Patent ID: 7186578

Claim:
A thin plate manufacturing method of manufacturing a thin plate with a dipping mechanism dipping a surface layer part of a substrate into a melt of a substance including at least either a metallic material or a semiconductor material in a crucible arranged in a main chamber and unloading said substrate by solidifying said melt on the surface of said substrate, loading said substrate into said main chamber through at least one loading subsidiary chamber adjacent to said main chamber and unloading said substrate from said main chamber through at least one unloading subsidiary chamber adjacent to said main chamber, and using a vacuum to set the pressure in the loading subsidiary chamber less than atmospheric pressure and substantially the same as the pressure in the main chamber and introducing inert gas into the loading subsidiary chamber and the main chamber, and using a vacuum to set the pressure in the unloading subsidiary chamber less than atmospheric pressure and substantially the same as the pressure in the main chamber and introducing inert gas into the unloading subsidiary chamber.