In an embodiment, a wafer pod includes: a cavity configured to receive and store a wafer; an alignment fiducial within the cavity, wherein: the alignment fiducial comprises two lines orthogonal to each other, and the alignment fiducial is configured to be detected by a robotic arm alignment sensor disposed on a robotic arm, wherein the alignment fiducial defines an alignment orientation for a robotic arm gripper hand to enter into the cavity.

The container main body includes a tubular wall portion having an opening circumferential portion provided at one end portion and the other end portion being closed, the opening circumferential portion having a container main body opening portion formed therein. The substrate storing space can store a substrate and communicates with the container main body opening portion. A central fixed member is provided to the wall portion of the container main body so as to be removably attached to the wall portion of the container main body. The central fixed member is configured to be locked and fixed to an alignment portion provided at a load port for conveying the substrate stored in the substrate storing space to a processing apparatus.

A substrate storage rack for a semiconductor processing system includes a bottom plate, a top plate, and a column assembly. The top plate is spaced apart from the bottom plate, the column assembly connects the top plate to the bottom plate, and a ball member is compressively seated within the column assembly. The ball member protrudes from the column assembly in a direction toward the top plate to support a substrate within the substrate storage rack and on the ball member. Semiconductor processing systems and methods of making substrate storage racks are also described.

A substrate container including substrate supports, such as concentric rings, adapted to receive substrates in a substrate stack. The container includes a base and a top cover to enclose the substrate stack. A latching mechanism is adapted to latch the top cover to the base and secure the substrate stack within the container. The latching mechanism includes resilient corner flanges on an outside portion of the container, the flanges acting as springs to exert a biasing force on the cover and on the substrate stack. The flanges hold the stack within the container while accommodating stack-up uncertainty caused by the accumulation of uncertainties due to component machining tolerances. In some embodiments, a gap is created between a side wall of the top cover and the base of the container to assure compression of the substrate stack. Deflection limiters may be implemented to prevent over-deflection of the flanges.

A self-contained metrology wafer carrier systems and methods of measuring one or more characteristics of semiconductor wafers are provided. A wafer carrier system includes, for instance, a housing configured for transport within the automated material handling system, the housing having a support configured to support a semiconductor wafer in the housing, and a metrology system disposed within the housing, the metrology system operable to measure at least one characteristic of the wafer, the metrology system comprising a sensing unit and a computing unit operably connected to the sensing unit. Also provided are methods of measuring one or more characteristics of a semiconductor wafer within the wafer carrier systems of the present disclosure.

A front opening wafer container has a container portion and a door sized to close an open front of the container portion. The container portion has shelves for holding wafers defining a seating position and has forward and rearward wafer supports to suspend wafers therebetween in a transport position above the seating position. Shock condition cushion portions are arranged adjacent the transport position for protecting the wafers during a shock condition. The wafers may be bonded wafers having a thinned wafer side and a carrier substrate side. Wafer engagement pads and finger members extend in opposing directions from a central strip on the door providing a balance wafer engagement. When closing the door, a primary wafer support portion engages the wafers first and a secondary elastomeric wafer support engages the wafer secondly. A V-groove for receiving the wafers in the wafer supports has a greater angle defined between the V-groove and the thinned wafer side than the angle defined between the V-groove and carrier substrate side providing enhanced protection for the bonded wafers.

A robot gripper for moving wafer carriers and packing materials and a method of operating the same are provided. The robot gripper includes two opposing clamp assemblies. The two clamp assemblies are configured to move close to or away from each other. Each of the clamp assemblies includes a movable support pin at a bottom of the clamp assembly.

Purge diffusers for use in systems for transporting substrates include: i) a purge diffuser core having an internal purge gas channel, one or more diffuser ports and an outer surface; ii) filter media secured to the outer surface of the purge diffuser core; and iii) a purge port connector for mounting the purge diffuser to a purge port of a substrate container for transporting substrates. The purge diffuser core may be a unitary article, may be formed by injection molding, and may include diverters internal to the internal purge gas channel.

This substrate storage container comprises: a lid body-side substrate support part which is capable of supporting an edge part of a substrate when the substrate storage container is closed; a depth-side substrate support part which is disposed so as to form a pair with the lid body-side substrate support part and is capable of supporting the edge part of the substrate; and a substrate edge part auxiliary part which is disposed at a portion opposing a substrate storage space when the substrate storage container is closed, and in which are formed a plurality of auxiliary grooves having an opening that is wider than the thickness of the edge part of the substrate so that the edge part of the substrate can be inserted therein. The auxiliary grooves each have opposing groove forming surfaces, and an edge part of one of a plurality of the substrates is inserted into each auxiliary groove when the container is closed. The edge part of the substrate is inserted into the auxiliary groove in a non-contact state in which a space is formed between the edge part of the substrate and the groove forming surfaces and the edge part of the substrate is not contacting the groove forming surfaces when the container is closed.

In an embodiment, a wafer pod includes: a cavity configured to receive and store a wafer; an alignment fiducial within the cavity, wherein: the alignment fiducial comprises two lines orthogonal to each other, and the alignment fiducial is configured to be detected by a robotic arm alignment sensor disposed on a robotic arm, wherein the alignment fiducial defines an alignment orientation for a robotic arm gripper hand to enter into the cavity.