Process for producing thin film semiconductor device and laser irradiation apparatus

A process for producing a thin film semiconductor device comprising

• a film forming step of forming a semiconductor thin film comprising an amorphous material or a polycrystalline material having a relatively small particle diameter on a substrate;
• an irradiation step of irradiating said semiconductor thin film with an energy beam having an emission time width from upstand to downfall of 50 ns or more to convert said amorphous material or said polycrystalline material having a relatively small particle diameter to a polycrystalline material having a relatively large particle diameter;
• and
• a forming step of integrating and forming a thin film transistor in a prescribed region by using said semiconductor thin film thus converted to said polycrystalline material as an active layer,
• wherein said irradiation step comprises irradiating said region once or more with said energy beam, a cross sectional shape of which is changed and adjusted to said region, with an intensity of said energy beam from upstand to downfall being controlled to apply a desired change, and
• said film forming step and said irradiation step are alternately repeated without exposing said substrate to the air, to accumulate said semiconductor thin film.

A process for producing a thin film semiconductor device comprising

• a film forming step of forming a semiconductor thin film comprising an amorphous material or a polycrystalline material having a relatively small particle diameter on a substrate;
• an irradiation step of irradiating said semiconductor thin film with an energy beam to convert said amorphous material or said polycrystalline material having a relatively small particle diameter to a polycrystalline material having a relatively large particle diameter;
• and
• a forming step of integrating and forming a thin film transistor in a prescribed region by using said semiconductor thin film thus converted to said polycrystalline material as an active layer,
• wherein said irradiation step is bulk irradiation conducted in such a manner that a cross sectional shape of said energy beam is adjusted with respect to said region to crystallize said region at a time by single shot irradiation so that characteristics of said thin film transistor are made uniform, and said film forming step and said irradiation step are alternately repeated without exposing said substrate to the air, to accumulate said semiconductor thin film.

A process for producing a thin film semiconductor device comprising

• a film forming step of forming a semiconductor thin film comprising an amorphous material or a polycrystalline material having a relatively small particle diameter on a substrate, on which plural units are formed;
• an irradiation step of intermittently irradiating said semiconductor thin film with an energy beam moving with respect to said substrate, to convert said amorphous material or said polycrystalline material having a relatively small particle diameter to a polycrystalline material having a relatively large particle diameter;
• and
• a forming step of integrating and forming a thin film transistor by using said semiconductor thin film thus converted to said polycrystalline material as an active layer, to form thin film semiconductor devices in said respective units,
• wherein said irradiation step is bulk irradiation conducted in such a manner that a cross sectional shape of said energy beam is adjusted with respect to said unit to irradiate one or two or more units at a time by a single shot irradiation.

A process for producing a semiconductor thin film comprising

• a film forming step of forming a semiconductor thin film comprising an amorphous material or a polycrystalline material having a relatively small particle diameter on a substrate;
• and
• a laser annealing step of irradiating a prescribed region of said semiconductor thin film at a time with laser light having a prescribed cross sectional area to convert said amorphous material or said polycrystalline material having a relatively small particle diameter to a polycrystalline material having a relatively large particle diameter,
• wherein said film forming step and said laser annealing step are alternately repeated without exposing said substrate to the air, so as to accumulate said semiconductor thin films.