PURPOSE: To prevent from yawing and pitching and to secure a holding force at all times irrespective of the running direction of a stage, by equipping an electrostatic electrode which generates the static suction force holding the respective sliding faces on the guide faces in the horizontal and vertical directions.

CONSTITUTION: Horizontal and vertical constraint electrodes 9 and 7, 8 are respectively provided on the guide faces 5 and 1, 2 in the horizontal and vertical directions of the lower stage 10 of an X-Y stage. The sliding face 6 in the horizontal direction sliding the guide face 5 is provided on an upper stage 11 and the sliding faces 3, 4 in the vertical direction sliding the guide faces 1, 2 moreover, and are moved with the yawing and pitching directions being restrained for the stage 10. Also electrodes 9 and 7, 8 are respectively connected to a control unit 13, the error in the yawing direction is detected by a laser interferometer 12 via the moving mirror 14 located on the stage 11 and fed to the control unit 13 of the electrostatic electrode. The control voltage corresponding to the direction and size is applied on the electrodes 7, 8 at the generation time of the yawing error and the error generation can be restrained by changing the friction force.