1. A method of exposing an accounts receivable account to a third party to allow the third party to interact with the accounts receivable account, comprising:
receiving billing information from an accounts receivable system, wherein the billing information is associated with an owed account in the accounts receivable system;
providing, via a webpage, an accounting of the owed account associated with a user owing funds to the accounts receivable system;
providing, via the webpage, one or more fields for receiving funds in satisfaction of the owed account associated with the user owing funds to the accounts receivable system;
exposing the webpage to one or more third parties;
allowing the one or more third parties to access portions of the billing information and the owed account associated with the user; and
receiving funds via the one or more fields from one of the one or more third parties via the webpage in satisfaction of the owed account.
2. The method of claim 1, further comprising applying the received funds to the owed account in the accounts receivable system.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein after receiving funds via the one or more fields from one of the one or more third parties via the webpage in satisfaction of the owed account, receiving updated billing information from the accounts receivable system, wherein the updated billing information is associated with the owed account in the accounts receivable system.
4. The method of claim 3, wherein after receiving updated billing information from the accounts receivable system, providing, via the webpage, an accounting of the updated owed account associated with the user owing funds to the accounts receivable system.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein exposing the webpage to the one or more third parties includes exposing the webpage via a distributed networked computing system.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving funds via the one or more fields from one of the one or more third parties via the webpage in satisfaction of the owed account includes receiving an indication from the accounts receivable account of a receipt of funds from one of the one or more third parties.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving funds via the one or more fields from one of the one or more third parties via the webpage in satisfaction of the owed account includes receiving an indication from an electronic payment system of a receipt of funds from one of the one or more third parties.
8. The method of claim 7, wherein receiving the indication from the electronic payment system includes receiving the indication from an online electronic payment service.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving billing information from an accounts receivable system includes receiving an amount owed by the user to the accounts receivable system.
10. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving funds via the one or more fields from one of the one or more third parties via the webpage in satisfaction of the owed account includes receiving funds via the one or more fields from one of the one or more third parties via the webpage in partial satisfaction of the owed account.
11. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving funds via the one or more fields from one of the one or more third parties via the webpage in satisfaction of the owed account includes receiving funds via the one or more fields from one of the one or more third parties via the webpage in full satisfaction of the owed account.
12. The method of claim 1, further comprising allowing sharing of the webpage with the one or more third parties.
13. The method of claim 12, wherein allowing sharing of the webpage with the one or more third parties includes sharing a web address of the webpage via a connection of the webpage with a social networking website.
14. The method of claim 12, wherein allowing sharing of the webpage with the one or more third parties includes importing email addresses of one or more third parties from an email account and sharing a web address of the webpage via an email message to one or more of the imported email addresses.
15. The method of claim 1, wherein prior to exposing the webpage to the one or more third parties:
receiving a request to publish the webpage;
sending the webpage to an organization associated with the owed account for review; and
upon receiving an indication of an approval, exposing the webpage to the one or more third parties.
16. A system for exposing an accounts receivable account to a third party to allow the third party to interact with the accounts receivable account, comprising:
a processing unit; and
a memory storage including instructions that, when executed by the processing unit, cause the system to:
receive billing information from an accounts receivable system, wherein the billing information is associated with an owed account in the accounts receivable system;
provide, via a webpage, an accounting of the owed account associated with a user owing funds to the accounts receivable system;
provide, via the webpage, one or more fields for receiving funds in satisfaction of the owed account associated with the user owing funds to the accounts receivable system;
expose the webpage to one or more third parties;
allow the one or more third parties to access portions of the billing information and the owed account associated with the user; and
receive funds via the one or more fields from one of the one or more third parties via the webpage in satisfaction of the owed account.
17. A computer readable medium containing computer executable instructions which when executed by a computer perform a method of exposing an accounts receivable account to a third party to allow the third party to interact with the accounts receivable account, comprising:
receiving billing information from an accounts receivable system, wherein the billing information is associated with an owed account in the accounts receivable system;
providing, via a webpage, an accounting of the owed account associated with a user owing funds to the accounts receivable system;
providing, via the webpage, one or more fields for receiving funds in satisfaction of the owed account associated with the user owing funds to the accounts receivable system;
exposing the webpage to one or more third parties;
allowing the one or more third parties to access portions of the billing information and the owed account associated with the user; and
receiving funds via the one or more fields from one of the one or more third parties via the webpage in satisfaction of the owed account.
18. The computer readable medium of claim 17, further comprising applying the received funds to the owed account in the accounts receivable system.
19. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein after receiving funds via the one or more fields from one of the one or more third parties via the webpage in satisfaction of the owed account, receiving updated billing information from the accounts receivable system, wherein the updated billing information is associated with the owed account in the accounts receivable system.
20. The computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein after receiving updated billing information from the accounts receivable system, providing, via the webpage, an accounting of the updated owed account associated with the user owing funds to the accounts receivable system.
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 exposure apparatus comprising:
a reference mirror fixed in place in the apparatus;
an optical system including a projection lens;
a first mirror fixed to the projection lens;
a substrate stage;
a second mirror fixed to the substrate stage; and
a first interferometer system operatively associated with the reference mirror the first mirror and the second mirror so as to detect vibration of the projection lens using the reference mirror and the first mirror and so as to detect the position of the substrate stage relative to the projection lens using the first and second mirrors.
