Wafer support column with interlocking features

A substrate container comprising:

• a container portion including two opposing sidewalls, a back sidewall, a top sidewall, and a bottom plate, the container portion defining an opening in a front portion of the substrate container to an interior for containing substrates, the container portion mounted on a conveyor plate;
• a door configured for covering and sealing the opening defined by the container portion;
• and
• a pair of substrate support columns mounted the interior for supporting substrates, each of the pair of substrate support columns including a stack of a plurality of shelf members and a plurality of support rods inserted through the stack of the plurality of shelf members for securing the stack of the plurality of shelf members together, each shelf member of the plurality of shelf members including a blade portion having a pair of first and second opposing surfaces and a pair of lengthwise edges extending from a forward portion to a rearward portion of the blade portion and defining an outer periphery and an inner periphery, the blade portion including:
• a first rib structure extending from the first opposing surface and a second rib structure extending from the second opposing surface, the first and second rib structures positioned proximate the outer periphery of the blade portion and extending from the forward portion to the rearward portion of the blade portion;
• a first plurality of bosses extending from the first opposing surface and a second plurality of bosses extending from the second opposing surface, the first and second plurality of bosses positioned proximate the outer periphery of the blade portion and each including a forward boss positioned at the forward portion of the blade portion and a rearward boss positioned at the rearward portion of the blade portion, the forward bosses and rearward bosses defining apertures through the shelf member;
• and
• a first group of interlocking features defined on an edge of the first rib structure and a second group of interlocking features defined on an edge of the second rib structure, the first group of interlocking features including projections and the second group of interlocking features including corresponding recesses for complementary interlocking between the two;
• wherein the stack of the plurality of shelf members includes each of the shelf members stacked with one or more adjacent shelf members via at least one of the first and second rib structures, thereby interlocking each shelf member with the one or more adjacent shelf members via at least one of the first and second groups of interlocking features, and thereby aligning the apertures of the plurality of shelf members, defining a plurality of channels through the stack for insertion of the plurality of support rods.

A method of assembling a substrate container, the method comprising:

• inserting a pair of substrate support columns into an interior of a container portion including two opposing sidewalls, a back sidewall, a top sidewall, and a bottom plate, the container portion defining an opening in a front portion of the substrate container to the interior of the substrate container for containing substrates, the pair of substrate support columns each including:
• a stack of a plurality of shelf members and a plurality of support rods inserted through the stack of the plurality of shelf members for securing the stack of the plurality of shelf members together, each shelf member of the plurality of shelf members including a blade portion having a pair of first and second opposing surfaces and a pair of lengthwise edges extending from a forward portion to a rearward portion of the blade portion and defining an outer periphery and an inner periphery, the stack of the plurality of shelf members including a bottommost shelf member defining a downwardly facing surface, and the stack of the plurality of shelf members including a first lower bracket connected to the forward portion of the downwardly facing surface and a second lower bracket connected to the rearward portion of the downwardly facing surface, each of the first and second lower brackets including a support rod inlet connected to an end of one of the plurality of support rods, a mounting portion for connection to the bottom plate, and an offset portion offsetting the mounting portion from the support rod inlet;
• and
• mounting each of the pair of substrate support columns to the bottom plate of the container portion via the first and second lower brackets.