Patent ID: 7055702

Claim:
A wafer boat combination comprising a wafer boat and a plurality of a semiconductor wafers, the wafer boat comprising: a first end and a second end; a plurality of slots positioned between the first and the second ends, the semiconductor wafers being respectively received in the plurality of slots, each of the plurality of slots comprising first and second upper support guides to maintain the semiconductor wafers in a vertical orientation; and a lower grooved portion for supporting a plurality of wafers, the wafer boat having an inner radius originating from a centerpoint, the slots extending generally along an arc having a radius of curvature corresponding to the inner radius, wherein the lower grooved portion has a generally arcuate and concave contour as viewed from the centerpoint, and wherein at semiconductor processing temperatures of between approximately 1000° C. to 1400° C., the lower grooved portion substantially conforms to the portion of the wafer supported thereon.