Patent ID: 7601224

Claim:
A method of loading a substrate on a heated susceptor comprising: providing a cushioning flow of gas upwardly through a plurality of gas passages provided in said susceptor, said cushioning gas flow providing an upwardly directed force onto said substrate, the flow rate of said cushioning gas flow being sufficient to slow the rate of descent of said substrate to a rate no greater than one half of the rate at which said substrate would descend under gravity alone; releasing the substrate above the cushioning flow and adjusting the flow to permit the substrate to descend toward said support surface so as to pre-heat the substrate before the substrate comes in contact with the susceptor; wherein said susceptor has a temperature within the range of 200-1000° C., and said substrate has a temperature within the range of 0-100° C. at the time of said releasing of said substrate, wherein at the moment that said substrate comes into contact with said support surface, the temperature difference between said substrate and said support surface is no greater than 100° C.