SUBSTRATE FLOATING APPARATUS AND METHOD

摘要

Substrate floating apparatus and method ensuring highly efficient floating state of a substrate. Gas ejection holes of 10×10=100 are arranged in matrix within a work size. Holes in the horizontal second and third rows and eighth and ninth rows, in total, four rows, in the arrangement are opened and holes in other rows are closed. Consequently, the number of air ejecting holes is set at 4×10=40. In addition to the above setting conditions, total air supply is set at 12 L/min and an equal volume of air is distributed to each pipe. Consequently, an equal volume of air of 0.3 L/min is ejected from each of the 40 gas ejection holes. According to the conditions, sufficient flatness is ensured at the time of floating the substrate and floating conditions of low floating position as a whole are attained. Floating conditions for carrying a glass substrate having a large work size of 300×400×t0.7 stably with no trouble are thereby attained.