1. A cache control program to be executed by a file controller including a disk device that records a plurality of objects accessed by a client machine and a cache section that stores a copy of at least one of the objects, wherein when the client machine tries to access one of the objects recorded in the disk device, the file controller sends the copy of said object to the client machine if the copy of said object is in the cache section, and wherein each object is one of a primary object, a secondary object, and a tertiary object, the tertiary object being configured by at least one secondary object, the secondary object being configured by at least one primary object, and the primary, secondary, and tertiary objects configuring different hierarchical levels, the cache control program controlling the file controller, the cache control program when executed comprising the steps of:
managing the cache section as a plurality of cache extents;
generating a plurality of cache IDs, each including a hierarchical level of an object and an object identification used to identify the objects of each hierarchical level from each other;
generating a cache header table indicating the relation of the cache IDs and the cache extents in each hierarchical level, wherein the cache header table contains cache headers that hold the cache IDs and a plurality of keys, each being unique and used for one of the cache IDs; and
searching the cache header table when the client machine tries to access one of the objects recorded in the disk device with the cache ID and the key of said object.
2. The program according to claim 1, further comprising the step of:
binding a cache extent that is bound with a primary object with cache extents of the secondary and tertiary objects corresponding to the cache extent of said primary object based on the cache header of each hierarchical level.
3. The program according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:
storing a map for binding the objects of different hierarchical levels; and
searching the objects of different hierarchical level with reference to the map.
4. The program according to claim 1, wherein the table is formed from a plurality of blocks, each configured by a plurality of entries, the program further comprising the steps of:
generating a map for managing the cache extents with the entries; and
searching the map in response to an access by the client machine.
5. The program according to claim 1, wherein the client machine and the file controller are connected to a network having a plurality of nodes, the file controller being one of the nodes, and each of the cache IDs includes an identification number of a node in a certain domain of the network, the program further comprising the step of:
distributing the cache header table between the nodes through the network.
6. A cache control method performed by a file controller including a disk device that records a plurality of objects accessed by a client machine and a cache section that stores a copy of at least one of the objects, wherein when the client machine tries to access one of the objects recorded in the disk device, the file controller sends the copy of said object to the client machine if the copy of said object is in the cache section, and wherein each object is one of a primary object, a secondary object, and a tertiary object, the tertiary object being configured by at least one secondary object, the secondary object being configured by at least one primary object, and the primary, secondary, and tertiary objects configuring different hierarchical levels, the cache control method comprising the steps of:
managing the cache section as a plurality of cache extents;
generating a plurality of cache IDs, each including a hierarchical level of an object and an object identification used to distinguish the objects of each hierarchical level from each other;
generating a cache header table indicating the relation of the cache IDs and the cache extents in each hierarchical level, wherein the cache header table contains cache headers that hold the cache IDs and a plurality of keys, each being unique and used for one of the cache IDs; and
searching the cache header table when the client machine tries to access one of the objects recorded in the disk device with the cache ID and the key of said object.
7. A file controller for use with a client machine, the file controller including a disk device that records a plurality of objects accessed by the client machine and a cache section that stores a copy of at least one of the objects, wherein when the client machine tries to access one of the objects recorded in the disk device, and the copy of said object is sent to the client machine if the copy of said object is in the cache section, and wherein each object is one of a primary object, a secondary object, and a tertiary object, the tertiary object being configured by at least one secondary object, the secondary object being configured by at least one primary object, and the primary, secondary, and tertiary objects configuring different hierarchical levels, the file controller including control logic which when executed performs steps comprising:
managing the cache section as a plurality of cache extents;
generating a plurality of cache IDs, each including a hierarchical level of an object and an object identification used to identify the objects of each hierarchical level from each other;
generating a cache header table indicating the relation of the cache IDs and the cache extents in each hierarchical level, wherein the cache header table contains cache headers that hold the cache IDs and a plurality of keys, each being unique and used for one of the cache IDs; and
searching the cache header table when the client machine tries to access one of the objects recorded in the disk device with the cache ID and the key of said object.
8. A recording medium encoded with a cache control program for execution by a file controller including a disk device that records a plurality of objects accessed by a client machine and a cache section that stores a copy of at least one of the objects, wherein when the client machine tries to access one of the objects recorded in the disk device, the file controller sends the copy of said object to the client machine if the copy of said object is in the cache section, and wherein each object is one of a primary object, a secondary object, and a tertiary object, the tertiary object being configured by at least one secondary object, the secondary object being configured by at least one primary object, and the primary, secondary, and tertiary objects configuring different hierarchical levels, the cache control program controlling the file controller, the cache control program when executed performing the steps comprising:
managing the cache section as a plurality of cache extents;
generating a plurality of cache IDs, each including a hierarchical level of an object and an object identification used to identify the objects of each hierarchical level from each other;
generating a cache header table indicating the relation of the cache IDs and the cache extents in each hierarchical level, wherein the cache header table contains cache headers that hold the cache IDs and a plurality of keys, each being unique and used for one of the cache IDs; and
searching the cache header table when the client machine tries to access one of the objects recorded in the disk device with the cache ID and the key of said object.
