# US 7,608,148 B2 · Crystallization apparatus and crystallization method > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 7,608,148 B2 - Document ID: US7608148B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 11/520,751 - Filed: 2006-09-14 - Published: 2007-01-11 - Granted: 2009-10-27 - Earliest claimed: 2002-12-04 - Assignees: Advanced LCD Technologies Development Center Co., Ltd. - Inventors: Masakiyo Matsumura; Yukio Taniguchi - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7608148B2 ## CPC - C30B 1/02: by thermal treatment, e.g. strain annealing (C30B1/12 takes precedence) - Y10T 117/10: Apparatus - Y10T 117/1004: with means for measuring, testing, or sensing - Y10T 117/1008: with responsive control means - C30B: SINGLE-CRYSTAL GROWTH (by using ultra-high pressure, e.g. for the formation of diamonds, B01J3/06); UNIDIRECTIONAL SOLIDIFICATION OF EUTECTIC MATERIAL OR UNIDIRECTIONAL DEMIXING OF EUTECTOID MATERIAL; REFINING BY ZONE-MELTING OF MATERIAL (zone-refining of metals or alloys C22B); PRODUCTION OF A HOMOGENEOUS POLYCRYSTALLINE MATERIAL WITH DEFINED STRUCTURE (casting of metals, casting of other substances by the same processes or devices B22D; working of plastics B29; modifying the physical structure of metals or alloys C21D, C22F); SINGLE CRYSTALS OR HOMOGENEOUS POLYCRYSTALLINE MATERIAL WITH DEFINED STRUCTURE; AFTER-TREATMENT OF SINGLE CRYSTALS OR A HOMOGENEOUS POLYCRYSTALLINE MATERIAL WITH DEFINED STRUCTURE (for producing semiconductor devices or parts thereof H10); APPARATUS THEREFOR - Y10T: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION ## Abstract A crystallization apparatus includes an illumination system which illuminates a phase shifter having a phase shift portion, and irradiates a polycrystal semiconductor film or an amorphous semiconductor film with a light beam having a predetermined light intensity distribution in which a light intensity is minimum in a point area corresponding to the phase shift portion of the phase shifter, thereby forming a crystallized semiconductor film, the phase shifter has four or more even-numbered phase shift lines which intersect at a point constituting the phase shift portion. An area on one side and an area on the other side of each phase shift line have a phase difference of approximately 180 degrees. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A crystallization apparatus comprising an illumination system which illuminates a phase shifter having at least one phase shift portion, and irradiates a polycrystal semiconductor film or an amorphous semiconductor film with a light beam having a predetermined light intensity distribution in which a light intensity is minimum in a point area corresponding to the phase shift portion of the phase shifter, thereby forming a crystallized semiconductor film, wherein the phase shifter has four or more even-numbered phase shift lines which intersect at a point constituting the phase shift portion, and an area on one side and an area on the other side of each phase shift line have a phase difference of approximately 180 degrees, and the phase shifter has a conformation that six or more triangular areas including said areas are arranged so as to be adjacent to each other with one apex in common. ### Claim 2 A crystallization apparatus comprising an illumination system which illuminates a phase shifter having at least one phase shift portion, and irradiates a polycrystal semiconductor film or an amorphous semiconductor film with a light beam having a predetermined light intensity distribution in which a light intensity is minimum in a point area corresponding to the phase shift portion of the phase shifter, thereby forming a crystallized semiconductor film, wherein the phase shifter has four or more even-numbered phase shift lines which intersect at a point constituting the phase shift portion, and an area on one side and an area on the other side of each phase shift line have a phase difference of approximately 180 degrees, and the phase shifter has a first phase shift portion at which even-numbered first phase shift lines intersect and a second phase shift portion at which even-numbered second phase shift lines intersect, and a plurality of first phase shift portions and a plurality of second phase shift portions are alternately arranged. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The crystallization apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the first phase shift portion corresponds to a point at which the four phase shift lines intersect, and the second phase shift portion corresponds to a point at which the eight phase shift lines intersect. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The crystallization apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the first phase shift portion corresponds to one apex provided to the four triangular areas including said areas in common, and the second phase shift portion corresponds to one apex provided to the eight triangular areas in common. ### Claim 5 A crystallization apparatus comprising an illumination system which illuminates a phase shifter having at least one phase shift portion, and irradiates a polycrystal semiconductor film or an amorphous semiconductor film with a light beam having a predetermined light intensity distribution in which a light intensity is minimum in a point area corresponding to the phase shift portion of the phase shifter, thereby forming a crystallized semiconductor film, wherein the phase shifter has four or more even-numbered phase shift lines which intersect at a point constituting the phase shift portion, and an area on one side and an area on the other side of each phase shift line have a phase difference of approximately 180 degrees, and the illumination system has an outgoing radiation pupil having a shape that a dimension along one direction and a dimension along the other direction are substantially different from each other. