Abstract: A wafer boat including a base plate, a top plate, a plurality of support rods, and a plurality of wafer supports. The support rods are disposed about a perimeter of the base plate and extend between the base plate and the top plate, each support rod including a plurality slots that define a plurality of teeth. The wafer supports are received in a corresponding slot of each of the plurality of support rods and have a continuous open shape that includes a pair of leg sections that form an interference fit with at least two of the support rods. The base plate, the top plate, the support rods, and/or the wafer supports may be prepared by molding ceramic powder such as silicon carbide, sintering to vaporize any active impurity components, washing to dissolve any remaining active impurity components with an acid solution, and oxidizing to remove any residual active impurity components.

Abstract: A high purity ceramic article having a typical pore size of at least about 15 ?m and an active impurity concentration of less than about 400 ppm can be prepared by molding ceramic powder, sintering to vaporize any active impurity components, washing to dissolve any remaining active impurity components with an acid solution, and oxidizing to remove any residual active impurity components.

Abstract: A semiconductor processing component formed of SiC, wherein an outer surface portion of the component has a surface impurity level that is not greater than ten times a bulk impurity level of the outer surface portion.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for forming a silicon carbide component. The method calls for providing a preform, including carbon, purifying the preform to remove impurities to form a purified preform, and exposing the purified preform to a molten infiltrant which includes silicon. According to the foregoing method, the molten infiltrant reacts with the carbon to form silicon carbide. The silicon carbide component formed according to this method may be particularly suitable for use in semiconductor fabrication processes, as a semiconductor processing component.