Patent ID: 6921556

Claim:
A method of film deposition comprising the steps of: placing a wafer on a susceptor positioned inside a wafer-handling chamber disposed under a reaction chamber included in a single-wafer-processing type CVD apparatus; positioning the wafer inside the reaction chamber by raising the susceptor; when the susceptor moves to the position, separating the reaction chamber and the wafer-handling chamber by making closely in contact a periphery of the susceptor and a circular separation plate disposed coaxially with the susceptor and between the reaction chamber and the wafer-handling chamber; emitting a jet of reaction gas from a showerhead disposed inside the reaction chamber onto the wafer to be processed; depositing a film on the wafer; during the deposition, discharging an inert gas from the wafer-handling chamber to the reaction chamber through at least one gas discharge hole formed through the susceptor from its bottom to its top, and via a back side of the wafer placed on the susceptor and a periphery of the wafer; evacuating the reaction chamber through an exhaust duct, which is positioned in the vicinity of the showerhead and is provided circularly along an inner wall of the reaction chamber; and after the deposition, lowering the susceptor and moving the wafer to the wafer-handling chamber.