Abstract: The present invention provides a method of depositing epitaxial layers based on Group IV elements on a silicon substrate by Chemical Vapor Deposition, wherein nitrogen or one of the noble gases is used as a carrier gas, and the invention further provides a Chemical Vapor Deposition apparatus (10) comprising a chamber (12) having a gas input port (14) and a gas output port (16), and means (18) for mounting a silicon substrate within the chamber (12), said apparatus further including a gas source connected to the input port and arranged to provide nitrogen or a noble gas as a carrier gas.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device (10) with a semiconductor body (1) comprising silicon is provided with an n-type doped semiconductor region (2) comprising silicon by means of an epitaxial deposition process, wherein the epitaxial deposition process of the n-type region is performed by positioning the semiconductor body (1) in an epitaxial reactor and introducing in the reactor a first gas stream comprising a carrier gas and further gas streams comprising a gaseous compound comprising silicon and a gaseous compound comprising an element from the fifth column of the periodic system of elements, while heating the semiconductor body (1) to a growth temperature (Tg) and using an inert gas as the carrier gas. According to the invention for the gaseous compound comprising silicon a mixture is chosen of a first gaseous silicon compound which is free of chlorine and a second gaseous silicon compound comprising chlorine.