1. A method of forming a mask for transferring a lithographic pattern onto a substrate by use of a lithographic exposure apparatus, said pattern comprising a plurality of features each of which has corresponding edges and vertices, said method comprising the steps of:
forming a serif on a plurality of said vertices contained in said lithographic pattern, each of said serifs having a substantially rectangular shape, and
determining the size of each serif independently on the basis of the length of the feature edges forming a given vertex, and a first distance and a second distance from the given vertex to the nearest feature edge, said first distance and said second distance corresponding to a first direction and a second direction, respectively, which are substantially perpendicular to one another and within the plane of the mask pattern,
wherein the position of each side of a given serif is independently adjustable relative to the positions of the remaining sides of the given serif.
2. The method of claim 1, further comprising assigning an adjustment vector to each side of said given serif, said adjustment vector defining a variation in the location of a corresponding side of said given serif relative to a default location.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein each side of said serif has a default position which is selected such that each serif initially exhibits a substantially square configuration.
4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of defining predetermined rules governing the length of each side of a serif, said predetermined rules utilizing the results of the determination of the length of the feature edges forming a given vertex on which said serif is to be positioned, and the first and second distance of the given vertex to the nearest feature edge.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein said first and said second directions correspond to X and Y axes parallel to which the edges of at least 50% of the mask features extend.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein said vertices comprise convex vertices and concave vertices, and said serifs comprise positive serifs and negative serifs, respectively.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein said pattern comprises a plurality of line end features, each of which has two vertices and a feature edge, said method comprising the steps of:
forming a serif on each of said vertices contained in a given line end feature,
determining the length of the feature edge, and
adjusting the size of each serif formed on said vertices of said given line end feature such that the serifs contact each other so as to form one contiguous edge when said length of said feature edge is less than a predetermined length.
8. The method of claim 7, wherein the size of each of said serifs is adjusted such that each of said serifs overlaps the length of said feature edge.
9. The method of claim 7, wherein the maximum amount the size of each of said serifs can be adjusted by is equal to the length of said feature edge.
10. The method of claim 1, said method comprising the steps of:
forming a serif on at least one of said vertices, said serif having a rectangular shape, and
determining the size of said serif on the basis of at least the length of the feature edges forming said one of said vertices,
said length of each of said feature edges being determined by measuring the distance from said one of said vertices to the closest feature edge which exceeds either a predefined jog tolerance or a predefined slope tolerance.
11. The method of claim 1, wherein the adjustments to the length of the sides of a given serif are added together to achieve a total adjustment.
12. A device manufacturing method comprising the steps of:
(a) providing a substrate that is at least partially covered by a layer of radiation-sensitive material;
(b) providing a projection beam of radiation using a radiation system;
(c) using a mask pattern to endow the projection beam with a pattern in its cross-section;
(d) projecting the patterned beam of radiation onto a target portion of the layer of radiation-sensitive material,
wherein the mask employed in step (c) is designed using a method according to claim 1.
13. A device manufactured according to the method of claim 12.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1-28. (canceled)
29. A terminal apparatus for sending and receiving data to and from a router that is connected to an external network to which a server apparatus is connected, said terminal apparatus being connected to the router via a home network and the router holding a corresponding relationship between a global address assigned to the router and a local address of said terminal apparatus for a predetermined period of time, said terminal apparatus comprising:
a communication unit operable to send and receive data to and from the server apparatus via the router; and
an adjustment unit operable to detect the predetermined period of time during which the corresponding relationship is held in the router, and to judge that a period shorter than the predetermined period is a sending interval at which the data is sent;
wherein said communication unit is operable to send the data repeatedly to the router according to the sending interval.
30. The terminal apparatus according to claim 29, wherein:
a mobile terminal device sends a control request to said terminal apparatus; and
said communication unit is operable to receive the control request via the router.
31. The terminal apparatus according to claim 30, further comprising:
a control unit operable to control said terminal apparatus according to the control request.
32. The terminal apparatus according to claim 30, wherein:
a plurality of apparatuses are connected to said terminal apparatus via the home network;
the apparatuses each includes an apparatus control unit operable to control the apparatus itself;
said communication unit is operable to send the control request to each of the apparatuses; and
the apparatus control unit of each of the apparatuses is operable to control the respective terminal apparatus according to the received control request.
