SUBSTRATE HOLDING DEVICE

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To appropriately hold a substrate made of a brittle material such as a ceramics material while preventing breakage. SOLUTION: A contact surface with a ceramic substrate 31 of at least either of a holding part body 322 and a clamp claw 340 constituting this substrate holding device for holding the ceramic substrate 31 is formed with an elastic deformation part 342 or 344 formed of rubber. A variable throttle valve and a proportional solenoid type relief value are arranged between a clamping cylinder for driving the clamp claw 340 and an air source. By controlling the flow rate of air supplied to the clamping cylinder by the variable throttle valve and a control device for controlling it, at the end stage of forward motion in the direction in which the clamp claw 340 advances to the holding part body 320, 322, its moving speed is smoothly reduced. By the proportional solenoid type relief valve and the control device for controlling it, air pressure supplied to the clamping cylinder is controlled at an optimum value in accordance with the type of the ceramic substrate 31. COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT