Susceptor for epitaxial growth and epitaxial growth method

Abstract

A susceptor for use in an epitaxial growth apparatus and method where a plurality of circular through-holes are formed in the bottom wall of a pocket in an outer peripheral region a distance of up to about ½ the radius toward the center of the circular bottom wall. The total opening surface area of these through-holes is 0.05 to 55% of the surface area of the bottom wall. The opening surface area of each of the through-holes provided at this outer peripheral region is 0.2 to 3.2 mm 2 and the density of the through-holes is 0.25 to 25 per cm 2 . After a semiconductor wafer is mounted in the pocket, epitaxial growth is carried out while source gas and carrier gas (i.e., reactive gas) is made to flow on the upper surface side of the susceptor and carrier gas is made to flow on the lower surface side.

1 . An epitaxial growth susceptor comprising a substantially circular bottom wall and a sidewall encompassing the bottom wall to form a pocket for mounting a semiconductor wafer, wherein a plurality of through-holes having a substantially circular or polygonal opening are provided in the bottom wall within a region of up to approximately half the radius of the bottom wall from the outer periphery to the center, in a radial direction, with the through-holes being included within at least the region of the bottom wall on which the semiconductor wafer is mounted; and a total opening surface area of the plurality of through-holes is between 0.05 to 55% of the surface area of the bottom wall.  
   
   
       2 . The epitaxial growth susceptor of  claim 1 , further provided with a support means at the bottom wall or the sidewall for supporting the semiconductor wafer through surface contact, line contact or point contact with only the outer periphery of the semiconductor wafer.  
   
   
       3 . The epitaxial growth susceptor of  claim 1 , wherein a SiC film is adhered to a surface of the susceptor and to inner wall surfaces of each of the through-holes.  
   
   
       4 . The epitaxial growth susceptor of  claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the bottom wall that includes the through-holes is made of a solid SiC material.  
   
   
       5 . The epitaxial growth susceptor of  claim 1 , wherein the through-holes are inclined with respect to the thickness direction of the bottom wall.  
   
   
       6 . An epitaxial growth susceptor comprising a substantially circular bottom wall and a sidewall encompassing the bottom wall to form a pocket for mounting a semiconductor wafer, wherein a plurality of through-holes having a substantially circular or polygonal opening are provided in the bottom wall within a region of up to approximately half the radius of the bottom wall from the outer periphery to the center, in a radial direction, with the through-holes being included within at least the region of the bottom wall on which the semiconductor wafer is mounted; and the opening surface area of each through-hole is taken to be between 0.2 to 3.2 mm 2 , and the density of the through-holes is taken to be between 0.25 to 25 per cm 2 .  
   
   
       7 . The epitaxial growth susceptor of  claim 6 , further provided with a support means at the bottom wall or sidewall for supporting the semiconductor wafer through surface contact, line contact or point contact with only the outer periphery of the semiconductor wafer.  
   
   
       8 . The epitaxial growth susceptor of  claim 6 , wherein a SiC film is adhered to a surface of the susceptor and to inner wall surfaces of each of the through-holes.  
   
   
       9 . The epitaxial growth susceptor of  claim 6 , wherein at least a portion of the bottom wall that includes through-holes is made of a solid SiC material.  
   
   
       10 . The epitaxial growth susceptor of  claim 6 , wherein the through-holes are inclined with respect to the thickness direction of the bottom wall.  
   
   
       11 . An epitaxial growth method for growing an epitaxial film on a surface of a semiconductor wafer by mounting the semiconductor wafer within a susceptor pocket and supplying source gas and carrier gas to the upper surface side of the susceptor and supplying carrier gas to the lower surface side of the susceptor, wherein the susceptor comprises a substantially circular bottom wall and a sidewall encompassing the bottom wall to form a pocket for mounting the semiconductor wafer, wherein a plurality of through-holes having a substantially circular or polygonal opening are provided in the bottom wall within a region of up to approximately half the radius of the bottom wall from the outer periphery to the center, in a radial direction, with the through-holes being included within at least the region of the bottom wall on which the semiconductor wafer is mounted.  
   
   
       12 . The epitaxial growth method of  claim 11 , further provided with a support means at the bottom wall or sidewall for supporting the semiconductor wafer through surface contact, line contact or point contact with only the outer periphery of the semiconductor wafer.  
   
   
       13 . The epitaxial growth method of  claim 11 , wherein a SiC film is adhered to a surface of the susceptor and to the inner wall surfaces of each of the through-holes.  
   
   
       14 . The epitaxial growth method of  claim 11 , wherein at least a portion of the bottom wall that includes the through-holes is made of a solid SiC material.  
   
   
       15 . The epitaxial growth method of  claim 11 , wherein the carrier gas supplied to the lower surface side of the susceptor is hydrogen-containing gas supplied at between 3 to 100 liters per minute.  
   
   
       16 . The epitaxial growth method of  claim 11 , wherein the through-holes are inclined with respect to the thickness direction of the bottom wall.  
   
   
       17 . An epitaxial growth method for growing an epitaxial film on a surface of a semiconductor wafer by mounting the semiconductor wafer within a pocket of a susceptor and supplying source gas and carrier gas to the upper surface side of the susceptor and supplying carrier gas to the lower surface side of the susceptor, wherein the susceptor comprises a substantially circular bottom wall and a sidewall encompassing the bottom wall to form a pocket for mounting the semiconductor wafer, wherein a plurality of through-holes having a substantially circular or polygonal pattern are provided in the bottom wall within a region of up to approximately half the radius of the bottom wall from the outer periphery to the center, in a radial direction, with the through-holes being included within at least the region of the bottom wall on which the semiconductor wafer is mounted; and the opening surface area of each through-hole is taken to be between 0.2 to 3.2 mm 2 , and the density of the through-holes is taken to be between 0.25 to 25 per cm 2 .  
   
   
       18 . The epitaxial growth method of  claim 17 , further provided with a support means at the bottom wall or sidewall for supporting the semiconductor wafer through surface contact, line contact or point contact with only the outer periphery of the semiconductor wafer.  
   
   
       19 . The epitaxial growth method of  claim 17 , wherein a SiC film is adhered to a surface of the susceptor and to the inner wall surfaces of each of the through-holes.  
   
   
       20 . The epitaxial growth method of  claim 17 , wherein at least a portion of the bottom wall that includes the through-holes is made of a solid SiC material.  
   
   
       21 . The epitaxial growth method of  claim 17 , wherein the carrier gas supplied to the lower surface side of the susceptor is hydrogen-containing gas supplied at between 3 to 100 liters per minute.  
   
   
       22 . The epitaxial growth method of  claim 17 , wherein the through-holes are inclined with respect to the thickness direction of the bottom wall.  
   
   
       23 . An epitaxial growth susceptor comprising a substantially circular bottom wall and a sidewall encompassing the bottom wall to form a pocket for mounting a semiconductor wafer, wherein a plurality of through-holes having a substantially circular or polygonal opening are provided in the bottom wall within a region of up to approximately half the radius of the bottom wall from the outer periphery to the center, in a radial direction, wherein at least one row of through-holes is included within at least the region of the bottom wall on which the semiconductor wafer is mounted, adjacent holes in a row of said at least one row of through-holes being connected by a channel.  
   
   
       24 . The epitaxial growth susceptor of  claim 23 , wherein said channel has a width that is up to 1.5 times the diameter of a through-hole and a depth such that a cross-sectional area of a channel is from about 50% to about 100% an opening surface area of a through-hole.