Wafer processing tool and method thereof

Abstract

To provide a wafer processing device that reduces a wafer processing time.SOLUTION: A wafer processing apparatus such as a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) system 100 includes two or more blades, each of which can receive a wafer 108, can rotate about a single horizontal axis, and includes wafer exchangers 130A, 130B movable between at least load cups 124A, 124B and robot access locations 172A, 172B. The load cup includes a wafer station that is vertically movable relative to the blade located in the load cup and that removes and places a wafer from and on the blade located in the load cup.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] This application relates to wafer processing, and more particularly to wafer processing tools and methods. [Background technology]

[0002]

[0002] In wafer processing tools, such as chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) systems, delays can occur due to the transfer of wafers between different processing stations, for example, processing can be delayed as robots wait to access the wafer before and / or after various processes. Summary of the Invention

[0003]

[0003] In a first aspect, a wafer processing apparatus is provided. The wafer processing apparatus may include a wafer exchanger including two or more blades, each configured to receive a wafer, the two or more blades rotatable about an axis in a single horizontal plane, and the two or more blades movable at least between a load cup and a robot access location. The load cup includes a wafer station vertically movable relative to the blade located in the load cup, the wafer station configured to remove a wafer from the blade located in the load cup and place a wafer on the blade located in the load cup.

[0004] In a second aspect, a load cup is provided that may include a wafer station configured to receive a wafer, the wafer station being vertically movable between a first position in which the wafer station is spaced from the wafer and a second position in which the wafer is received by the wafer station, and a notch in the wafer station sized to receive a portion of a blade configured to support the wafer as the wafer station moves between the first and second positions.

[0005] In a third aspect, a method of transferring a substrate is provided, which may include providing a wafer exchanger including two or more blades, each configured to receive a wafer, the two or more blades rotatable about an axis in a single horizontal plane, and the two or more blades movable at least between a load cup and a robot access position, placing a first wafer on the blade of the wafer exchanger located at the robot access position, placing a second wafer on the blade of the wafer exchanger located at the load cup from a head, rotating the wafer exchanger to a position where the second wafer is located at the robot access position, removing the second wafer from the wafer exchanger, rotating the wafer exchanger to a position where the first wafer is located at the load cup, placing the first wafer on the head, and placing a third wafer on the blade of the wafer exchanger from the robot access position.

[0006]

[0006] Many other aspects are provided in accordance with these and other embodiments of the present disclosure. Other features and aspects of the embodiments of the present disclosure will become more fully apparent from the following detailed description, the appended claims, and the accompanying drawings.

[0007] The drawings described below are for illustrative purposes only and are not necessarily drawn to scale. The drawings are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way. Wherever possible, the same or similar reference numbers are used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates a top view of a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) system according to an embodiment disclosed herein. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an enlarged top view of a wafer exchanger used in a CMP system according to an embodiment disclosed herein. [Diagram 3]FIG. 1 illustrates a top view of a load cup and a blade of a wafer exchanger positioned within the load cup according to an embodiment disclosed herein. [Figure 4A] FIG. 1 illustrates a load cup in a stored position according to an embodiment disclosed herein. [Figure 4B] FIG. 1 illustrates a load cup in an extended position according to an embodiment disclosed herein. [Diagram 5] 5A-D illustrate the operation of a wafer exchanger in combination with other components of a CMP system according to embodiments described herein. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 illustrates a top view of a CMP system including one or more rinse stations according to embodiments disclosed herein. [Figure 7] 7 is a top view of a nebulizer that may be located in a rinse station of the CMP system of FIG. 6 according to embodiments disclosed herein. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009]

[0016] In wafer processing equipment, such as chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) systems, delays can occur due to the transfer of wafers between different processing stations. For example, a robot may have to wait to gain access to the wafer before and / or after various processes, which can take time. The wafer processing equipment disclosed herein and illustrated in FIGS. 1-7 reduces wafer processing time as compared to conventional wafer processing equipment.