33. The terminal apparatus according to claim 29, further comprising:
a generation unit operable to generate data to be sent to the server apparatus;
wherein said generation unit is operable to generate the data that includes at least the following information in a header part: the local address of said terminal apparatus as a sender’s address; a local port number of said terminal apparatus as a sender’s port number; an address of the server apparatus as a destination address; and a port number of the server apparatus as a destination port number, and that includes at least the following information in a data part: a unique terminal ID of said terminal apparatus.
34. The terminal apparatus according to claim 33, wherein:
a mobile terminal device sends a control request to said terminal apparatus; and
said communication unit is operable to receive the control request via the router.
35. The terminal apparatus according to claim 34, further comprising:
a control unit operable to control said terminal apparatus according to the control request.
36. The terminal apparatus according to claim 34, wherein:
a plurality of apparatuses are connected to said terminal apparatus via the home network;
the apparatuses each includes an apparatus control unit operable to control the apparatus itself;
said communication unit is operable to send the control request to each of the apparatuses; and
the apparatus control unit of each of the apparatuses is operable to control the respective terminal apparatus according to the received control request.
37. The terminal apparatus according to claim 29, further comprising:
a generation unit operable to generate data to be sent to the server apparatus;
wherein said generation unit is operable to generate the data that includes at least the following information in a header part: the local address of said terminal apparatus as a sender’s address; a local port number of said terminal apparatus as a sender’s port number; an address of the server apparatus as a destination address; and a port number of the server apparatus as a destination port number, and that includes at least the following information in a data part: a response interval at which response data is sent as a response from the server apparatus.
38. The terminal apparatus according to claim 37,
wherein said adjustment unit is operable to judge that the sending interval should be shortened when said communication unit has not received the response data from the router within the sending interval.
39. The terminal apparatus according to claim 37, wherein:
said generation unit is operable to generate a plurality of data with different response intervals;
said communication unit is operable to send the plurality of data generated by said generation unit; and
said adjustment unit is operable to detect the predetermined period of time during which the corresponding relationship is held in the router from the response interval at which the response data is sent.
40. The terminal apparatus according to claim 39, wherein said adjustment unit is operable to detect a longest response interval as the predetermined period of time in the router out of a plurality of response data sent by the server apparatus in response to the plurality of data sent by said terminal apparatus.
41. The terminal apparatus according to claim 37,
wherein the server apparatus includes:
a second communication unit operable to send and receive the data;
a response interval adjustment unit operable to obtain the response interval at which the response data is sent to said terminal apparatus, the response interval being included in the data, and to determine a response period during which the response data should be sent; and
a second generation unit operable to generate the response data to be sent to said terminal apparatus;
wherein said second communication unit is operable to send, to the router, the response data generated by said second generation unit according to the response period.
42. A communication method for use with a terminal apparatus for sending and receiving data to and from a router that is connected to an external network to which a server apparatus is connected, the terminal apparatus being connected to the router via a network and the router holding a corresponding relationship between a global address assigned to the router and a local address of the terminal apparatus for a predetermined period of time, said communication method comprising:
sending and receiving data to and from the server apparatus via the router; and
detecting the predetermined period of time during which the corresponding relationship is held in the router, and judging that a period shorter than the predetermined period is a sending interval at which the data is sent;
wherein in said sending and receiving of the data, the data is sent repeatedly to the router according to the sending interval.
43. The communication method according to claim 42, further comprising:
generating data to be sent to the server apparatus;
wherein in said generating, the generated data includes at least the following information in a header part: the local address of the terminal apparatus as a sender’s address; a local port number of the terminal apparatus as a sender’s port number; an address of the server apparatus as a destination address; and a port number of the server apparatus as a destination port number, and includes at least the following information in a data part: a unique terminal ID of the terminal apparatus.
