Shock resistant variable load tolerant wafer shipper

Abstract

A wafer shipper for stacked wafers provides significantly improved resistance to shock and impact as well as flexibility and tolerance in wafer capacities and guidance in optimal amount of packing material. The shipper has a base and a top cover both of which have a nominal wall that primarily forms all of the features of the respective components. The base has four sides, four corners, and arcuate wall segments defining a wafer stack pocket. The sides are formed of a downwardly extending nominal wall portion and an upwardly extending lip. Both adjoin a nominal wall defining a planar surface that extends around the base and forms a seat for the top cover. The planar surface adjoins the arcuate wall segments and also adjoins the floor of the wafer stack pocket that is also part of the nominal wall. Impact forces that are received on the corners and/or sides of the top cover are transferred to the base through the top cover to upright portions on the opposite side of the base from where the impact occurs providing a significant improvement in the robustness of the container as well as significant improvement in the protection provided to the wafers, as well as much better resistance to unlatching upon such impact. The invention further includes a mold for a wafer carrier utilizing separate inserts for converting from a first size pocket to a second size pocket. Suitably sized blanks may be inserted in said slots when the mold is to be used for the first size wafer carrier and the blanks may be removed when the mold is utilized for the second size.