Abstract: The disclosure is directed to laser spike annealing using fiber lasers. The method includes performing laser spike annealing of a surface of a wafer by: generating with a plurality of fiber laser systems respective CW output radiation beams that partially overlap at the wafer surface to form an elongate annealing image having a long axis and a length LA along the long axis; heating at least a region of the wafer to a pre-anneal temperature TPA; and scanning the elongate annealing image over the wafer surface and within the pre-heat region so that the annealing image has a dwell time tD in the range 30 ns?tD?10 ms and raises the wafer surface temperature to an annealing temperature TA.

Abstract: Systems and methods for measuring an intensity characteristic of a light beam are disclosed. The methods include directing the light beam into a prism assembly that includes a thin prism sandwiched by two transparent plates, and reflecting a portion of the light beam by total-internal-reflection surface to an integrating sphere while transmitting the remaining portion of the light beam through the two transparent plates to a beam dump. The method also includes detecting light captured by the integrating sphere and determining the intensity characteristic from the detected light.

Abstract: Laser annealing systems and methods for annealing a semiconductor wafer with ultra-short dwell times are disclosed. The laser annealing systems can include one or two laser beams that at least partially overlap. One of the laser beams is a pre-heat laser beam and the other laser beam is the annealing laser beam. The annealing laser beam scans sufficiently fast so that the dwell time is in the range from about 1 ?s to about 100 ?s. These ultra-short dwell times are useful for annealing product wafers formed from thin device wafers because they prevent the device side of the device wafer from being damaged by heating during the annealing process. Embodiments of single-laser-beam annealing systems and methods are also disclosed.

Abstract: Systems and methods for forming a time-averaged line image having a relatively high amount of intensity uniformity along its length is disclosed. The method includes forming at an image plane a line image having a first amount of intensity non-uniformity in a long-axis direction and forming a secondary image that at least partially overlaps the primary image. The method also includes scanning the secondary image over at least a portion of the primary image and in the long-axis direction according to a scan profile to form a time-average modified line image having a second amount of intensity non-uniformity in the long-axis direction that is less than the first amount. For laser annealing a semiconductor wafer, the amount of line-image overlap for adjacent scans of a wafer scan path is substantially reduced, thereby increasing wafer throughput.

Abstract: Laser annealing systems and methods for annealing a semiconductor wafer with ultra-short dwell times are disclosed. The laser annealing systems can include one or two laser beams that at least partially overlap. One of the laser beams is a pre-heat laser beam and the other laser beam is the annealing laser beam. The annealing laser beam scans sufficiently fast so that the dwell time is in the range from about 1 ?s to about 100 ?s. These ultra-short dwell times are useful for annealing product wafers formed from thin device wafers because they prevent the device side of the device wafer from being damaged by heating during the annealing process. Embodiments of single-laser-beam annealing systems and methods are also disclosed.

Abstract: Systems and methods for forming a time-average line image are disclosed. The method includes forming a line image with a first amount of intensity non-uniformity. The method also includes forming and scanning a secondary image over at least a portion of the line image to form a time-averaged modified line image having a second amount of intensity non-uniformity that is less than the first amount. Wafer emissivity is measured in real time to control the intensity of the secondary image. Temperature is also measured in real time based on the wafer emissivity and reflectivity of the secondary image, and can be used to control the intensity of the secondary image.

Abstract: Systems and methods for forming a time-averaged line image having a relatively high amount of intensity uniformity along its length is disclosed. The method includes forming at an image plane a line image having a first amount of intensity non-uniformity in a long-axis direction and forming a secondary image that at least partially overlaps the primary image. The method also includes scanning the secondary image over at least a portion of the primary image and in the long-axis direction according to a scan profile to form a time-average modified line image having a second amount of intensity non-uniformity in the long-axis direction that is less than the first amount. For laser annealing a semiconductor wafer, the amount of line-image overlap for adjacent scans of a wafer scan path is substantially reduced, thereby increasing wafer throughput.

Abstract: Systems and methods for forming a time-average line image are disclosed. The method includes forming a line image with a first amount of intensity non-uniformity. The method also includes forming and scanning a secondary image over at least a portion of the line image to form a time-averaged modified line image having a second amount of intensity non-uniformity that is less than the first amount. Wafer emissivity is measured in real time to control the intensity of the secondary image. Temperature is also measured in real time based on the wafer emissivity and reflectivity of the secondary image, and can be used to control the intensity of the secondary image.

Abstract: Systems and methods for forming a time-averaged line image having a relatively high amount of intensity uniformity along its length is disclosed. The method includes forming at an image plane a line image having a first amount of intensity non-uniformity in a long-axis direction and forming a secondary image that at least partially overlaps the primary image. The method also includes scanning the secondary image over at least a portion of the primary image and in the long-axis direction according to a scan profile to form a time-average modified line image having a second amount of intensity non-uniformity in the long-axis direction that is less than the first amount. For laser annealing a semiconductor wafer, the amount of line-image overlap for adjacent scans of a wafer scan path is substantially reduced, thereby increasing wafer throughput.

Abstract: The line imaging system includes a laser, first and second cylindrical optical systems with a first spatial filter disposed therebetween, a knife-edge aperture, a cylindrical relay system, and a cylindrical focusing lens. The first spatial filter is configured to truncate a line focus within the central lobe to form a first light beam. The second cylindrical lens system is arranged in the far field and is configured to perform spatial filtering to pass central intensity lobes of the first light beam while blocking outlying intensity lobes. The resultant twice-filtered light beam is has a relatively flat-top intensity distribution associated with the long direction of the line image so that subsequent truncation by the knife-edge aperture transmits more light than conventional line imaging systems. A laser annealing system that employs the line imaging system is also disclosed.

