1. A service processing apparatus comprising:
a controller that:
receives, through a network, instruction data which specifies (i) different types of service processing operations to be executed by different types of services processing apparatus to document data and (ii) an execution sequence of the service processing operations, each of the different types of service processing operations being executed by one of the different types of service processing apparatus;
acquires the document data,
executes, according to the instruction data, image processing described in the instruction data as one of the service processing operations to the document data to produce modified document data, and
transmits, through the network according to the execution sequence, the instruction data and at least one of the modified document data and information specifying a location in which the modified document data is stored to subsequent service processing apparatus so that the subsequent service processing apparatus executes, according to the execution sequence, different service processing operation to the modified document.
2. The service processing device according to claim 1, wherein the image processing includes at least one of a noise removal processing, an image rotation processing, and an OCR processing.
3. The service processing device according to claim 1, wherein the image processing includes a noise removal processing.
4. The service processing device according to claim 1, wherein the image processing includes an image rotation processing.
5. The service processing device according to claim 1, wherein the image processing includes an OCR processing.
6. The service processing device according to claim 1, wherein the modified document data includes text data which is extracted through an OCR processing.
7. The service processing device according to claim 1, wherein the instruction data specifies at least one of a facsimile transmission operation and a mail delivery operation as a service processing operation for the modified document data to be executed by the subsequent service processing apparatus.
8. A service processing apparatus comprising:
a controller that:
receives, through a network, instruction data which specifies (i) different types of service processing operations to be executed to document data and (ii) an execution sequence of the service processing operations,
acquires the document data,
executes, according to the instruction data, image processing described in the instruction data as one of the service processing operations to the document data to produce modified document data, the image processing including at least one of a noise removal processing, an image rotation processing, and an OCR processing, and
executes, according to the instruction data, at least one of a facsimile transmission operation and a mail delivery operation as a service processing operation for the modified document data.
9. The service processing device according to claim 8, wherein the modified document data includes text data which is extracted through an OCR processing.
10. A service processing method using a processor comprising:
receiving, through a network, instruction data which specifies (i) different types of service processing operations to be executed to document data and (ii) an execution sequence of the service processing operations,
acquiring the document data,
executing, according to the instruction data, image processing described in the instruction data as one of the service operations to the document data to produce modified document data, the image processing including at least one of a noise removal processing, an image rotation processing, and an OCR processing, and
executing, according to the instruction data, at least one of a facsimile transmission operation and a mail delivery operation as a service processing operation for the modified document data.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
What is claimed is:
1. A temperature adjustment apparatus for adjusting a temperature of an object to be temperature-controlled, comprising:
a first temperature adjustment mechanism for controlling the temperature of the object to be temperature-controlled; and
a second temperature adjustment mechanism for controlling the temperature of the object to be temperature-controlled,
wherein said first and second temperature adjustment mechanisms have different temperature control responses, and control the temperature of the object to be temperature-controlled in cooperation with coarse adjustment and fine adjustment on the basis of difference in responses.
2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the object to be temperature-controlled includes an actuator or a member near the actuator.
3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the object to be temperature-controlled includes a plurality of objects to be temperature-controlled.
4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said second temperature adjustment mechanism serially connects the plurality of objects to be temperature-controlled and adjusts temperatures.
5. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said second temperature adjustment mechanism parallelly adjusts temperatures of the plurality of objects to be temperature-controlled.
6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first temperature adjustment mechanism controls the temperature of the object to be temperature-controlled on the basis of prediction of the temperature of the object to be temperature-controlled.
7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the object to be temperature-controlled generates heat.
8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first temperature adjustment mechanism comprises a Peltier element arranged at or near the object to be temperature-controlled.
9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said second temperature adjustment mechanism recovers heat of the object to be temperature-controlled by using a coolant temperature-controlled by a cooling unit.
10. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first temperature adjustment mechanism comprises a third temperature adjustment mechanism for adjusting a temperature of a heat exhaust portion.
