Importance

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Abstract

The present invention provides a dual purpose workpiece handoff station for intermediately staging a semiconductor wafer, or other workpiece, being transferred between processing stations in, for example, a Chemical-Mechanical Planarization (CMP) machine. The handoff station includes a workpiece processing surface; such as a polishing pad or buffing pad, defining a plurality of apertures for applying fluids, including water, chemicals, slurry, or vacuum, to the surface of a workpiece. In operation, a workpiece carrier moves a polished wafer from a primary polishing surface to the handoff station, and polishes, buffs, or cleans the wafer in the handoff station by rotating the wafer and oscillating the wafer across the handoff station polishing surface while pressing the wafer thereon.

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First Claim