2. The exposure apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first interferometer system comprises a first beam splitter that divides a first beam into a first incident beam that is directed onto the reference mirror and a second incident beam that is directed onto the first mirror whereat the first and second incident beams are reflected as first and second reflection beams, respectively, and a second beam splitter that divides a second beam into a third incident beam that is directed onto the first mirror and a fourth incident beam that is directed onto the second mirror whereat the third and fourth incident beams are reflected as third and fourth reflection beams, respectively.
3. The exposure apparatus of claim 2, wherein the first interferometer system comprises a third mirror disposed at one side thereof, and the exposure apparatus further comprises a second interferometer system operatively associated with the first interferometer system so as to detect vibration of the first interferometer system, the second interferometer system comprising a beam splitter that divides a third beam into a fifth incident beam that is directed onto the reference mirror and a sixth incident beam that is directed onto the third mirror whereat the fifth and sixth incident beams are reflected as fifth and sixth reflection beams, respectively.
4. The exposure apparatus of claim 2, wherein the first interferometer further comprises a first detector positioned to receive the first reflection beam and the second reflection beam, the first detector being operative to generate a first signal representative of an interference pattern formed by the first reflection beam and the second reflection beam, and a second detector positioned to receive the third reflection beam and the fourth reflection beam, the second detector being operative to generate a second signal representative of the interference pattern formed by the third reflection beam and the fourth reflection beam.
5. The exposure apparatus of claim 4, further comprising a controller operatively connected to the first detector so as to receive the first signal therefrom, the controller having a memory in which a reference signal representative of a reference interference pattern is stored, and the controller being configured to compare the first signal with the reference signal.
6. The exposure apparatus of claim 4, further comprising a driving mechanism connected to the substrate stage and operable to drive the substrate stage, and a controller that is operatively connected to the second detector so as to receive the second signal therefrom, wherein the controller is also operatively connected to the driving mechanism so as to control the movement of the substrate stage by the driving mechanism based on the second signal.
7. The exposure apparatus of claim 4, wherein the first interferometer system further comprises wavelength converters disposed along the paths of the first incident beam and the first reflection beam, the second incident beam and the second reflection beam, the third incident beam and the third reflection beam, and the fourth incident beam and the fourth reflection beam.
8. The exposure apparatus of claim 3, wherein the second interferometer system further comprises a third detector positioned to receive the fifth reflection beam and the sixth reflection beam, the third detector being operative to generate a third signal representative of an interference pattern formed by the fifth reflection beam and the sixth reflection beam.
9. The exposure apparatus of claim 8, further comprising a controller operatively connected to the third detector so as to receive the third signal therefrom, the controller having a memory in which a reference signal representative of a reference interference pattern is stored, and the controller being configured to compare the third signal with the reference signal.
10. The exposure apparatus of claim 3, wherein the second interferometer system further comprises wavelength converters disposed along paths of the fifth incident beam and the fifth reflection beam and the sixth incident beam and the sixth reflection beam.
11. The exposure apparatus of claim 2, and further comprising at least one He\u2014Ne laser positioned relative to the first interferometer system so as to emit at least one He\u2014Ne laser beam along an optical path of the apparatus extending to the first interferometer system.
12. The exposure apparatus of claim 3, and further comprising an He\u2014Ne laser positioned relative to the second interferometer system so as to emit an He\u2014Ne laser beam along an optical path of the apparatus that extends to the second interferometer system.
13. A method for use in operating an exposure apparatus, the method comprising:
dividing a first beam into first and second portions;
directing the first portion of the first beam to a first detecting location via a reference mirror fixed in place in the exposure apparatus;
directing the second portion of the first beam to the first detecting location via a first mirror fixed relative to a projection lens of the exposure apparatus;
analyzing a first interference pattern formed by a confluence of the first and second portions of the first beam at the first detecting location to determine whether the projection lens is vibrating; and
dividing a second beam into first and second portions;
directing the first portion of the second beam to a second detecting location via the first mirror;
directing the second portion of the second beam to the second detecting location via a mirror fixed relative to a substrate stage of the exposure apparatus; and
analyzing a second interference pattern formed by a confluence of the first and second portions of the second beam at the second detecting location to determine the relative position of the substrate stage.
14. The method of claim 13, wherein the analyzing of the first interference pattern comprises comparing the first interference pattern with a reference interference pattern representative of a state in which the projection lens is not vibrating.
15. The method of claim 13, wherein the dividing of the first and second beams and the directing of the first and second portions of the first and second beams to the first, second and reference mirrors, respectively are carried out by integral optical components of a first interferometer system, and further comprising dividing a third beam into first and second portions, directing the first portion of the third beam to a third detecting location via the reference mirror, directing the second portion of the third beam to the third detecting location via a third mirror fixed to the first interferometer system, analyzing a third interference pattern formed by the confluence. of the first and second portions of the third beam at the third detecting location to detect whether the first interferometer system is vibrating.
16. The method of claim 15, wherein the analyzing of the third interference pattern comprises comparing the third interference pattern with a reference interference pattern representative of a state in which the first interference pattern is not vibrating.
17. An exposure method comprising:
placing a substrate on a substrate stage, the substrate having a film of photosensitive material thereon;
monitoring a projection lens using a first interferometer system to determine whether the projection lens is vibrating;
determining the position of the substrate stage relative to the projection lens using the first interferometer system;
monitoring the first interferometer system to determine whether the first interferometer system is vibrating; and
if neither the projection lens nor the first interferometer system is determined to be vibrating, directing a projection beam onto a reticle bearing a pattern, whereby an image of the pattern is picked up by the projection beam, and focusing the projection beam carrying the image of the pattern of the reticle onto a region of the substrate using the projection lens.