Transporting apparatus

Abstract

A transporting apparatus which can horizontally transport a carrier using an air bearing of which a rotational degree of freedom is kept relative to a surface of a base. The transporting apparatus is movable along a surface of a base and includes an air bearing placed on a base, a connector connected to an upper part of the air bearing and provided with a supporter in a center thereof, the supporter having a flexure hinge structure to allow the air bearing to be freely rotated relative to the base, and the carrier supported by the supporter of the connector to be transported while keeping a level with respect to the surface of the base. With this configuration, a movement of the air bearing does not affect the carrier, thereby improving accuracy and reliability of the transporting apparatus.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.