PURPOSE: To facilitate mounting and demounting of a wafer cassette and improve working efficiency by continuously installing a transportation stage in free turning-up and -down onto a fixed stage and continuously installing a driving means and permitting the transportation stage to be carried-in and -out from the wafer cassette.

CONSTITUTION: A wafer transporting and processing apparatus is arranged on the side of a fixed stage 1 and constituted of a transportation stage 2 for carrying-in and -out wafers 52 into a wafer cassette 5 and a cassette mounting part 4 arranged corresponding to the transportation stage 2. The transportation stage 2 is axially supported 12 in free turning-up and -down onto a shaft receiving wall 11 projectingly installed onto the side of the fixed stage 1, and a transportation belt 25 is laid between the pulleys 24 and 24 axially supported at the front and rear edges of the stage 2 by the front and rear trailing shafts 21 and 22. Said belt 25 is driven by a driving means including a driving motor 32 and a timing belt 34 which are installed onto the fixed stage 31. The transportation stage 2 is held horizontally by inserting the lock rod 61 of a holding means 6 into a lock receiving part 65 formed at the rear part of the transportation stage 2.