Substrate holding apparatus and polishing apparatus

A substrate holding apparatus for holding a substrate to be polished and pressing the substrate against a polishing surface, comprising;

• an elastic membrane;
• a top ring body for holding said elastic membrane;
• a plurality of pressure chambers partitioned by at least one partition wall of said elastic membrane between said elastic membrane and a lower surface of said top ring body, the substrate being held by a lower surface of said elastic membrane and being pressed against the polishing surface with a fluid pressure by supplying a pressurized fluid to said plurality of pressure chambers;
• and
• a stopper configured to limit the inflation of said elastic membrane by being brought into contact with a part of said partition wall of said elastic membrane or an extending member extending from a rear surface of said elastic membrane whose surface serves as a substrate holding surface, when the pressurized fluid is supplied to at least one of said pressure chambers in a state that the substrate held by said elastic membrane is not brought into contact with the polishing surface.