PURPOSE: To isolate an article to be carried and a carrier base covered with a partition wall from pollution caused by particles coming from electromagnets for levitating the carrier base by forming an opening in the side surface of the partition wall including the carrier base, the electromagnet and a plate- shaped member made of magnetic material.
CONSTITUTION: An electromagnet 20 for vertical control is excited to levitate a carrier base 12 by giving magnetic attraction to a plate-shaped body 36 made by magnetic material. The levitating amount of the carrier base 12 is detected by a sensor 23, and electric current supplied to the electromagnets 20, 21 for vertical control is controlled, corresponding to the output of the sensor 23, so that the levitating amount of the carrier 12 is kept within a proper range. The carrier base 12 is moved in a perpendicular direction to a sheet of paper by a linear motor 24, and after it reaches a semi-conductor handling device, a wafer W is carried by a robot hand or the like through the opening/closing means and the opening of a partition wall 14. It is thus possible to isolate the wafer W and the carrier base 12 from pollution caused by particles coming from electromagnets 20, 21.
MORI SATOSHI
SHIRAO YUJI
EGUCHI MASATO
