Polishing apparatus

A polishing apparatus having a multi-head, comprising:

• a polishing table having a polishing surface;
• a plurality of top rings for holding workpieces and pressing the workpieces against said polishing surface;
• a carousel for supporting said top rings and indexing said top rings;
• a plurality of cleaning apparatuses for cleaning the workpieces which have been polished;
• a transfer mechanism for transferring said polished workpieces between said cleaning apparatuses;
• and
• a workpiece station having workpiece trays for holding the workpieces in a standby state while the workpieces are cleaned in a plurality of stages through said cleaning apparatuses or before the workpieces are cleaned.

A polishing apparatus comprising:

• a pair of polishing units, the polishing unit comprising:
• a polishing table having a polishing surface;
• a plurality of top rings for holding workpieces and pressing the workpieces against said polishing surface;
• and
• a carousel for supporting said top rings and indexing said top rings;
• a pair of rotary transporters, the rotary transporter being disposed in a position which can be accessed by said top rings and having a plurality of portions positioned on a predetermined circumference from a center of rotation of said rotary transporter for holding the workpieces, said rotary transporter having an indexing function for indexing said plurality of portions;
• and
• a pair of pushers, the pusher being adapted for transferring the workpieces between said rotary transporter and said top rings.