Abstract: In apparatus for wavelength stabilizing and spectrally narrowing an output beam of a diode-laser, a cylindrical lens is arranged to collimate the beam in the fast axis of the diode laser without reducing divergence in the slow axis of the diode-laser. An optical fiber is arranged to receive the fast-axis collimated beam from the lens. The optical fiber has a multimode core surrounded by a first cladding, the first cladding being surrounded by a second cladding. The core of the optical fiber includes a wavelength selective Bragg grating and has a numerical aperture of about 0.06 or less. The optical fiber has a numerical aperture of about 0.15 or greater. The fast-axis collimated beam and the relatively low numerical aperture of the core provide that the Bragg grating only reflects light that propagates about parallel to the longitudinal axis of the fiber. Light reflected from the grating is fed back to the diode-laser for stabilizing the wavelength and spectrally narrowing the diode-laser output beam.

Abstract: Optical apparatus for projecting a line of light includes a diode-laser bar having a plurality of individual emitters, input and output microlens arrays, a lens and other optical elements. The diode-laser bar, the microlens arrays, and the lens are configured and arranged such that the microlens arrays form three or more slow-axis intermediate near-field images of each emitter in a plane immediately adjacent the output microlens array, and in a telecentric arrangement with the lens.

Abstract: A line-of-light projecting module is illuminated by a diode-laser bar and includes light-pipe for homogenizing light from the diode-laser bar in the slow-axis. A shaping optics assembly directs the light emitted by the diode-laser bar into the entrance end of the light-pipe as a diverging beam in the slow-axis and as a collimated beam in the fast-axis. The light propagates through the light-pipe unguided in the fast axis. The light is guided by the light-pipe in the slow-axis, and homogenized in the slow-axis by making multiple reflections from walls of the light-pipe. An anamorphic projection optics assembly projects the light from the exit end of the light-pipe and focuses the light to form the line-of-light.

Abstract: In apparatus for wavelength stabilizing and spectrally narrowing an output beam of a diode-laser, a cylindrical lens is arranged to collimate the beam in the fast axis of the diode laser without reducing divergence in the slow axis of the diode-laser. An optical fiber is arranged to receive the fast-axis collimated beam from the lens. The optical fiber has a multimode core surrounded by a first cladding, the first cladding being surrounded by a second cladding. The core of the optical fiber includes a wavelength selective Bragg grating and has a numerical aperture of about 0.06 or less. The optical fiber has a numerical aperture of about 0.15 or greater. The fast-axis collimated beam and the relatively low numerical aperture of the core provide that the Bragg grating only reflects light that propagates about parallel to the longitudinal axis of the fiber. Light reflected from the grating is fed back to the diode-laser for stabilizing the wavelength and spectrally narrowing the diode-laser output beam.

Abstract: In apparatus for wavelength stabilizing and spectrally narrowing an output beam of a diode-laser, a cylindrical lens is arranged to collimate the beam in the fast axis of the diode laser without reducing divergence in the slow axis of the diode-laser. A length of optical fiber is arranged to receive the fast-axis collimated beam from the lens. The optical fiber has a core surrounded by a first cladding, the first cladding being surrounded by a second cladding. The core of the optical fiber has an elongated cross section and includes a wavelength selective Bragg grating. The core functions as a low-mode core in the width direction of the cross section. The length direction of the core is aligned with the fast axis of the diode-laser. The fast-axis collimated beam and the low mode width of the core provides that the Bragg grating only reflects light that propagates parallel the longitudinal axis of the fiber.

Abstract: A multilayer semiconductor laser includes a substrate on which is formed a semiconductor multilayer heterostructure divided into a plurality of electrically pumped regions and an elongated optically pumped region. The electrically pumped regions generate and deliver optical pump radiation laterally into the elongated optically pumped region. Output radiation is generated and delivered by the optically pumped region.

Abstract: A multilayer semiconductor laser includes a substrate on which is formed a semiconductor multilayer heterostructure divided into a plurality of electrically pumped regions and an elongated optically pumped region. The electrically pumped regions generate and delivering optical pump radiation laterally into the elongated optically pumped region. Output radiation is generated and delivered by the optically pumped region.

Abstract: Apparatus for projecting a line of light includes a linear array of diode-lasers arranged in a diode-laser bar. The apparatus includes an optical system. Components of the system include a plurality of lenses and array of cylindrical microlenses having the same spacing as diode-lasers in the diode-laser array. The microlens array is spaced at a distance from the diode-laser bar and aligned with the diode-laser bar such that the front focal plane of the microlens array is between the diode-laser bar and the microlens array. The optical system components are configured and arranged to project overlapping elongated images in a predetermined plane. The overlapping images form the line of light. The elongated images are images of cross-sections of beams from the diode-lasers where the beams are intersected by the front focal plane of the microlens array.

Abstract: A wide-stripe diode-laser includes a lower cladding region, a lower waveguide region, an active region, an upper waveguide region, and an upper cladding region all comprising semiconductor layers epitaxially grown on a semiconductor substrate. An elongated rectangular electrode on the upper cladding layer defines a stripe or pumped section. Adjacent the electrode is an unpumped section in which at least the quantum-well layer has been treated to cause the active region to be disordered. In this unpumped section, at least one area of the area is etched to a depth equal to or less than the thickness of the cladding region. The etched area provides a diverging lens effect in the waveguide region. The diverging lens effect expands the fundamental mode of the laser in the stripe to a width sufficient to improve single mode performance.

Abstract: A prismatic device for reforming the cross section of the beam emitted along a semiconductor laser bar stripe by deflecting successive segments of the emitted beam in directions making acute angles with the longitudinal axis of the emitted beam and redirecting the deflected beam segments through layers of glass into an array of parallel beam segments.