44. The communication method according to claim 42, further comprising:
generating data to be sent to the server apparatus;
wherein in said generating, the generated data includes at least the following information in a header part: the local address of the terminal apparatus as a sender’s address; a local port number of the terminal apparatus as a sender’s port number; an address of the server apparatus as a destination address; and a port number of the server apparatus as a destination port number, and includes at least the following information in a data part: a response interval at which response data is sent as a response from the server apparatus.
45. A computer executable program for use with a terminal apparatus for sending and receiving data to and from a router that is connected to an external network to which a server apparatus is connected, the terminal apparatus being connected to the router via a network, and the router holding a corresponding relationship between a global address assigned to the router and a local address of the terminal apparatus for a predetermined period of time, said computer executable program comprising:
computer executable program code operable to cause a sending and receiving of data to and from the server apparatus via the router; and
computer executable program code operable to cause a detection of the predetermined period of time during which the corresponding relationship is held in the router, and judging that a period shorter than the predetermined period is a sending interval at which the data is sent;
wherein in the sending and receiving of the data, the data is sent repeatedly to the router according to the sending interval.
46. The program according to claim 45, further comprising:
computer executable program code operable to cause a generation of data to be sent to the server apparatus;
wherein in the generation of data, the generated data includes at least the following information in a header part: the local address of the terminal apparatus as a sender’s address; a local port number of the terminal apparatus as a sender’s port number; an address of the server apparatus as a destination address; and a port number of the server apparatus as a destination port number, and includes at least the following information in a data part: a unique terminal ID of the terminal apparatus.
47. The program according to claim 45, further comprising:
computer executable program code operable to cause a generation of data to be sent to the server apparatus;
wherein in the generation of data, the generated data includes at least the following information in a header part: the local address of the terminal apparatus as a sender’s address; a local port number of the terminal apparatus as a sender’s port number; an address of the server apparatus as a destination address; and a port number of the server apparatus as a destination port number, and includes at least the following information in a data part: a response interval at which response data is sent as a response from the server apparatus.
48. A communication system comprising:
a server apparatus connected to an external network;
a terminal apparatus connected to a network; and
a router which connects the external network and the network;
wherein said router holds a corresponding relationship between a global address assigned to said router and a local address of said terminal apparatus for a predetermined period of time; and
said terminal apparatus comprises:
a communication unit operable to send and receive data to and from said server apparatus via said router; and
an adjustment unit operable to detect the predetermined period of time during which the corresponding relationship is held in said router, and to judge that a period shorter than the predetermined period is a sending interval at which the data is sent;
wherein said communication unit is operable to send the data repeatedly to said router according to the sending interval.
49. The communication system according to claim 48, wherein:
said terminal apparatus further includes a generation unit operable to generate data to be sent to said server apparatus;
said generation unit is operable to generate the data to include at least the following information in a header part: the local address of said terminal apparatus as a sender’s address; a local port number of said terminal apparatus as a sender’s port number; an address of said server apparatus as a destination address; and a port number of said server apparatus as a destination port number, and to include at least the following information in a data part: a unique terminal ID of said terminal apparatus; and
said server apparatus includes:
a second communication unit operable to receive the data that includes the terminal ID of said terminal apparatus;
a terminal information storage unit operable to store the following information as a set of terminal information: the terminal ID of said terminal apparatus; a global address of said router which is a sender’s address; and a global port number of said router which is a sender’s port number; and
a packet generation unit operable to obtain, from said terminal information storage unit, the global address and the global port number which correspond to the terminal ID when a control request to control said terminal apparatus with the terminal ID occurs.
50. The communication system according to claim 48, wherein:
said terminal apparatus further includes a generation unit operable to generate data to be sent to said server apparatus;
said generation unit is operable to generate the data to include at least the following information in a header part: the local address of said terminal apparatus as a sender’s address; a local port number of said terminal apparatus as a sender’s port number; an address of said server apparatus as a destination address; and a port number of said server apparatus as a destination port number, and to include at least the following information in a data part: a response interval at which response data is sent as a response from said server apparatus.
51. The terminal apparatus according to claim 29,
wherein said terminal apparatus is a home terminal apparatus.
52. The terminal apparatus according to claim 29,
wherein said terminal apparatus is an internet terminal.
53. The terminal apparatus according to claim 32,
wherein said plurality of apparatuses are home appliances.