Wafer carrier

A water carrier as set forth in claim 12 wherein a pressure angle of each tooth is at least about 10° to distribute stress on the teeth and to allow for easy placement of the insert within the plate.

A wafer carrier for retaining at least two semiconductor wafers in a processing apparatus during a processing operation which removes water material by at least one of abrading and chemical reaction, said processing apparatus adapted for removing wafer material from a front side and a back side of each water simultaneously using a polishing fluid, the carrier comprising:

• a plate including wafer contaminating material and having an opening;
• and
• an insert removably disposed in the opening of the plate, the insert having holes for receiving said at least two wafers and engaging a peripheral edge of each water to hold each wafer as the carrier rotates, and the insert having negative buoyancy in the polishing fluid to inhibit the insert from separating from the plate during loading and unloading of wafers.