Abstract: The vapor phase growth on semiconductor wafers is carried out by an apparatus in which a multiplicity of semiconductor wafers are held by a holder so that the semiconductor wafers lie one over another in a vertical direction, and are rotated together with the holder, the holder is placed in a heater disposed in a reaction vessel, a raw material gas supply nozzle and a raw material gas exhaust nozzle are provided within the heater so that the semiconductor wafers are interposed between the gas supply nozzle and the gas discharge nozzle, and the gas supply nozzle and the gas discharge nozzle have gas supply holes and gas discharge holes, respectively, so that a raw material gas can flow on each semiconductor wafer in horizontal directions. When the temperature of the heater is raised by a heating source to heat the semiconductor wafers, the raw material gas is supplied from the gas supply holes to each semiconductor wafer, and thus a uniform layer is grown on each semiconductor wafer from the raw material gas.