Wafer carrier with stacking adaptor plate

Abstract

A front opening wafer container has a container portion with a transparent shell and a door to close the open front. The container portion has a machine interface on the bottom of the shell, such as a kinematic coupling, and a receptacle at the top of the shell to receive an accessories, in particular a robotic lifting flange or an adaptor plate. The adaptor plate will ideally have a cooperating machine interface portions to allow stacking of the wafer carriers. The receptacle has, in preferred embodiments, sliding support guides with undercut portions for retention of the robotic lifting flange or the adaptor plate. The accessory will ideally have a detent positioned on the accessories to releaseably lock said accessory in place on the container portion.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A wafer container system comprising: 
 a) a container portion with an open front, a top, and a bottom;    b) a door for closing the open front;    c) a machine interface on the bottom of the container portion, the machine interface having a first configuration;    d) a receptacle portion on the top of the container portion; and    e) a stacking adaptor plate for engagement with the container portion at the receptacle portion, the stacking adaptor configured to cooperate with a machine interface with the first configuration.    
     
     
         2 . The wafer container system of claim one wherein the stacking adaptor plate has at least three rounded projections and a detent for latching onto the container portion at the receptacle portion.  
     
     
         3 . The wafer container system of  claim 1 , wherein the stacking adaptor plate has three container portion contact portions extending downwardly and positioned proximate the at least three rounded projections.  
     
     
         4 . A stacking adaptor plate for stacking a plurality of wafer containers, the containers each having a top, and a bottom with a kinematic coupling thereon, the stacking adaptor plate adapted to fit on the top of the wafer container to facilitate stacking of the plurality of wafer containers and having an upwardly facing kinematic coupling portion.  
     
     
         5 . The stacking adaptor plate of  claim 4  wherein the adaptor plate has a detent for removably attaching the plate to wafer containers.  
     
     
         6 . A wafer container system comprising a container portion having a plurality of slots therein for holding a plurality of wafers, the container portion further comprising a top, a bottom, a machine interface positioned at the bottom, and an adaptor plate conformed to engage with the top of the wafer container, the adaptor plate comprising at least three rounded projections comprising one portion of a kinematic coupling.  
     
     
         7 . The stacking adaptor plate of  claim 4  wherein the adaptor plate has a detent for removably attaching the plate to wafer containers.  
     
     
         8 . The stacking adaptor plate of  claim 6  wherein the plate further comprises three legs extending horizontally and spaced equally from one another.  
     
     
         9 . The stacking adaptor plate of  claim 6  wherein the plate has three legs extending horizontally with one leg at each of having one of the at least three rounded projections.  
     
     
         10 . A wafer container system comprising a container portion having a plurality of slots therein for holding a plurality of wafers, the container portion further comprising a top, a bottom, a machine interface positioned at the bottom, and a stacking adaptor at the top of the wafer container, the machine interface comprising three grooves as one part of a kinematic coupling the adaptor plate comprising at least three rounded projections comprising the cooperating part of a kinematic coupling, whereby a plurality of said wafer containers may be stacked together with two parts of kinematic coupling intermediate each adjacent pair.