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The crystallization apparatus according to claim 5, wherein assuming that D is a distance between the polycrystal semiconductor film or the amorphous semiconductor film and the phase shifter, λ is a wavelength of the light, θmax is a maximum incident angle of the light upon the phase shifter along a direction in which an outgoing radiation pupil of the illumination system is maximum, and θmin is a maximum incident angle of the light upon the phase shifter along a direction in which the outgoing radiation pupil of the illumination system is minimum, the following conditions are satisfied: D×tan(θmin)<1.2×(λD/2)1/2 D×tan(θmax)>1.2×(λD/2)1/2. ### Claim 7 A crystallization apparatus comprising an illumination system which illuminates a phase shifter having at least one phase shift portion, and irradiates a polycrystal semiconductor film or an amorphous semiconductor film with a light beam having a predetermined light intensity distribution in which a light intensity is minimum in a point area corresponding to the phase shift portion of the phase shifter, thereby forming a crystallized semiconductor film, wherein the phase shifter has four or more even-numbered phase shift lines which intersect at a point constituting the phase shift portion, and an area on one side and an area on the other side of each phase shift line have a phase difference of approximately 180 degrees, and further comprising an image forming optical system arranged on an optical axis between the polycrystal semiconductor film or the amorphous semiconductor film and the phase shifter, and wherein the polycrystal semiconductor film or the amorphous semiconductor film is set apart from a surface optical conjugate with the phase shifter by a predetermined distance along an optical axis of the image forming optical system. ### Claim 8 A crystallization apparatus comprising an illumination system which illuminates a phase shifter having at least one phase shift portion, and irradiates a polycrystal semiconductor film or an amorphous semiconductor film with a light beam having a predetermined light intensity distribution in which a light intensity is minimum in a point area corresponding to the phase shift portion of the phase shifter, thereby forming a crystallized semiconductor film, wherein the phase shifter has four or more even-numbered phase shift lines which intersect at a point constituting the phase shift portion, and an area on one side and an area on the other side of each phase shift line have a phase difference of approximately 180 degrees, and further comprising an image forming optical system arranged on a light path between the polycrystal semiconductor film or the amorphous semiconductor film and the phase shifter, and wherein the polycrystal semiconductor film or the amorphous semiconductor film is set to a surface which is optically substantially conjugate with the phase shifter, and an image side numerical aperture of the image forming optical system is set to a value used to generate the light intensity distribution. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The crystallization apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the image forming optical system has a pupil having a shape that a dimension along one direction and a dimension along the other direction are substantially different from each other. ### Claim 10 A crystallization apparatus which forms a crystallized semiconductor film by irradiating a polycrystal semiconductor film or an amorphous semiconductor film with a light beam having a predetermined light intensity distribution, wherein the predetermined light intensity distribution has an inverse peak point with a light intensity lower than that at the periphery and has two or more trough lines which extend from the inverse peak point toward the periphery and have a lower change gradient of a light intensity than that at the periphery, and the light intensity distribution along each of the trough lines has an inflection point. ### Claim 11 A crystallization method which illuminates a phase shifter, and irradiates a polycrystal semiconductor film or an amorphous semiconductor film with a light beam having a predetermined light intensity distribution that a light intensity is minimum in an area corresponding to a phase shift portion of the phase shifter, thereby generating a crystallized semiconductor film, wherein the method uses the phase shifter which has four or more even-numbered phase shift lines which intersect at a point constituting the phase shift portion, an area on one side and an area on the other side of each phase shift