US 7,679,800 B2Granted

Laser treatment apparatus and method of manufacturing semiconductor device

AssigneeSemiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.

InventorShunpei Yamazaki

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A laser treatment apparatus is provided which is capable of irradiating a laser beam to the position where a TFT is to be formed over the entire surface of a large substrate to achieve the crystallization, thereby forming a crystalline semiconductor film having a large grain diameter with high throughput. A laser treatment apparatus includes a laser oscillation device, a lens for converging a laser beam, such as a collimator lens or a cylindrical lens, a fixed mirror for altering an optical path for a laser beam, a first movable mirror for radially scanning a laser beam in a two-dimensional direction, and an fθ lens for keeping a scanning speed constant in the case of laser beam scanning. These structural components are collectively regarded as one optical system. A laser treatment apparatus shown in FIG. 1 has a structure in which five such optical systems are placed. The number of optical systems is not limited; any number of optical systems is allowed as long as a means for supplying a plurality of laser beams is provided.

Claims7

Dependent claims

A laser irradiation apparatus comprising:

a half mirror for dividing a laser beam into a first laser beam and a second laser beam;
a first movable mirror for deflecting the first laser beam in a main scanning direction;
and an elongated second movable mirror for receiving the first laser beam deflected in the main scanning direction and scanning the first laser beam in a sub scanning direction,
a third movable mirror for deflecting the second laser beam in a second main scanning direction, and an elongated fourth movable mirror for receiving the second laser beam deflected in the second main scanning direction and scanning the second laser beam in a second sub scanning direction,
wherein the second movable mirror includes means for scanning the first laser beam in the sub scanning direction at a rotation angle around an axis in a longitudinal direction of the second movable mirror and irradiating an object to be treated placed over a stage with the laser beam,
wherein the elongated second movable mirror has such an area that allows a reception of a plurality of first laser beams,
wherein the fourth movable mirror includes means for scanning the second laser beam in the second sub scanning direction at a rotation angle around an axis in a longitudinal direction of the fourth movable mirror and irradiating the object to be treated which is placed on the stage with the second laser beam, and
wherein the fourth movable mirror has such an area that allows a reception of a plurality of second laser beams.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 11/790,382Filed 25 Apr 2007 · division
Priority: JP 2001-23069230 Jul 2001
Published: US 2007/0201119 A130 Aug 2007
Granted: 16 Mar 2010
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification27 codes

H10P 14/3814
Using laser beams: continuous wave laser beam
B23K 26/0604
Shaping the laser beam, e.g. by masks or multi-focusing: by a combination of beams
B23K 26/0608
By a combination of beams: in the same heat affected zone [HAZ]
B23K 26/064
Shaping the laser beam, e.g. by masks or multi-focusing: by means of optical elements, e.g. lenses, mirrors or prisms

Family

Application10/206,577Parent of this division · filed 29 Jul 2002
Application10/834,033Parent of this division · filed 29 Apr 2004
US 2007/0201119 A1Pre-grant publication · published 30 Aug 2007
US 7,218,431 B2Parent of this division
US 6,770,546 B2Parent of this division
US 2003/0021307 A1Published application
US 2004/0201874 A1Published application
US 7,679,800 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.