A table assembly for use in a wafer preparation module is provided. The table assembly includes a replaceable pad assembly and a permanent pad assembly. The replaceable pad assembly has a removable support element and a pad. A backside of the pad is secured to a front surface of the removable support element. The permanent support element is removeably secured to the replaceable pad assembly. A method for conducting multiple wafer preparation operations in a single processing module, a method for conducting multiple CMP operations in a single module, and a system for preparing a wafer are also provided.
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/025,379, filed on Dec. 18, 2001 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,729,943, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