line having a phase difference of approximately 180 degrees, an image forming optical system is arranged on a light path between the polycrystal semiconductor film or the amorphous semiconductor film and the phase shifter, and a surface of the polycrystal semiconductor film or the amorphous semiconductor film being set apart from a plane optically conjugate with the phase shifter by a predetermined distance along an optical axis of the image forming optical system. ### Claim 12 A crystallization method which illuminates a phase shifter, and irradiates a polycrystal semiconductor film or an amorphous semiconductor film with a light beam having a predetermined light intensity distribution that a light intensity is minimum in an area corresponding to a phase shift portion of the phase shifter, thereby generating a crystallized semiconductor film, wherein the method uses the phase shifter which has four or more even-numbered phase shift lines which intersect at a point constituting the phase shift portion, an area on one side and an area on the other side of each phase shift line having a phase difference of approximately 180 degrees, an image forming optical system is arranged on a light path between the polycrystal semiconductor film or the amorphous semiconductor film and the phase shifter, an image side numeral aperture of the image forming optical system is set to a value used to generate the predetermined light intensity distribution, and the polycrystal semiconductor film or the amorphous semiconductor film is set to a position optical conjugate with the phase shifter through the image forming optical system. ### Claim 13 A phase shifter which has four or more even-numbered phase shift lines which intersect at a point constituting a phase shift portion, wherein respective two adjacent areas with different phases which define each phase shift line therebetween have a phase difference of approximately 180 degrees, and wherein six or more triangular areas including said areas are arranged so as to be adjacent to each other with one apex in common. ### Claim 14 A phase shifter which has four or more even-numbered phase shift lines which intersect at a point constituting a phase shift portion, wherein respective two adjacent areas with different phases which define each phase shift line therebetween have a phase difference of approximately 180 degrees, and further comprising a first phase shift portion at which even-numbered first phase shift lines intersect and a second phase shift portion at which even-numbered second phase shift lines intersect, wherein a plurality of first phase shift portions and a plurality of second phase shift portions are alternately arranged. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The phase shifter according to claim 14, wherein the first phase shift portion corresponds to a point at which the four phase shift lines intersect, and the second phase shift portion corresponds to a point at which the eight phase shift lines intersect. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The phase shifter according to claim 15, wherein the first phase shift portion corresponds to one apex provided to four triangular areas in common, and the second phase shift portion corresponds to one apex provided to eight triangular areas in common. ### Claim 17 (depends on 11) The crystallization apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the phase shifter has a conformation that six or more triangular areas including said areas are arranged so as to be adjacent to each other with one apex in common. ### Claim 18 (depends on 11) The crystallization apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the phase shifter has a first phase shift portion at which even-numbered first phase shift lines intersect and a second phase shift portion at which even-numbered second phase shift lines intersect, and a plurality of first phase shift portions and a plurality of second phase shift portions are alternately arranged. ### Claim 19 (depends on 11) The crystallization apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the first phase shift portion corresponds to a point at which the four phase shift lines intersect, and the second phase shift portion corresponds to a point at which the eight phase shift lines intersect. ### Claim 20 (depends on 13) The crystallization apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the phase shifter has a conformation that six or more triangular areas including said areas are arranged so as to be adjacent to each other with one apex in common. ### Claim 21 (depends on 13) The crystallization apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the phase shifter has a first phase shift portion at which even-numbered first phase shift lines intersect and a second phase shift portion at which even-numbered second phase shift lines intersect, and a plurality of first phase shift portions and a plurality of second phase shift portions are alternately arranged. ### Claim 22 (depends on 13) The crystallization apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the first phase shift portion corresponds to a point at which the four phase shift lines intersect, and the second phase shift portion corresponds to a point at which the eight phase shift lines intersect.