[0010]

[0017] Please refer to FIG. 1, which shows a top view of a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) system 100. Although the CMP system is shown in FIG. 1 and described herein, the concepts disclosed herein are applicable to other wafer processing equipment. The CMP system 100 may include a polishing section 102 and a cleaning and drying section 104 for processing (e.g., cleaning and / or polishing) wafers 108 (some are shown). The CMP system 100 may include other sections for performing other processes on the wafers. As used herein, a wafer may include an article used to manufacture electronic devices or circuit components. Wafers may also include semiconductor wafers, silicon-containing wafers, patterned or unpatterned wafers, glass plates, masks, etc. A pass-through 110 may be located between the polishing section 102 and the cleaning and drying section 104. The pass-through 110 may be an opening between the polishing section 102 and the cleaning and drying section 104 to accommodate the transfer of the wafers 108.

[0011]

[0018] The polishing section 102 may include one or more polishing stations 114. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the polishing section 102 includes four polishing stations 114, individually referred to as polishing stations 114A-114D. The polishing section 102 may include fewer or more than four polishing stations 114. Each of the polishing stations 114 may include a polishing pad. The polishing pads are individually referred to as polishing pads 116A-116D. The polishing pads 116A-116D may rotate against the surface of the wafer 108 to perform various polishing processes. To process the substrate, one or more slurries (not shown) may be applied between the substrate and the polishing pad. For example, the slurry may remove a particular thickness or layer of the substrate. In some embodiments, the slurry may include corrosion inhibitors and other chemicals that may process the wafer 108.

[0012]

[0019] The polishing section 102 may include multiple heads that maintain the wafer 108 against the polishing pads 116A-116D during polishing. For example, each of the polishing stations 114 may include a head. In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the polishing station 114 includes four heads, referred to individually as heads 120A-120D, and each individual polishing station 114 may include or be associated with a single head.

[0013]

[0020] The heads 120A-120D may secure the wafer 108 therein when the heads 120A-120D are transported between the polishing stations 114. For example, the heads 120A-120D may secure the wafer 108 therein when the heads are transported between the load cup 124 and the polishing station 114. The polishing section 102 shown in FIG. 1 includes two load cups 124, referred to individually as a first load cup 124A and a second load cup 124B. The load cups 124 may transport the wafer 108 between the heads 120A-120D and the wafer exchanger 130. In some embodiments, the polishing section 102 may include a single load cup or three or more load cups.

[0014]

[0021] The CMP system 100 shown in FIG. 1 includes two wafer exchangers 130, referred to individually as a first wafer exchanger 130A and a second wafer exchanger 130B. In some embodiments, the CMP system 100 may include one or more wafer exchangers 130. The first wafer exchanger 130A may rotate in a first direction 132A and the second wafer exchanger 130B may rotate in a second direction 132B, which may be opposite to the first direction 132A. In some embodiments, the first wafer exchanger 130A and the second wafer exchanger 130B may rotate in the same direction.

[0015]

[0022] The cleaning and drying section 104 may include a robot 136, such as a wet robot, that may transfer wafers 108 through the pass-through 110. For example, the robot 136 may load and unload wafers 108 from the first wafer exchanger 130A and / or the second wafer exchanger 130B at a first robot access location 172A and a second robot access location 172B. The robot 136 may also transfer wafers 108 between various stations (not shown) in the cleaning and drying section 104 and the wafer exchanger 130. The robot 136 may access wafers 108 from the wafer exchanger 130 at other robot access locations.

[0016]

[0023] Reference is now made to FIG. 2, which is an enlarged top view of the first wafer exchanger 130A. The first wafer exchanger 130A may be substantially similar or identical to the second wafer exchanger 130B. The first wafer exchanger 130A may include multiple blades 234. For example, the first wafer exchanger 130A may include three or more blades 234. Fewer blades, such as two or more blades, may also be used. In the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2, the first wafer exchanger 130A includes three blades 234, which are referred to individually as a first blade 234A, a second blade 234B, and a third blade 234C. In FIG. 2, the third blade 234C is partially hidden by the wafer 208 received thereon. The blades 234 may be oriented to provide uniform spacing between the blades 234. For example, the three blades 234 of FIG. 2 may be oriented 120° apart with respect to the rotation point 236. The first wafer exchanger 130A may rotate about an axis (e.g., a vertically extending axis) about a rotation point 236. Other embodiments of the first wafer exchanger 130A may include a different number of blades 234 that may be spaced apart at different angles.

