Patent ID: 8888913

Claim:
A method of manufacturing an epitaxial wafer by growing an epitaxial layer by reaction of a semiconductor wafer and a source gas in a reaction furnace comprising: providing the semiconductor wafer from an opening of a pocket of a susceptor of the reaction furnace in which the reaction takes place; fixing the semiconductor wafer to the susceptor, the susceptor comprising a physical feature for affecting growth of the epitaxial layer on the semiconductor wafer in accordance with a crystal orientation on the semiconductor wafer such that the physical feature changes along a circumferential direction with a predetermined periodic cycle with which a periodic cycle of the crystal orientation of the semiconductor wafer along a circumferential direction thereof is synchronized; rotating the susceptor to which the semiconductor wafer is fixed; and forming an epitaxial layer on the semiconductor wafer with the source gas as the susceptor is rotated with the semiconductor wafer such that the periodic cycles of the physical feature of the susceptor and the crystal orientation are synchronized so as to reduce difference in an epitaxial formation rate based on the crystal orientation by the periodic cycle of the physical feature.