Patent ID: 6576919
Filing Date: 2003-06-10
Classification: G03F

Abstract:
A processing method of successively visiting plural process areas provided on an object arranged on and movable along a predetermined two-dimensional plane, for performing a predetermined process onto each of the plural process areas, by moving the object along the two-dimensional plane, the method comprising:a movement sequence determining step of determining a movement sequence including a visit order of the plural process areas, said movement sequence determining step including: a setting step of setting one or more scan directions at a time of performing the predetermined process onto each of the plural process areas, the predetermined process including irradiating light onto each of the plural process areas while scanning the object along the two-dimensional plane; and an arithmetic step of finding a solution of a movement sequence most preferred with respect to a total movement time between the plural process areas, using at least one of a method based on an operations research technique and an evolutionary computation method, for determining the visit order together with the scan directions of the plural process areas, said arithmetic step including: a first step of generating a group including a plurality of movement sequences that can be carried out, out of a group of movement sequence candidates, each indicating a visit order of the plural process areas as well as the scan directions of the plural process areas; and a second step of selecting a movement sequence in which a movement operation between the plural process areas is completed in a shortest time, out of the group generated, wherein said processing method further comprises a third step of successively visiting the plural process areas in accordance with the movement sequence selected at said second step.