Patent ID: 8324063

Claim:
A method of growing an epitaxial film in which a semiconductor wafer is housed in a wafer housing portion provided by caving in a portion of an upper surface of a susceptor, and an epitaxial film is grown on a front surface of the semiconductor wafer by vapor-phase epitaxial growth, wherein: the wafer housing portion is a space demarcated by a bottom plate portion constituting a bottom wall of the wafer housing portion; an annular step portion provided to a periphery of the bottom plate portion and supporting the semiconductor wafer; and a peripheral wall provided to a periphery of the annular step portion; and the epitaxial film is grown on the front surface of the semiconductor wafer, while a rear surface of the semiconductor wafer is in one of surface and line contact in a predetermined range of an area of 1 to 6 mm from a boundary line with a chamfered surface toward a center position of the wafer, and a predetermined position of the area is supported by an upper edge of an internal periphery of the annular step portion.