9. A cache control method for a file transferred through a network between a client machine and a plurality of file servers, each of the file servers including storage for storing the file and a cache memory having a plurality of cache extents, the method comprising:
dividing the file in accordance with the size of the file into a plurality of objects;
dispersing each of the objects to one of the file servers;
dividing the corresponding object into a plurality of disk blocks in each file server and storing the disk blocks in the storage of the file server;
copying at least one of the disk blocks related with the file in each file server, when the file is read, onto at least one cache extent of the cache memory of the file server while generating a table for binding the cache extent of at least one of the disk blocks, the objects, and the file to one another;
referring to the table with each file server to check whether the cache memory of each file server has a cache extent bound to the file when the client machine tries to access the file; and
accessing the cache extent with each server when there is a cache extent bound to the file.
10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the table includes:
an object table indicating the relation of the file and the objects;
a storage extent table indicating the relation of each object and the disk blocks; and
a cache header table indicating the relation of the cache extents and the file, the relation of the cache extents and the objects, and the relation of the cache extents and the disk blocks.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. An imprint method for forming a patterned layer from an imprintable liquid medium on a substrate by means of an imprint template having a patterned surface comprising recesses, the method comprising:
contacting together the patterned surface and imprintable liquid medium on the substrate andor patterned surface for a filling period having an end time when the imprintable liquid medium has substantially filled the recesses in the patterned surface,
measuring light emergent from an interface between the imprintable liquid medium and the patterned surface during the filling period to obtain data concerning one or more voids at the interface, and
deriving an estimated end time from a relationship between the data and time.
2. The imprint lithography method of claim 1, comprising directing the light from a light source onto the interface.
3. The imprint lithography method of claim 1, wherein the data includes information related to a size of the one or more voids.
4. The imprint lithography method of claim 1, wherein the data includes information related to a rate of change of the size of the one or more voids.
5. The imprint lithography method of claim 1, wherein the light emergent from the interface is focused to form an image of the interface and the image is analyzed to select a set of voids from which the data is obtained.
6. The imprint lithography method of claim 5, wherein each of the voids in the set of voids has a size larger than a size-related statistic for the voids.
7. The imprint lithography method of claim 1, further comprising a learning process by which the relationship is modified using information from defect levels arising from remnants of unfilled voids in one or more previously patterned layers.
8. The imprint lithography method of claim 1, wherein a commencement time of one or more further processing steps is determined from the estimated end time.
9. The imprint lithography method of claim 8, wherein the imprintable liquid medium is a UV-curable medium and the one or more further processing steps comprises illuminating the UV-curable medium with UV-radiation for an illumination period.
10. The imprint lithography method of claim 9, wherein the UV-curable medium exhibits an inhibition period following illumination with UV-radiation during which it has a viscosity which remains substantially unchanged.
11. The imprint lithography method of claim 10, wherein illuminating the UV-curable imprintable liquid medium commences prior to the estimated end time.
12. The imprint lithography method of claim 10, wherein the UV-curable imprintable liquid medium is an acrylate resist or a vinyl ether resist.
13. An imprint method for forming a patterned layer from an imprintable liquid Medium on a substrate by means of an imprint template having a patterned surface comprising recesses, the method comprising:
contacting the patterned surface with imprintable liquid medium on the substrate andor patterned surface, and
calculating an estimated time required for the imprintable liquid medium to substantially fill the recesses in the patterned surface from data collected from measurement of light emergent from an interface between the imprintable liquid medium and the patterned surface.
14. An imprint method comprising:
bringing a patterned surface of an imprint template and imprintable medium on a substrate into contact with each other for a filling period having an end time when the imprintable medium has substantially filled recesses in the patterned surface of the imprint template,
measuring a light emergent from an interface between the imprintable medium and the patterned surface of the imprint template during the filling period to obtain data concerning one or more voids at the interface, and
estimating the end time of the filling period from a relationship between the data and time.
15. An imprint apparatus comprising:
an imprint holder configured to hold an imprint template, the imprint template having a patterned surface to pattern an imprintable liquid medium on a substrate by contact between the patterned surface and the imprintable liquid medium,
a substrate table configured to hold the substrate,
a detector configured to generate a signal derived from light emergent from an interface between the imprintable liquid medium and the patterned surface, during a filling period as imprintable liquid medium substantially fills the recesses in the patterned surface, and
a computer configured to derive data from the signal concerning one or more voids at the interface during the filling period, and to derive an estimated end time for the filling period from a relationship between the data and time.
16. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising a light source configured to direct the light onto the interface.
17. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising a focusing device arranged to form an image of the interface at the detector.
18. The apparatus of claim 17, further comprising an image analyzer configured to analyze the image to obtain the data from an image of the one or more voids at the interface.
19. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising a controller configured to control operation of the apparatus, the controller arranged to commence one or more further processing steps at one or more commencement times determined from the estimated end time.
20. An imprint apparatus comprising:
an imprint holder configured to hold an imprint template, the imprint template having a patterned surface to pattern an imprintable liquid medium on a substrate by contact between the patterned surface and the imprintable liquid medium,
a substrate table configured to hold the substrate,
a detector configured to collect and measure light emergent from an interface comprising one or more voids between the imprintable liquid medium and the patterned surface and to generate a signal therefrom, and
a computer configured to calculate an estimated end time required for the imprintable liquid medium to substantially fill the recesses in the patterned surface from data derived from the signal generated by the detector.