[0017]

[0024] The blade 234 may be coupled to a support member 238 that may include a pivot point 236. The blades 234 may be, but need not be, substantially similar or identical to one another. The following description refers to a first blade 234A, which may be representative of all of the blades 234 in the wafer exchanger 130 (FIG. 1). The first blade 234A may include an arm 240 that may be attached to the support member 238. As described in more detail below, the arm 240 may be sized to be received in a portion of the first load cup 124A (e.g., notch 352A-FIG. 3). The arm 240 may be connected to a first frame member 242A and a second frame member 242B, which may both be connected to a third frame member 242C. In some embodiments, the frame members 242A-C and the arm 240 may be integrally formed. The frame members 242A-C may define a boundary of an opening 244 in the first blade 234A. As described in more detail below, the openings 244 can be sized and / or configured to allow propellant emitted from a nebulizer (e.g., nebulizer 356 - FIG. 3) to pass through the openings 244. The blades 234 can have other configurations.

[0018]

[0025] The blade 234 may include supports 246 (some are shown) that support a substrate positioned on the blade 234. Referring to a third blade 234C, a wafer 208 is shown supported by the supports 246. The supports 246 may prevent the surface of the wafer 208 from contacting the frame members 242A-C of the third blade 234C, which may damage the wafer 208.

[0019]

[0026] Reference is now made to FIG. 3, which is a top view showing the first load cup 124A and the third blade 234C positioned therein. The first load cup 124A may be, but need not be, substantially similar or identical to the second load cup 124B (FIG. 1). The first load cup 124A may include a wafer station 350 having an annular shape. In some embodiments, the wafer station 350 may have other shapes. The wafer station 350 may move vertically to place a wafer on and remove a wafer from the third blade 234C. For example, the third blade 234C may remain vertically fixed as the wafer station 350 moves vertically relative to the third blade 234C.

[0020]

[0027] The wafer station 350 may include a notch 352A into which the arm 240 of the third blade 234C is received as the wafer station 350 moves vertically. The wafer station 350 may also include a notch 352B and a notch 352C that may receive the third frame member 242C of the third blade 234C as the wafer station 350 moves vertically. The wafer may be placed on a raised feature of the wafer station. As the wafer station 350 moves upward to remove the wafer from the third blade 234C, the wafer is positioned within a number of pins 354 (which may create, for example, a pocket for centering the wafer).

[0021]

[0028] The first load cup 124A may also include a nebulizer 356 that may spray a fluid (e.g., deionized water) onto the third blade 234C, a substrate (not shown in FIG. 3A) disposed on the third blade 234C, and / or a head located above the first load cup 124A. The nebulizer 356 may include a first nozzle 358A (shown with horizontal lines) that may rinse a wafer received by the third blade 234C. The nebulizer 356 may include 10 to 18 first nozzles 358A. In some embodiments, the nebulizer 356 may include 13 to 15 first nozzles 358A that may provide 1.5 liters per minute (lpm) to 2.1 lpm of rinsing solution. In some embodiments, the nebulizer 356 may include a second nozzle 358B (shown with vertical lines) that may rinse a film. The nebulizer 356 may include 5 to 9 second nozzles 358B that may provide 4.0 lpm to 6.0 lpm of rinse solution. The nebulizer 356 may include a third nozzle 358C (shown diagonally) that may rinse a portion of the head, such as the gap between the head (e.g., head 120D - FIG. 4A) and the wafer (e.g., wafer 208 - FIG. 4A). The nebulizer may include 2 to 4 third nozzles 358C that may provide approximately 2.0 lpm to 4.0 lpm of rinse solution. In some embodiments, the nebulizer 356 may include a fourth nozzle 358D (shown cross-lined) that may rinse a retaining ring (not shown) of the head. The nebulizer may include 2 to 4 fourth nozzles 358D that may provide 1.0 lpm to 4.0 lpm of rinse solution. The nebulizer 356 may include other numbers and configurations of nozzles and / or other flow rates of rinse solution.

