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AssigneeSemiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
InventorsKoichiro Tanaka, Tomoko Nakaya
Estimating the term…
There is provided an optical system for reducing faint interference observed when laser annealing is performed to a semiconductor film. The faint interference conventionally observed can be reduced by irradiating the semiconductor film with a laser beam by the use of an optical system using a mirror of the present invention. The optical system for transforming the shape of the laser beam on an irradiation surface into a linear or rectangular shape is used. The optical system may include an optical system serving to convert the laser beam into a parallel light with respect to a traveling direction of the laser beam. When the laser beam having passed through the optical system is irradiated to the semiconductor film through the mirror of the present invention, the conventionally observed faint interference can be reduced. Besides, the optical system which has been difficult to adjust can be simplified.
A laser irradiation apparatus for irradiating a laser beam having a linear or rectangular shape on an irradiation surface, comprising:
A laser irradiation apparatus for irradiating a laser beam having a linear or rectangular shape on an irradiation surface, comprising:
A laser irradiation apparatus comprising:
A laser irradiation method comprising:
A laser irradiation apparatus comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.
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From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.
Backward citations are indexed for grants only.
Microstructure: amorphous
Shaping the laser beam, e.g. by masks or multi-focusing: by a combination of beams
By a combination of beams: in the same heat affected zone [HAZ]
Shaping the laser beam, e.g. by masks or multi-focusing: dividing the beam into multiple beams, e.g. multi-focusing
Term end not estimated
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for manufacturing a semiconductor device having a circuit structured with a thin film transistor. For example, the invention relates to an apparatus for manufacturing an electro-optical device, typically a liquid crystal display device, and the structure of electric equipment mounted with such an electro-optical device as a component. The present invention also relates to a method of fabricating the apparatus. Note that throughout this specification, the semiconductor device indicates general devices that may function by use of semiconductor characteristics, and that the above electro-optical device and electric equipment are categorized as the semiconductor device.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the accompanying drawings:
FIG. 1 are diagrams showing a side view and a top view, respectively, of a conventional optical system that forms a linear beam;
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the laser beam split into two directions by the half mirror to be assembled into one on the irradiated surface;
[Embodiment Mode of the Invention]
An example of an optical system of the present invention is shown in FIG. 3. First, a side view of FIG. 3 will be described. A laser beam emitted from a laser oscillator 301 travels with a divergent angle. The laser beam is made a parallel light by a cylindrical lens 304 and a cylindrical lens 305, and is converged by a mirror 306 on an irradiation surface 307 of an object, which is held by a stage not shown in the figure. The stage is moved in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the laser beam as shown by the arrow 308 in order to treat an entire surface of the object. The cylindrical lens 304 and the cylindrical lens 305 will be described later. The mirror 306 is constructed by a plurality of plane mirrors 306a to 306d. Here, the number of the plane mirrors is made four. The energy of the linear beam in the width direction is made uniform by the mirror 306, and the length is determined. In the mirror 306, the position of the plane mirror 306b is determined by determining the position of the plane mirror 306a, and by this, the position of the plane mirror 306c is determined, and by this, the position of the plane mirror 306d is determined. A method of determining the positions of these plane mirrors will be described later. In the mirror 306, the adjacent plane mirror 306a and the plane mirror 306b, the plane mirror 306b and the plane mirror 306c, the plane mirror 306c and the plane mirror 306d are respectively in contact with each other at end points. However, as shown in FIG. 4, it is not always necessary that the adjacent mirrors are in contact with each other at the ends of the mirrors. A method of determining the arrangement of the respective mirrors in this case will also be described later.
In the meantime, the drawings of the optical system are depicted in such a manner that the laser beam is directed from a lower portion of the drawing sheet to an upper portion of the drawing sheet for the convenience of explanation. However, this relation, i.e. the relation between the mirror and the object to be irradiated with the laser beam can be modified.