Patent ID: 7462246

Claim:
A susceptor for supporting wafers in a reaction chamber of a barrel reactor during a chemical vapor deposition process, the susceptor comprising: a body having a top, a bottom, a generally elongate central passage within the body extending between the top and bottom of the body, and a face directed laterally generally away from the central passage, the top of the body connects to a purge gas inlet outside the reaction chamber; plural recesses in the face of the body having a rear surface, each recess being sized and shaped to receive and support a wafer so that when the wafer is received within the recess a front surface of the wafer faces generally away from the rear surface for exposure to reactant gas inside the reaction chamber of the barrel reactor and a rear surface of the wafer is in a generally opposed relationship with the rear surface of the recess; an orifice in the rear surface of each recess extending to the central passage of the body such that each recess is in fluid communication with the central passage; a central opening in the top of the body for use in hanging the susceptor in the reaction chamber during the chemical vapor deposition process; an exhaust opening in the top of the body separate from the central opening and in communication with the central passage, said exhaust opening being adapted to exhaust gas from the central passage to outside the susceptor when the susceptor is secured to a hanger to reduce the gas pressure being exerted on the rear surface of the wafer when the wafer is received in the circular recess caused by expanding gas in the central passage passing through the orifice and into the recess; further comprising a baffle plate adapted to be mounted on the top of the body for generally overlying the exhaust opening to substantially preclude reactant gas from entering the central passage through the exhaust opening, wherein said baffle plate is coextensive with the top of the body such that there is a vertical space between said baffle plate and the top of the body.