A substrate holding method for attracting and holding a circular substrate (W) on a stage , wherein the stage has a circular substrate holding surface on which a bottom surface of the substrate (W) is attracted and held; the substrate holding surface is divided into a plurality of regions (61A ∼ 611) by which the substrate (W) is partially sucked, at least a part of the plurality of regions (61A ∼ 611) being arranged along a circumferential direction on the substrate holding surface ; and an entire surface of the substrate (W) is attracted and held on the stage by sequentially repeating a process of allowing a part of the substrate (W) to be sucked by at least one of the plurality of regions (61A ∼ 61I) and then allowing another part of the substrate (W) to be sucked by a region adjacent to said at least one of the plurality of regions (61A ∼ 61I), characterized in that : the substrate (W) is partially and sequentially sucked along the circumferential direction by said at least a part of the plurality of regions (61A ∼ 61I) arranged along the circumferential direction on the substrate holding surface ; and while the substrate (W) is partially and sucked sequentially along the circumferential direction, a sucked portion of the substrate (W) is pressed against at least one of the plurality of the regions (61A ∼ 61I) of the substrate holding surface corresponding to the sucked portion by a pressing unit . wherein the stage has a circular substrate holding surface on which a bottom surface of the substrate (W) is attracted and held; the substrate holding surface is divided into a plurality of regions (61A ∼ 611) by which the substrate (W) is partially sucked, at least a part of the plurality of regions (61A ∼ 611) being arranged along a circumferential direction on the substrate holding surface ; and an entire surface of the substrate (W) is attracted and held on the stage by sequentially repeating a process of allowing a part of the substrate (W) to be sucked by at least one of the plurality of regions (61A ∼ 61I) and then allowing another part of the substrate (W) to be sucked by a region adjacent to said at least one of the plurality of regions (61A ∼ 61I), characterized in that : the substrate (W) is partially and sequentially sucked along the circumferential direction by said at least a part of the plurality of regions (61A ∼ 61I) arranged along the circumferential direction on the substrate holding surface ; and while the substrate (W) is partially and sucked sequentially along the circumferential direction, a sucked portion of the substrate (W) is pressed against at least one of the plurality of the regions (61A ∼ 61I) of the substrate holding surface corresponding to the sucked portion by a pressing unit . the substrate (W) is partially and sequentially sucked along the circumferential direction by said at least a part of the plurality of regions (61A ∼ 61I) arranged along the circumferential direction on the substrate holding surface ; and while the substrate (W) is partially and sucked sequentially along the circumferential direction, a sucked portion of the substrate (W) is pressed against at least one of the plurality of the regions (61A ∼ 61I) of the substrate holding surface corresponding to the sucked portion by a pressing unit . <EOS>