Abstract: A wafer transfer system is operable with a front or side loading wafer carrier to move one or more horizontally oriented wafers out of the carrier and to rotate the wafers to a vertical orientation in which the wafers are accessible for further processing. The transfer system provides a wafer extractor which employs a plurality of paired fingers of a size and configuration to fit between the spaced, stacked wafers in the carrier for lifting the wafers off the shoulders of the carrier. The fingers are then movable generally horizontally to remove the wafers from the carrier into two angled combs having ledges for receiving wafers. The fingers and combs are rotated to a vertical orientation in which the wafers are supported along their edges by the combs. The fingers are shifted horizontally a small amount relative to the combs to disengage from the wafers, either by a translation following the rotation or by rotating the fingers and combs about different axes.