[0022]

[0029] The nozzles 358A-358D may be independently controlled. For example, the first nozzle 358A may be independently controlled from the second nozzle 358B. As shown in FIG. 3, the configuration of the third blade 234C and the configuration of the nozzles 358A-358D are such that the third blade 234C does not block any of the nozzles 358A-358D. For example, the configuration of the frame members 242A-242C and the opening 244 does not block any of the nozzles 358A-358D. This configuration of the frame members 242A-242C and the nozzles 358A-358C may allow one or more heads 120A-120D (FIG. 1) to be rinsed without being obstructed by a blade (e.g., the third blade 234C). In some embodiments, the nebulizer 356 remains stationary within the first load cup 124A. Thus, the nebulizer 356 may be coupled to a supply of rinsing solution (not shown) via a fixed pipe rather than a flexible tube, which may require less maintenance compared to a flexible tube.

[0023]

[0030] Wafer station 350 may include other features to accommodate first blade 234A and / or nebulizer 356. For example, nebulizer 356 may have tabs that support fourth nozzle 358D. Wafer station 350 may have corresponding notches 359A-359C that accommodate the tabs. Thus, wafer station 350 may move relative to nebulizer 356 without being impeded by the tabs.

[0024]

[0031] Reference is now made to FIG. 4A, which illustrates an example of a head 120D positioned near a first load cup 124A. The first load cup 124A may include or be attached to a support plate 460. The first wafer exchanger 130A may be coupled to the support plate 460 via a shaft 462. A motor 464, such as a servo motor, may rotate the shaft 462 in a first direction 132A (FIG. 1) or a second direction 132B (FIG. 1). Rotation of the shaft 462 rotates the first wafer exchanger 130A about an axis extending through the shaft 462 and / or the rotation point 236.

[0025]

[0032] The nebulizer 356 may be coupled to the support plate 460 via one or more support members 466. In some embodiments, the support members 466 may maintain the nebulizer 356 in a fixed position relative to the support plate 460. Fluid lines (not shown) may be coupled to the nebulizer 356. For example, four fluid lines may be coupled to the nebulizer 356, one for each of the different types of nozzles 358A-358D.

[0026]

[0033] The wafer station 350 may be movable vertically relative to the support plate 460. For example, the wafer station 350 may be movable downward or in the Z- direction and upward in the Z+ direction relative to the support plate 460. The wafer station 350 may be in a first position when it is spaced apart from the wafer 208 supported on the third blade 234C. The wafer station 350 may be in a second position when it is located near the head 120D. The wafer station 350 may be coupled by a support member 468 to an actuator 470 that provides vertical movement of the wafer station 350 relative to the support plate 460.

[0027]

[0034] 4A is shown in a retracted position with the wafer station 350 moving in the Z-direction so that the third blade 234C of the first wafer exchanger 130A can move unimpeded into and out of the first load cup 124A. For example, the wafer 208 is supported on the supports 246 of the third blade 234C and the wafer station 350 is positioned below and spaced from the third blade 234C.

[0028]

[0035] Reference is now made to Figure 4B, which shows the first load cup 124A in an extended position. For example, the wafer support 350 has been moved upward in the Z+ direction to a second position to remove the wafer 208 from the third blade 234C or to move the wafer 208 closer to the head 120D. In the position of the wafer station 350 shown in Figure 4B, the wafer 208 rests on a raised feature of the wafer station 350. Other processes may be performed to transfer the wafer 208 to the head 120D.

