Methods for manufacturing a semiconductor wafer using a preheat ring in a wafer reactor

A method of manufacturing a semiconductor wafer in an epitaxial chemical vapor deposition reactor, the reactor including a process gas inlet, a preheat ring positioned to heat an epitaxial process gas prior to deposition on the semiconductor wafer, the preheat ring connected to an inner circumference of a lower liner, the preheat ring including an annular disk and at least one edge bar on the annular disk, the method comprising:

• channeling the epitaxial process gas into the reactor through the process gas inlet;
• heating the epitaxial process gas with the preheat ring;
• adjusting a velocity and a direction of the epitaxial process gas with a circumferential length of the at least one edge bar;
• and
• depositing an epitaxial layer on the semiconductor wafer with the epitaxial process gas, wherein the at least one edge bar facilitates forming a uniform thickness of the epitaxial layer on the semiconductor wafer.

A method of manufacturing a semiconductor wafer in a reaction apparatus, the reaction apparatus including an upper dome and a lower dome defining a reaction chamber and an upper liner and a lower liner defining a process gas inlet, the reaction apparatus further including a preheat ring positioned within the reaction chamber for heating a process gas prior to contacting the semiconductor wafer, the preheat ring attached to an inner circumference of the lower liner, the preheat ring including an annular disk and a first edge bar and a second edge bar positioned on the annular disk, the method comprising:

• channeling the process gas into the reaction chamber through the process gas inlet;
• heating the process gas with the preheat ring;
• and
• using the first and second edge bars to deposit a uniform thickness layer on the semiconductor wafer with the process gas.