Patent ID: 7923990

Claim:
A wafer holder comprising: a holder body with a chuck table having a ring-like wafer receptacle formed around a circumferential rim thereof; and a plurality of fixing portions fixing a circumferential rim of a wafer on the wafer receptacle to hold the wafer; and a carrier in a rectangular plate-like shape including a circular hole to support from downward the circumferential rim of the wafer before fixed on the wafer receptacle and to receive the chuck table, wherein: the holder body includes a carrier support portion which forms a support face to support the carrier when a receiving face of the wafer receptacle is parallel to the wafer, and to be changeable in height in a direction orthogonal to the receiving face, and positions the support face at a delivery position where the wafer is made in contact with the wafer receptacle, while the carrier is placed on the support face; and the carrier support portion separates the wafer from the carrier by lowering the support face supporting the carrier from the delivery position, so that the fixing portions fix the wafer.