Abstract: A method for operating an active matrix display device having an active matrix circuit, a column driver circuit and a scan driver circuit including driving the active matrix circuit by the column driver circuit and the scan driver circuit, wherein each of the active matrix circuit, column driver circuit and scan driver circuit includes by thin film transistors and wherein a variation in threshold voltages of the thin film transistors of the column driver circuit is not greater than 0.05 V.

Abstract: In an annealing process in which laser light is irradiated to a semiconductor thin film, a refractive index of the semiconductor thin film after laser light irradiation is measured and conditions for the next laser light irradiation are adjusted based on the measured refractive index value. For example, laser light irradiation conditions are adjusted so that semiconductor thin films always have the same refractive index. As a result, the annealing can be performed under the same conditions at every laser light irradiation even if the laser light irradiation conditions vary unavoidably. For a crystalline silicon film, if the refractive index is larger than 3.5, then a thin-film transistor using such as film has desired crystallinity and flatness properties such that a field-effect mobility is greater than 100 cm.sup.2 /Vsec.

Abstract: In order to form a single-crystalline thin film on a polycrystalline substrate using plasma CVD, a downwardly directed mainly neutral Ne atom current is formed by an ECR ion generator (2). A reaction gas such as silane gas which is supplied from a reaction gas inlet pipe (13) is sprayed onto an SiO.sub.2 substrate (11) by an action of the Ne atom current, so that an amorphous Si thin film is grown on the substrate (11) by a plasma CVD reaction. At the same time, a part of the Ne atom current having high directivity is directly incident upon the substrate (11), while another part thereof is incident upon the substrate (11) after its course is bent by a reflector (12). The reflector (12) is so set that all directions of the parts of the Ne atom current which are incident upon the substrate (11) are perpendicular to densest planes of single-crystalline Si.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of producing a recrystallized-material-member by melting a given zone of a crystalline-material-member and moving the molten zone continuously along the crystalline-material-member to recrystallize a desired region of the crystalline-material-member, wherein dimension of the molten zone of the crystalline-material-member is controlled to be constant and/or quality of crystal of the recrystallized-material-member is controlled to be uniform.

Abstract: In order to obtain a thin-film transistor having high characteristics using a metal element for accelerating the crystallization of silicon, a nickel element is selectively added to the surface of an amorphous silicon film (103) in regions (101) and (102) and regions (108) to (110), and a heat treatment is carried out to grow crystals (horizontal growth) in directions parallel to the substrate as indicated by arrows (104) to (107). At this point, the regions (108) to (110) having a width of 5 .mu.m or less serve as stopper regions so that horizontal growth starting from the regions (101) and (102) stops there. In this way, the horizontal growth regions can be formed with high controllability. Then a circuit such as a shift register can be constructed with a region having the same crystal growth form.

Abstract: Secondary recrystallized grains having a plurality of crystal orientations in a polycrystalline compact of molybdenum or tungsten, which contains at least one element selected from the group consisting of calcium and magnesium in amount of 0.007 to 0.090 atom %, are formed by locally heating an end portion(s) of the polycrystalline compact. Some grains, which have a prescribed crystal orientation, selected from these secondary recrystallized grains are subsequently grown in the whole polycrystalline compact by annealing.

Abstract: The invention concerns a method of producing a surface layer structure by doping a matrix with metal ions. The aim of the invention is to provide a method of this kind in which the depth distribution of the metal ions in the substrate can be regulated, thus optimumizing the doping without incurring any of the disadvantages inherent in the prior art methods. This is achieved by first depositing matrix material on a suitable substrate by laser ablation in an atmosphere of oxygen, thus forming a on surface of the substrate a first layer a matrix material. Dopant is then deposited on the surface of the first layer, followed by more matrix material. The result is a uniform doping of the deposited matrix at a defined depth in the surface layer structure.

Abstract: Crystals formed of a solid-solution of NiSiF.sub.6 6H.sub.2 O provide very good materials for filtering ultraviolet light and will not deteriorate in temperatures as high as 115.degree. C. They are particularly useful in sensing devices which seek to identify the presence of ultraviolet light in the UV missile warning band.

Abstract: According to this invention, a magnetooptical element represented by (Cd.sub.1-X-Y Mn.sub.X Hg.sub.Y).sub.1 Te.sub.1 (0<X<1, 0<Y<1) comprises, so as to be used in a range around each of wavelength bands of 0.98 .mu.m, 1.017 .mu.m, 1.047 .mu.m, and 1.064 .mu.m, a single crystal having a composition contained in an area defined in a quasi ternary-element phase diagram of MnTe-HgTe-CdTe by four points a, b, c, and d of:Mn.sub.0.5 Hg.sub.0.5 Te,Mn.sub.0.6 Hg.sub.0.4 Te,Cd.sub.0.83 Mn.sub.0.13 Hg.sub.0.04 Te,andCd.sub.0.83 Mn.sub.0.05 Hg.sub.0.12 Te,the single crystal having a thickness not smaller than 300 .mu.m and containing substantially no twin crystal and no segregation in composition.

