A substrate handler is provided. In one embodiment, the substrate handler
includes a first and second carriage coupled to a rail. A first robot
having at least two grippers is attached to the first carrier. A second
robot having at least one gripper is coupled to the second carriage. The
first carriage is independently positionable along the rail relative to
the second carriage. As each carriage has a separate actuator, the
movements of the first and second robot are decoupled, thereby allowing
increased throughput. The substrate handler is particularly suitable for
using in a planarization system having an integrated substrate cleaner.