# US 10,119,193 B2 · Method of manufacturing an epitaxial wafer comprising measuring a level difference between a front surface of a susceptor and an upper surface of a lift pin and adjusting a ratio of the heat source output > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,119,193 B2 - Document ID: US10119193B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/534,904 - Filed: 2015-11-17 - Published: 2017-12-14 - Granted: 2018-11-06 - Earliest claimed: 2014-12-19 - Assignees: Shin-Etsu Handotai Co., Ltd. - Applicants: Shin-Etsu Handotai Co., Ltd. - Inventors: Hideki Hariya - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10119193B2 ## CPC - C23C 16/52: Controlling or regulating the coating process {(C23C16/45557, C23C16/279 take precedence)} - C23C 16/4586: {Elements in the interior of the support, e.g. electrodes, heating or cooling devices} - C23C 16/46: characterised by the method used for heating the substrate (C23C16/48, C23C16/50 take precedence) - C30B 25/12: Substrate holders or susceptors - C30B 25/186: {being specially pre-treated by, e.g. chemical or physical means} - C30B 25/20: the substrate being of the same materials as the epitaxial layer - C30B 29/06: Silicon - C30B 33/02: Heat treatment (C30B33/04, C30B33/06 take precedence) - H10P 14/3442: {N-type} - H10P 36/20: Intrinsic gettering, i.e. thermally inducing defects by using oxygen present in the silicon body - C23C: COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THE SURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL (making metal-coated products by extrusion B21C23/22; covering with metal by connecting pre-existing layers to articles, see the relevant places, e.g. B21D39/00, B23K; metallising of glass C03C; metallising mortars, concrete, artificial stone, ceramics or natural stone C04B41/00; enamelling of, or applying a vitreous layer to, metals C23D; treating metal surfaces or coating of metals by electrolysis or electrophoresis C25D; single-crystal film growth C30B; by metallising textiles D06M11/83; decorating textiles by locally metallising D06Q1/04) - C30B: SINGLE-CRYSTAL GROWTH (by using ultra-high pressure, e.g. for the formation of diamonds, B01J3/06); UNIDIRECTIONAL SOLIDIFICATION OF EUTECTIC MATERIAL OR UNIDIRECTIONAL DEMIXING OF EUTECTOID MATERIAL; REFINING BY ZONE-MELTING OF MATERIAL (zone-refining of metals or alloys C22B); PRODUCTION OF A HOMOGENEOUS POLYCRYSTALLINE MATERIAL WITH DEFINED STRUCTURE (casting of metals, casting of other substances by the same processes or devices B22D; working of plastics B29; modifying the physical structure of metals or alloys C21D, C22F); SINGLE CRYSTALS OR HOMOGENEOUS POLYCRYSTALLINE MATERIAL WITH DEFINED STRUCTURE; AFTER-TREATMENT OF SINGLE CRYSTALS OR A HOMOGENEOUS POLYCRYSTALLINE MATERIAL WITH DEFINED STRUCTURE (for producing semiconductor devices or parts thereof H10); APPARATUS THEREFOR - H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10 ## Abstract Provided is a method of manufacturing an epitaxial wafer, which includes vapor-phase growing an epitaxial layer on a substrate W placed on a susceptor 3 in a state where an upper surface 4b1 of a lift pin 4 inserted in a through-hole H of the susceptor 3 retracts or projects with respect to an upper opening H1a of the through-hole H. A level difference D from the upper surface 4b1 of the lift pin 4 to the opening H1a of the through-hole H is measured with laser light, and outputs, during epitaxial growth, of heaters 9 located above and beneath the susceptor 3 are adjusted on the basis of the measured level difference D. Thus, a method of manufacturing an epitaxial wafer, which facilitates adjustment of the outputs of the heat sources during epitaxial growth, is provided. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of manufacturing an epitaxial wafer, the method including growing an epitaxial layer on a substrate placed on a susceptor while heating the substrate with upper and lower heat sources located above and beneath the susceptor, respectively, in a state where an upper surface of a lift pin inserted in a through-hole having openings at a front and a rear surfaces of the susceptor has a level difference with respect to the opening at the front surface side, the method including an adjustment step of measuring a level difference from the opening to the upper surface of the lift pin in the above state, and adjusting a ratio of the output of the upper heat source located above the susceptor to the output of the lower heat source located beneath the susceptor on the basis of the measured level difference, an appropriate pair of the level difference and the ratio of the outputs, which pair is suitable for flattening a surface of the epitaxial layer, has been set in advance within a predetermined range of the level difference in the state where the upper surface of the lift pin retracts in the through-hole, in the adjustment step, when the measured level difference is within the predetermined range, the outputs of the heaters are adjusted to the ratio that makes an appropriate pair with the measured level difference, and the appropriate pair of the level difference and the ratio of the outputs has been set as follows: the greater the retraction amount of the upper surface of the lift pin with respect to the opening is, the greater the ratio of the output of the lower heat source to the sum of the output of the upper and the lower heat source is. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of manufacturing an epitaxial wafer according to claim 1, wherein in the adjustment step, the susceptor and the lift pin are replaced when the measured level difference is outside the predetermined range. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of manufacturing an epitaxial wafer according to claim 1, wherein assuming that a total of the outputs of the upper and lower heat sources is 100%, the ratio of the output of the upper heat source to the output of the lower heat source is adjusted within a range of 55%:45% to 40%:60%. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of manufacturing an epitaxial wafer according to claim 1, wherein in the adjustment step, the level difference is measured by using a laser.