Disclosed herein is a carrying mechanism that carries a plate-shaped workpiece in which a substrate larger than a wafer in area is stacked on a lower surface of the wafer. The carrying mechanism includes a carrying pad for covering an upper surface of the wafer, holding sections for holding the substrate on outside of the outer periphery of the wafer, and a water supply source for supplying water to the wafer. The carrying mechanism forms a predetermined gap between the lower surface of the carrying pad and the upper surface of the wafer, and carries the plate-shaped workpiece in a condition where the gap is supplied with a predetermined amount of water.