11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said third temperature adjustment mechanism serves as part of said second temperature adjustment mechanism.
12. A temperature adjustment apparatus for adjusting temperatures of a plurality of objects to be temperature-controlled, comprising:
a plurality of first temperature adjustment mechanisms which are respectively arranged at the plurality of objects to be temperature-controlled and respectively control the temperatures of the objects to be temperature-controlled; and
a second temperature adjustment mechanism for recovering heat exhausted from said plurality of first temperature adjustment mechanisms.
13. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the objects to be temperature-controlled include actuators or members near the actuators.
14. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said first temperature adjustment mechanisms control the temperatures of the objects to be temperature-controlled on the basis of prediction of the temperatures of the objects to be temperature-controlled.
15. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the objects to be temperature-controlled generate heat.
16. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said first temperature adjustment mechanisms comprise Peltier elements respectively arranged at the objects to be temperature-controlled.
17. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said second temperature adjustment mechanism adjusts temperatures of heat exhaust portions of said first temperature adjustment mechanisms.
18. An alignment stage apparatus, comprising:
a first temperature adjustment mechanism for controlling a temperature of an object to be temperature-controlled;
a second temperature adjustment mechanism for controlling the temperature of the object to be temperature-controlled, said first and second temperature adjustment mechanisms having different temperature control responses; and
an actuator for controlling the temperature of the object to be temperature-controlled in cooperation with coarse adjustment and fine adjustment on the basis of difference in responses, and driving the alignment stage by using information about the temperature control as one piece of information for driving control.
19. An exposure apparatus having an illumination optical unit for emitting exposure light, a stage for supporting a substrate, and a main controller for controlling exposure operation of transferring a pattern formed on a master to the substrate, comprising:
a controller for controlling a Peltier element on the basis of an operation control signal from the main controller, and controlling heat movement by the Peltier element, the Peltier element being set at or near an object to be temperature-controlled.
20. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein said controller predicts a heat generation amount or temperature of the object to be temperature-controlled on the basis of the operation control signal from the main controller, and controls the Peltier element.
21. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein a heat recovery unit is arranged near the object to be temperature-controlled.
22. The apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the heat recovery unit uses a coolant whose temperature and flow rate are controlled by a cooling unit.
23. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein said controller predicts a heat generation amount or temperature of the object to be temperature-controlled on the basis of the operation control signal from the main controller, and controls the Peltier element andor a heat recovery unit.
24. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the main controller includes a driving controller for controlling an actuator of the stage, and said controller controls the Peltier element andor a heat recovery unit on the basis of a stage driving signal from the driving controller.
25. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein at least one temperature sensor for measuring a temperature of the object to be temperature-controlled is set, and said controller controls the Peltier element andor a heat recovery unit on the basis of an output signal from the temperature sensor.
26. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein when the object to be temperature-controlled includes a heating element, a heat conduction path between the heating element and the Peltier element is formed from a material higher in thermal conductivity than a material of a non-heat conduction path.
27. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the Peltier element is sandwiched between the object to be temperature-controlled and a base member, and the base member is formed from a material having a high thermal conductivity and a large heat capacity.
28. An exposure apparatus having an illumination optical unit for emitting exposure light, a stage for supporting a substrate, and a main controller for controlling exposure operation of transferring a pattern formed on a master to the substrate, comprising:
a heat generation amount controller for controlling a heat generation amount of a heating element in accordance with an operation status of the exposure apparatus, the heating element being set near at least part of an object to be temperature-controlled.
29. The apparatus according to claim 28, wherein the heating element is set near a heating element of the object to be temperature-controlled.
30. The apparatus according to claim 28, wherein an exposure apparatus having a linear motor with a plurality of coils as actuators of the stage uses a coil not participating in the exposure operation as the heating element.
31. The apparatus according to claim 28, wherein an actuator of the stage includes actuators larger by at least one than at least one degree of freedom, and each of the actuators is used as the heating element.
