Patent ID: 8292549

Claim:
A substrate carrying device comprising: a carrying passage forming member forming a carrying passage along which a substrate is carried; exhaust grooves forming a pair and extending parallel to the carrying passage in an upper surface of the carrying passage forming member; a plurality of carrying gas flow grooves formed in the upper surface of the carrying passage forming member, the plurality of carrying gas flow grooves being formed in a plurality of pairs along the carrying passage, each pair of the plurality of pairs being right and left carrying gas flow grooves being inclined to a substrate carrying direction so as to approach the exhaust grooves from the right-hand side and the left-hand side of the exhaust grooves, respectively, and each of the plurality of carrying gas flow grooves having inner end positioned near to the exhaust groove and outer end positioned far from the exhaust groove, the inner end joined to the exhaust groove and the outer end being surrounded by a wall forming the carrying gas flow groove; and gas spouting pores, each of the gas spouting pores being formed by piercing through a bottom of the carrying gas flow groove substantially vertically at a position near the outer end to spout a gas for floating the substrate and for creating substrate carrying air flows flowing from the outer end of the carrying gas flow groove toward the inner end of the carrying gas flow groove.