US Patent 7241203 Six headed carousel

The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for polishing semiconductor substrates with improved throughput and reduced foot print. One embodiment of the present invention provides an apparatus for polishing a substrate. The apparatus comprises a base, four polishing stations disposed on the base, two load cups disposed on the base, a first wash station disposed on the base adjacent to the first of the four polishing station, and a carousel rotatable about a carousel axis and supported by the base, wherein the carousel comprises six substrate heads alignable to any of the four polishing stations, the two load cups and the first wash station.