32. The apparatus according to claim 28, wherein a heat recovery unit for recovering a heat generation amount or adjusting a temperature is disposed near the object to be temperature-controlled.
33. The apparatus according to claim 32, wherein the heat recovery unit uses a coolant whose temperature and flow rate are controlled by a cooling unit.
34. The apparatus according to claim 32, wherein the heat recovery unit is controlled based on the heat generation amount of the heating element.
35. The apparatus according to claim 28, wherein said heat generation amount controller controls the heat generation amount of the heating element on the basis of a heat generation amount recovered by a heat recovery unit.
36. The apparatus according to claim 28, wherein said heat generation amount controller sets an initial heat generation amount for the heating element.
37. The apparatus according to claim 36, wherein the initial heat generation amount is set from a difference between a maximum heat generation amount generated from a heating element of the object to be temperature-controlled and a maximum heat recovery amount of a heat recovery unit.
38. The apparatus according to claim 28, wherein the heat generation amount controller controls the heat generation amount of the heating element on the basis of an exposure signal from the main controller.
39. The apparatus according to claim 28, wherein the heat generation amount controller predicts a heat generation amount or temperature of the exposure apparatus on the basis of an exposure signal from the main controller, and controls the heat generation amount of the heating element so as to reduce a temperature change of the exposure apparatus.
40. The apparatus according to claim 28, wherein at least one temperature sensor for measuring a temperature of the object to be temperature-controlled is set, and said heat generation amount controller controls the heat generation amount of the heating element on the basis of an output signal from the temperature sensor.
41. The apparatus according to claim 28, wherein the main controller includes an exposure amount controller for controlling an exposure amount of the illumination optical unit, and said heat generation amount controller controls the heat generation amount of the heating element on the basis of a signal from the exposure amount controller.
42. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the exposure apparatus further comprises a display, a network interface, and a computer for executing network access software, and maintenance information of the exposure apparatus is communicated via a computer network.
43. The apparatus according to claim 42, wherein the network access software provides on said display a user interface for accessing a maintenance database provided by a vendor or user of the exposure apparatus, and enables obtaining information from the database via Internet or a dedicated network connected to the computer network.
44. A semiconductor device manufacturing method comprising the steps of:
installing manufacturing apparatuses for various processes including the exposure apparatus defined in claim 19 in a semiconductor manufacturing factory; and
manufacturing a semiconductor device in a plurality of processes by using the manufacturing apparatuses.
45. The method according to claim 44, further comprising the steps of:
connecting the manufacturing apparatuses by a local area network; and
communicating information about at least one of the manufacturing apparatuses between the local area network and Internet or a dedicated network serving as an external network of the semiconductor manufacturing factory.
46. The method according to claim 44, wherein a database provided by a semiconductor device manufacturer or a supplier of the exposure apparatus is accessed by data communication via the external network to obtain maintenance information of the manufacturing apparatus, or production management is done by data communication between the semiconductor manufacturing factory and another semiconductor manufacturing factory via the external network.
47. A semiconductor manufacturing factory comprising:
manufacturing apparatuses for various processes including the exposure apparatus defined in claim 19;
a local area network for connecting said manufacturing apparatuses in the semiconductor manufacturing factory; and
a gateway for enabling accessing the Internet or a dedicated network serving as an external network of the semiconductor manufacturing factory from the local area network,
wherein information of at least one of said manufacturing apparatuses can be communicated.
48. A maintenance method for the exposure apparatus defined in claim 19, comprising the steps of:
causing a vendor or user of the exposure apparatus installed in a semiconductor manufacturing factory to provide a maintenance database connected to the Internet or a dedicated network serving as an external network of the semiconductor manufacturing factory;
authorizing access from the semiconductor manufacturing factory to the maintenance database via the external network; and
transmitting maintenance information accumulated in the maintenance database to the semiconductor manufacturing factory via the external network.