[0029]

[0036] In use, the actuator 470 may lower the wafer station 350 by moving the wafer station 350 in the Z- direction to a first position where a blade may enter the first load cup 124A unimpeded. The motor 464 may then rotate the shaft 462 which rotates the first wafer exchanger 130A. The rotation of the first wafer exchanger 130A may be stopped when a blade, such as the third blade 234C on which the wafer 208 is located, is received by the first load cup 124A. The head 120D may then move to a position above the first load cup 124A. The actuator 470 may then move the wafer station 350 up in the Z+ direction to a second position where the wafer 208 is proximate to the head 120D. The head 120D may grip the wafer 208 and move the wafer 208 to one or more polishing stations 114 (FIG. 1) where a polishing process may be applied to the wafer 208.

[0030]

[0037] Once wafer processing is complete, head 120D may return to a position over first load cup 124A with wafer 208. Actuator 470 may move wafer station 350 in the Z+ direction to a first position where wafer station 350 may receive wafer 208 onto a raised feature of wafer station 350. Actuator 470 may then lower wafer station 350 in the Z- direction to where wafer 208 is transferred to supports 246 of third blade 234C. Actuator 470 may continue to lower wafer station 350 in the Z- direction to a position where third blade 234C may move unimpeded from first load cup 124A.

[0031]

[0038] In some embodiments, a sensor (not shown) may be located in the first load cup 124A and may sense the presence of the wafer 208. The sensor may also detect the presence of the wafer 208 in the head 120D. While loading the wafer 208 to the head 124D, the sensor may determine that no wafer is located on the wafer station 350. The wafer station 350 may then rise in the Z+ direction toward the wafer 208. Once the wafer 208 is transferred to the wafer station 350, the sensor may detect the presence of the wafer 208 on the wafer station 350. The wafer station 350 may then continue to rise in the Z+ direction to head 120D where the sensor of head 120D detects the presence of the wafer 208. The wafer 208 may then be loaded onto the head 120D. During unloading from the head 120D, the sensor may detect that the wafer 208 has been unloaded from the head 120D and is present on the wafer station 350. Sensors on the wafer station 350 may also detect the absence of the wafer 208 once it is transferred to the third blade 234C. The chemical mechanical polishing CMP system 100 may include other sensors.

[0032]

[0039] During the above process, the nebulizer 356 may rinse the first blade 234A, the head 120D, the wafer station 350, and / or portions of the wafer 208. For example, the first nozzle 358A may rinse the wafer 208 after the wafer 208 has been polished. In some embodiments, the wafer 208 may be rinsed while the wafer 208 is in the head 120D and before the wafer 208 is transferred to the wafer station 350. In some embodiments, the wafer 208 may be rinsed when the wafer 208 is located in the first load cup 124A. In some embodiments, the first wafer exchanger 130A may rotate an empty blade into the first load cup 124A. The absence of a substrate in the first load cup 124A may enable the nebulizer 356 to rinse various portions of the head.

[0033]

[0040] Reference is now made to Figures 5A-5D, which illustrate the operation of the first and second wafer exchangers 130A, 130B in conjunction with other components of the CMP system 100. Wafers with cross-hatching have been polished or processed by the polishing station 114 or other components and are to be transported to the robot 136. Wafers with diagonal hatching have been received from the robot 136 and are to be transported to the polishing station 114. Empty circles represent blades of the first and second wafer exchangers 130A, 130B that do not have a wafer positioned thereon.

[0034]

[0041] The process shown in Figures 5A-5D begins in Figure 5A where the first blade (indicated by reference number 1) is empty. The second blade (indicated by reference number 2) contains substrates that have been processed by the respective polishing stations 114 and returned to the first and second load cups 124A, 124B. The third blade (indicated by reference number 3) contains substrates that have been received from the robot 136. During the stage shown in Figure 5A, a head (not shown in Figure 5A) unloads substrates into the first and second load cups 124A, 124B and onto the second blade. Additionally, a new wafer is loaded onto the third blade from the robot 136.

[0035]

[0042] The first wafer exchanger 130A can rotate in a first direction 132A, and the second wafer exchanger 130B can rotate in a second direction 132B to reach the configuration shown in FIG. 5B. The first blade, which may be empty, can be received by the first load cup 124A and the second load cup 124B. The nebulizer 356 (FIG. 3) can rinse the heads located above the first load cup 124A and the second load cup 124B without being obstructed by the wafer located between the heads and the nebulizer. The empty blade can also be rinsed. In the configuration shown in FIG. 5B, the robot 136 can unload the processed wafer from the second blade.

