Wafer carrier

A front opening wafer carrier comprising a container portion with a door frame and a door receivable in the door frame to sealingly close the wafer carrier, the container portion comprising a plurality of columns of wafer shelves arranged for receiving a plurality of wafers, the door having an inside facing surface, an outside facing surface, a periphery, and comprising a latching mechanism with latching portions that engage with the door frame for securing the door therein at a seated position, the door further comprising a wafer retainer attached at the inside facing surface of the door, the wafer retainer comprising a framework and a pair of columns of cantilevered fingers, each cantilevered finger comprising a fixed end portion that is substantially flat and of uniform thickness and extends directly laterally and contiguously from a flat portion of the framework that is of uniform thickness to the fixed end portion, each pair of adjacent cantilevered fingers defining a slot therebetween, the slot terminating at the fixed end portions of the cantilevered fingers so that the entirety of each cantilevered finer is cantilevered from the framework, each cantilevered finger having a length, an upper edge portion, a lower edge portion, and a distal portion with a distal tip, each cantilevered finger further having a wafer receiving groove portion that extends from proximate the distal tip toward the intermediate portion, each wafer receiving groove extending a distance at least more than half of the length of the respective cantilevered finger and each wafer receiving groove terminating before the fixed end of the respective cantilevered finger so that the slot defined between adjacent cantilevered fingers extends the entirety of the lengths of the wafer receiving grooves of the respective cantilevered fingers and wherein the intermediate portion and distal portion of each cantilevered finger angles downwardly from the fixed end of each cantilevered finger.

A front opening wafer container for 450 mm wafers, comprising:

• a container portion with a forward door frame and a door receivable in the door frame to sealingly close the wafer container, the container portion comprising a plurality of columns of wafer shelves arranged for receiving a plurality of wafers and vertically aligning the plurality of wafers in a spaced stack, the door having an inside facing surface, an outside facing surface, a periphery, and comprising a latching mechanism with latching portions at the periphery that engage with the door frame for securing the door therein at a seated position, the door further comprising a wafer retainer attached at the inside facing surface of the door, the wafer retainer comprising at least one column of vertically aligned fixed non cantilevered wafer supports with a wafer engaging recess for each wafer of the spaced stack, outboard therefrom a pair of columns of cantilevered fingers, each of the pair of columns being associated with a vertical support member, each cantilevered finger having a fixed end portion that is substantially flat and of uniform thickness and extends directly laterally and contiguously from a flat portion of the respective vertical support member that is of uniform thickness to the fixed end portion, an intermediate portion supported by the fixed end portion and a distal portion supported by the intermediate portion, the intermediate portion extending horizontally and the distal portion extending at an acute angle downwardly from horizontal, each pair of adjacent cantilevered fingers defining a slot therebetween, the slot terminating at the fixed end portions of the cantilevered fingers so that the entirety of each cantilevered finer is cantilevered from the framework, each cantilevered finger having a wafer engaging groove traversing across the distal portion of each cantilevered finger, each wafer receiving groove extending a distance at least more than half of the length of the respective cantilevered finger and wherein each slot defined by adjacent pairs of cantilevered fingers extends the entirety of the lengths of the wafer receiving grooves of the respective cantilevered fingers.