface side of a susceptor to under the susceptor. The susceptor having an approximately round disk shape and having a concave wafer pocket on the front surface thereof for accommodating a wafer, comprises a gas inlet notch passing through from a side surface or a rear surface of the susceptor to the wafer pocket, and a gas discharge notch passing through from the wafer pocket to the side surface or the rear surface of the susceptor. A carrier gas is introduced from the gas inlet notch of the susceptor into the wafer pocket, as shown by arrow b and the gas present inside the wafer pocket is discharged from the gas discharge notch, as shown by arrow c, by using the rotation of the susceptor during epitaxial film growth.
1. A susceptor of an approximately round disk shape, having a concave wafer pocket on a front surface thereof for accommodating a wafer and support arms for supporting a susceptor, comprising:
a gas supply channel; and
a gas discharge channel, wherein
said gas supply channel comprises an aperture and a groove,
wherein the aperture passes through from a rear surface of the susceptor to the wafer pocket and is connected to an inner end of a groove formed on the rear surface of the susceptor while an outer end of the groove extends to a circumferential edge of the susceptor so as to provide gas flow path from the circumferential edge of the susceptor to the wafer pocket, and
said gas discharge channel comprises a second aperture and a second groove,
wherein the second aperture passes through from the rear surface of the susceptor to the wafer pocket and is connected to an inner end of the groove formed on the rear surface of the susceptor, while the outer end of the groove extends to the circumferential edge of the susceptor so as to provide gas flow path from the wafer pocket to the circumferential edge of the susceptor,
wherein the gas supply channel and the gas discharge channel are formed at positions different from a position of the supporting arms.
2. The susceptor according to claim 1 ,
wherein the groove is curved in a rotating direction of the susceptor, when viewed from the inner end defining the groove.
3. The susceptor according to claim 1 ,
wherein a wafer-pocket-side of the first aperture is inwardly defined when viewed from the rear-surface-side opening of the first aperture.
4. The susceptor according to claim 1 ,
wherein a cross-sectional shape of the groove narrows from the outer end to the inner end of the groove.