EPITAXIAL GROWTH CHAMBER AND METHOD FOR TRANSFERRING SUBSTRATE

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a technique capable of performing an epitaxial growth at a low partial pressure of moisture. SOLUTION: In this apparatus 1, a substrate transfer chamber 14 is interposed between a substrate carry-in chamber 25 and a first load lock chamber 31 to provide respectively nitrogen-gas introducing ports 20, 21, 28 for the substrate carry-in, substrate carrying, and first load lock chambers 25, 14, 31. When introducing nitrogen gas from the nitrogen-gas introducing ports 20, 21, 28 into the chambers 25, 14, 31, a substrate 17 can be carried in the atmosphere of nitrogen gas from the substrate carry-in chamber 24 to the first load lock chamber 31. The substrate 17 carried into the first load lock chamber 31 is put on a boat to carry it into a heat treatment chamber 12 by a boat loader 29. By providing a circulating path 4 capable of circulating a heated oil in the periphery of the boat loader 29, it is configured to be heatable when baking the substrate 17. Therefore, the substrate 17 can be baked to its conventionally unheatable portion.