Patent ID: 8919563

Claim:
A front opening semiconductor wafer container for receiving a plurality of large diameter circular wafers positioned in a stacked army with a vertical axis, the container comprising: a container portion having a left closed side, a right closed side, a closed back, an open front, and an open interior including a plurality of slots for receiving and containing the wafers centrally positioned within the open interior; a door attachable to the container portion to close the open front and selectively latchable to the container portion; the container portion comprising a pair of columns of interconnected wafer supports vertically aligned in the open interior, one of said pair proximate the left side and one proximate the right side, each of said pair having a radially inward margin with an arcuate shape to follow the circular shape of the wafers for providing peripheral support to the wafers, the arcuate shape of the radially inward margin of each of said pair of columns extending around to the open front side to a most inwardly and forward vertical stack of support tips whereby the opening between the respective vertical stacks of support tips measured with respect to the axis of the array of stacked wafers is between 85 to 110 degrees, wherein the interconnected wafer supports include a plurality of arcuate lateral wafer shelves that define a plurality of V-shaped wafer slots therebetween, the V-shaped wafer slots at least partially defining the plurality of slots, each of the plurality of slots defining a transport position wherein the respective wafer is seated at an apex of the respective V-shaped wafer slot.