[0036]

[0043] The first wafer exchanger 130A can rotate in a first direction 132A and the second wafer exchanger 130B can rotate in a second direction 132B to reach the configuration shown in FIG. 5C. The robot 136 can load the wafer onto the first blade. Additionally, the wafer exchanger 130 can unload the wafer from the third blade to the head, which can transport the wafer to the polishing station 114. FIG. 5D shows the return of the wafer from the polishing station 114 to the load cup 124. The first wafer exchanger 130A can rotate in a first direction 132A and the second wafer exchanger 130B can rotate in a second direction 132B to reach the configuration shown in FIG. 5A, where the process is repeated.

[0037]

[0044] The process illustrated in Figures 5A-5D allows for faster processing times compared to conventional CMP systems and methods. For example, because the wafer exchanger 130 moves the wafer and blade to the robot access locations of the robot 136 (e.g., robot access locations 172A and 172B - Figure 1), the robot 136 may have more time to unload and load the wafer 108. The wafer exchanger 130 allows for faster cycle times by allowing parallel processing of the wafers 108. For example, a wafer 108 that has completed polishing may be unloaded, and in parallel, a new wafer 108 may be loaded into the wafer exchanger 130. Thus, this process does not cause the robot 136 to get in the way of wafer movement.

[0038]

[0045] The movement of the wafer station 350 (FIG. 3) allows the wafer exchanger 130 to move only in a single horizontal plane. Thus, no vertical movement of the wafer exchanger 130 is performed, which may be time consuming. As shown in FIGS. 5A-5D, the wafer exchanger 130 can be operated with an empty blade, and the head can be rinsed by the nebulizer 356 when the empty blade is located in the load cup 124. The blades of the wafer exchanger 130 can be rinsed simultaneously. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 5A-5D, every third blade that enters the load cup 124 is empty, which allows for rinsing of the head after two wafers have been processed.

[0039]

[0046] 6, which shows a top view of another embodiment of a CMP system, some embodiments of the CMP system 100 may include one or more rinse stations accessible by the wafer exchanger 130. The embodiment of the CMP system 100 of FIG. 6 includes a first rinse station 670A accessible by the first wafer exchanger 130A and a second rinse station 670B accessible by the second wafer exchanger 130B. In the embodiment of FIG. 6, the wafer 108 located on the wafer exchanger 130 may be in a position that includes the rinse station 670A or 670B and the load cup 124. In the embodiment of FIG. 6, the rinse stations 670A, 670B may be in the same location as the robot access positions 172A, 172B where the robot 136 can access the wafer 108.

[0040]

[0047] Reference is now made to FIG. 7, which illustrates a top view of a first rinse station 670A, which may (but need not) be identical or substantially similar to the second rinse station 670B. The first rinse station 670A may include a basin 772 in which cleaning fluid may accumulate that would otherwise be oversprayed into the polishing section 102 (FIG. 1). The first rinse station 670A may include a nebulizer 774 located within the basin 772. The nebulizer 774 may be similar to the nebulizer 356 (FIG. 3), but may only include a nozzle 776 configured to rinse the substrate (not shown in FIG. 7) located at the first rinse station 670A. The nozzle 776 may be configured to be unobstructed by the blades of the first wafer exchanger 130A located at the first rinse station 670A. In some embodiments, the layout and / or configuration of the nozzles 776 may be the same as or substantially similar to the layout and / or configuration of the first nozzle 358A (FIG. 3) of the nebulizer 356. For example, the nebulizer 774 may include 10 to 18 nozzles 776 providing 1.0 lpm to 4.0 lpm of rinsing liquid. Referring to FIG. 6, the wafer 108 may be rinsed by a first rinse station 670A and a second rinse station 670B. The first rinse station 670A and the second rinse station 670B may include other features (not shown) to clean the wafer. The first rinse station 670A and the second rinse station 670B may help keep the wafer wet, especially after polishing.

