To prevent a wafer from sagging down by its own weight and a film from deterioration in accuracy by a method wherein a first arm which support the wafer by the center is provided in an optional support and second arms which support the wafer by the circumferential part are provided in a vertical wafer boat.

An arm 7a is provided in a support 4a located at an end in a radial direction in which a wafer 5 is inserted, extending inward to nearly the center of a wafer boat main body 1, and arms 7b and 7b provided in supports 4b and 4b located on both sides are made to extend obliquely towards an insertion opening of a wafer 5 half the diameter of the wafer 5. A handling tool 9 is provided to place the wafer 5 on the arms 7, 7a, and 7b of the vertical wafer boat main body 1, and a groove 10 is provided in the handling tool 9 extending inward in the direction of insertion from the tip center of the tool 9 so as to serve as a relief for the arm 7a provided in the support 4. Therefore, the center of the wafer 5 is prevented from sagging down, so that the wafer is protected against troubles such deformation and the like which are liable to occur in a usual boat.