An attaching method for attaching a support plate to a surface of a substrate with an adhesive involves the steps of applying an adhesive to the surface of the substrate, heating and thereafter cooling the substrate, positioning centers of the substrate and the supporting plate to coincide with each other, and forming a layered structure by pushing the supporting plate onto the substrate with the adhesive therebetween in a pressure-reduced atmosphere. In the positioning step, after the supporting late has been placed on the substrate, it is possible to finely adjust the alignment of the supporting plate and a semiconductor wafer when attached because the adhesive is applied to the surface of the substrate, and thereafter the substrate is heated and cooled.