To provide a method and equipment for identifying and transferring each substrate with certainty, based on the bar code information by reading the bar code information of each substrate stably, and also to provide an aligner.

Along the way of a transfer mechanism H for transferring a reticle R from a library 11 to a reticle stage 17, an identification section A is installed, which comprises a holding section 1 for holding the reticle R delivered from the transfer mechanism H and a bar code reader 3 for reading a bar code B of the reticle R held by the holding section 1. The reticle R is held, in such a state where the bar code B can be easily read by the identification section A, so that the bar code B is read stably and the reticle R is identified surely.