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Wafer supporting method and apparatus having at least two wafer supporting slots for each edge-wise oriented wafer in a plurality of coaxial edge-wise aligned wafers. The two wafer locations are essentially at the bottom and at an upper “side”i.e., slightly below the widest diameter dimension of and

Wafer supporting method and apparatus having at least two wafer supporting slots for each edge-wise oriented wafer in a plurality of coaxial edge-wise aligned wafers. The two wafer locations are essentially at the bottom and at an upper “side”i.e., slightly below the widest diameter dimension of and edge-wise wafer with a pair of spaced apart upper slots having the same loose fitting cross-sectional shape as the lower slot. The supported wafer at the upper location touches the slot support at one slot wall only. A cross sectional shape of the slots for each wafer includes: (a) a rounded bottom wafer-supporting wall having a diameter that is essentially the same as the wafer\s thickness; (b) an angle-controlling side wall; and (c) a third gravity feed wall that joins the tight fitting bottom to a wide loose fitting wafer entry slot opening. Close spacing between adjacent slots is provided by a pair of slot walls that are parallel to each other and are at the wafer lean angle.

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Apparatus of a slotted wafer boat for holding a plurality of coaxially aligned essentially circular wafers, comprising: means defining an essentially semicircular wafer receiving saddle in a wafer boat, said boat further characterized by: a wafer slot the shape of essentially a semicircular arc that

Apparatus of a slotted wafer boat for holding a plurality of coaxially aligned essentially circular wafers, comprising: means defining an essentially semicircular wafer receiving saddle in a wafer boat, said boat further characterized by: a wafer slot the shape of essentially a semicircular arc that matches the wafers to be loaded, with the arc\s size selected to be slightly larger in diameter than the diameter of the wafers to be held in an upright edge-wise position in said boat, with each of said wafers being in essentially continuous leaning support at a predetermined angle in flat surface contact against a wafer-supporting slot wall for said boat; said predetermined angle for said slot is essentially vertical; and a cross-sectional shape for the wafer\s slot which includes a plurality of slot-defining walls in which at least one slot wall of all wafer slots in the boat is at said predetermined essentially vertical angle, a sloped and opposed feed wall, a rounded bottom wall smoothly joining said slot wall and said opposed feed wall, wherein said feed wall is at a different angle selected to guide a wafer by gravity from said feed wall into said rounded bottom and into surface-to-surface contact against said predetermined angle wall, and wherein said angled wall provides essentially a flush contact with a wafer it is supporting at said predetermined angle.