To improve the low dusting characteristic and the maintainability and reduce the cost.

The apparatus comprises a fixed base 40 to be a surface table having a z-guide 41 forming a reference plane, x-y stages 20, 30 movably supported with first static pressure bearings disposed at a plurality of spots on the fixed base 40, and a wafer stage 10 to be a substrate stage supported with second static pressure bearings movably on the x-y stages. The x-y stages 20, 30 are supported in directions x, y with guides 21, 42 coupled with bearings composed of load capacity-important static pressure bearings 14, 24. The x-y stages 20, 30 are supported in a direction z perpendicular to the directions x, y with bearings composed of flow consumption-important static pressure bearings 15, 25.