Bonded sapphire polygon shield

A shield for protecting silicon wafers, the shield comprising:

• a plurality of single crystal shielding members having a lattice unit cell repeated substantially throughout, the unit cell having a periodic arrangement of atoms defining a set of lattice planes, each plane having an orientation defined by a set of miller indices, the shielding members each including a pair of first interface surfaces having an orientation substantially defined by an identical one of the set of miller indices;
• and
• a plurality of single crystal structural members, each structural member having substantially the same lattice unit cell as that of the shielding members repeated substantially throughout, the structural members including a pair of second interface surfaces having an orientation substantially defined by the same one of the set of miller indices;
• wherein the plurality of shielding members and structural members are alternately bonded together at their respective first and second interface surfaces to define an enclosed area sized to receive the silicon wafers therein.

A shield for protecting silicon wafers, the shield comprising:

• a plurality of sapphire single crystal shielding members each including a pair of first interface surfaces;
• and
• a plurality of sapphire single crystal structural members, each including a pair of second interface surfaces;
• wherein the plurality of shielding members and structural members are alternately bonded together at their respective first and second interface surfaces to define an enclosed area sized to receive the silicon wafers therein;
• and
• wherein the bonded first and second interface surfaces are aligned along a like lattice plane of the shielding members and the structural members.