[0041]

[0048] In some embodiments, the wafer 108 may be placed on and / or between the supports 246 so that the wafer 108 may be moved without being gripped. In some embodiments, different spray patterns may be emitted by the nozzles 358A, 358B, 358C and / or 358D. In some embodiments, one or more hard stops (not shown) may be used to limit the vertical movement of the wafer station 350 (e.g., limiting how low or high the wafer station 350 can move during a wafer swap process). Any suitable mechanism may be used to move the heads 120A-120D between the polishing station 114 and the load cup 124.

[0042]

[0049] The foregoing description discloses only exemplary embodiments. Modifications of the above-disclosed apparatus and methods that fall within the scope of the present disclosure will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art.

Claims

1. 1. A wafer processing apparatus comprising: a wafer exchanger including two or more blades, each configured to receive a wafer, the two or more blades rotatable about a single horizontal axis, and the two or more blades movable at least between a load cup and a robot access position; 1. A wafer processing apparatus, comprising: a wafer station, the load cup being movable vertically relative to a blade positioned in the load cup, configured to remove a wafer from a blade positioned in the load cup and to place a wafer on a blade positioned in the load cup.

2. 2. The wafer processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the blade located in the load cup is configured to remain stationary when the wafer station moves vertically to remove a wafer from the blade located in the load cup and place a wafer on the blade located in the load cup.

3. The wafer processing apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a nebulizer located in the load cup, the nebulizer including one or more nozzles configured to spray at least one fluid.

4. The wafer processing system of claim 3 , wherein the nebulizer remains in a fixed position within the load cup during movement of the wafer station.

5. The wafer processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the wafer exchanger includes three or more blades movable between at least the load cup, the robot access position, and a rinse station.

6. a first wafer exchanger including three blades; a second wafer exchanger including three blades; a first load cup accessible by the three blades of the first wafer exchanger; a second load cup accessible by the three blades of the second wafer exchanger; and The wafer processing apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

7. a first rinse station accessible by the three blades of the first wafer exchanger; a second rinse station accessible by the three blades of the second wafer exchanger; The wafer processing apparatus of claim 6 further comprising:

8. The wafer processing apparatus of claim 1 further comprising at least one polishing station, wherein wafers are transportable between said load cup and said at least one polishing station.

9. A road cup, a wafer station configured to receive a wafer, the wafer station being vertically movable between a first position in which the wafer station is spaced from the wafer and a second position in which the wafer is received by the wafer station; a notch in the wafer station sized to receive a portion of a blade configured to support a wafer as the wafer station moves between the first position and the second position; and Equipped with a load cup.

10. 10. The load cup of claim 9, further comprising a nebulizer including one or more upward nozzles.

11. The load cup of claim 10 , wherein the nebulizer remains in a fixed position within the load cup during movement of the wafer station.

12. 1. A method of moving a substrate, comprising: providing a wafer exchanger including two or more blades, each configured to receive a wafer, the two or more blades rotatable about a single horizontal axis, and the two or more blades movable at least between a load cup and a robot access location; placing a first wafer on a blade of the wafer exchanger located at the robot access location; placing a second wafer from a head onto a blade of the wafer exchanger located in the load cup; rotating the wafer exchanger to a position where the second wafer is located at the robot access position; removing the second wafer from the wafer exchanger; rotating the wafer exchanger to a position where the first wafer is located in the load cup; placing the first wafer on the head; placing a third wafer from the robot access location onto a blade of the wafer exchanger; The method includes:

13. rotating an empty blade into said load cup; Positioning a head over the load cup; rinsing at least one of the empty blade and the head; The method of claim 12 further comprising:

14. 14. The method of claim 13, wherein rinsing at least one of the empty blade and the head includes spraying at least one of the empty blade and the head with liquid provided from a nebulizer located at a fixed position in the load cup.

15. Providing a rinse station; rotating the wafer exchanger to a position where the wafer is located at the rinse station; rinsing the wafer located at the rinse station; The method of claim 12 further comprising:

Images