Abstract: A substrate holding apparatus configured to hold a substrate by vacuum holding includes a rim which has a circumferential shape and is configured to support the substrate, a projection portion configured to support the substrate in an inner area surrounded by the rim, an exhaust unit configured to exhaust gas from an inner space within the rim to attract and support the substrate, a lift pin configured to load the substrate on the rim and the projection portion, a supply unit configured to supply gas to the space surrounded by the rim, and a control unit configured to control a flow rate of the gas supplied from the supply unit, wherein when the gas is exhausted by the exhaust unit, the control unit starts supplying the gas before the substrate contacts the rim and the projection portion, and controls the flow rate of the supplied gas in order to reduce a deformation in the substrate caused by exhaust of the gas.

Abstract: A wafer chuck includes a plurality of supporting pins protruding upward. The rigidity of the supporting pins in the horizontal direction is lower than that in the vertical direction in a central area of the wafer chuck. The supporting pins deform in response to a force for returning a central warped portion of a wafer from a warped state to an original state, thereby releasing part of or all the strain in the wafer.