Abstract: A laser annealing method for a semiconductor thin film for irradiating the semiconductor thin film with a laser beam having a section whose outline includes a straight-line portion, so as to change the crystallinity of the semiconductor thin film is provided, wherein the semiconductor thin film is overlap-irradiated with the laser beam while the laser beam is shifted in a direction different from a direction along the straight-line portion. A thin film semiconductor device fabricated by use of the laser annealing method is also provided.

Abstract: A material for use in a 1.5 .mu.m wide-band optical isolator, includes a bismuth-substituted terbium-iron garnet single crystal having a composition of Bi.sub.x Tb.sub.3-x Fe.sub.5 O.sub.12 in which x is 0.35 to 0.45. This bismuth-substituted terbium-iron garnet single crystal is grown by a solid phase reaction. A process for producing such a material is also disclosed.

Abstract: A method of producing sheets of crystalline material is disclosed, as well as devices employing such sheets. In the method, a growth mask is formed upon a substrate and crystalline material is grown at areas of the substrate exposed through the mask and laterally over the surface of the mask to form a sheet of crystalline material. This sheet is optionally separated so that the substrate can be reused. The method has particular importance in forming sheets of crystalline semiconductor material for use in solid state devices.

Abstract: A process for producing high-purity silicon for solar cells continuously directly from inexpensive silicon containing a comparatively large amount of impurities. This process comprises melting continuously supplied raw material silicon in a bottomless crucible placed in an induction coil, while blowing a hot plasma gas incorporated with an oxygen-containing substance on the surface of the melt for purification, and continuously discharging the solidified silicon downward from said bottomless crucible, with at least an axial part of said bottomless crucible being divided into a plurality of electrically conductive pieces spaced circumferentially.

Abstract: A process for producing a crystal comprises the step of applying crystal forming treatment on a light-transmissive substrate having a non-nucleation surface (S.sub.NDS) of a small nucleation density and a nucleation surface (S.sub.NDL) of a nucleation density (ND.sub.L) greater than the nucleation density (N.sub.DS) of said non-nucleation surface (S.sub.NDS) and formed of an amorphous material (M.sub.L) different from the material (M.sub.S) forming the non-nucleation surface (S.sub.NDS) at a small area sufficient to effect crystal growth from only a single nucleus to form a single crystal nucleus on the nucleation surface (S.sub.NDL), thereby growing a single crystal from the single nucleus, and the step of reducing the crystal defects of the crystal in the vicinity of the interface with the substrate by irradiation of light from the side of the substrate.

Abstract: A laser-beam annealing apparatus that provides reliable, continuous control of the intensity of the laser beam used to perform the annealing process.

Abstract: A silicon-on insulator film (38) is formed by solid phase epitaxial re-growth. A layer of amorphous silicon (36) is formed such that it is only in direct contact with an underlying portion of a silicon substrate (12). The layer of amorphous silicon (36) is subsequently annealed to form a monocrystalline layer of epitaxial silicon (38). Because the amorphous silicon layer (36) is in contact with only the silicon substrate (12), during the re-growth process, the resulting epitaxial layer (38) is formed with a reduced number of crystal defects. The resulting epitaxial silicon layer (38) may then be used to form semiconductor devices.

Abstract: A lower capacitor electrode is formed on the basic plate 1, and thereafter a ferroelectric film, for example, a PZT film having the Pb is formed. ITO, RuO2, SnO2 which are Pt or oxide conductive material are formed as a cap layer into 200 .ANG. or more in film thickness by a sputtering method or silicone oxide film or the like are formed with 200A or more in film thickness by a thermal CVD method. Thereafter, a thermal operating operation is effected. By the prevention of the Pb from being evaporated at the thermal processing time, the elaborate ferroelectric film of stoichiometrical perovskite construction can be formed.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method of making a thin film transistor for driving a liquid crystal display comprising the steps of forming a gate electrode on a glass substrate and forming an insulating layer and an amorphous silicon layer in turn on said glass substrate and said gate electrode, and scanning laser beams on the surface of said amorphous silicon layer with the end portions of the respective scanned laser beams being overlapped. According to the method of making a thin film transistor for driving a liquid crystal display of the present invention, a thin film transistor suitable for HDTV, the field effect mobility of which is high, is achieved. Further, in making a thin film transistor, a separate processing step is not required and the number of processing steps can be reduced because constructional features of a TFT are utilized.

Abstract: Films of hexagonal boron nitride are converted to a highly desirable cubic-like phase of boron nitride. The transformation is achieved by annealing the hBN material at temperatures below 1000.degree. C. The conversion may be conducted in a hydrogen, nitrogen, ammonia, vacuum, or inert gas containing atmosphere.

Abstract: A method of epitaxially growing semiconductor crystal by which a single crystal region which is superior in quality can be selectively formed at a high throughput without employing the lithography technique. A shield mask is formed on an upper face of an amorphous semiconductor layer formed on substrate, and excimer laser light is irradiated upon the amorphous semiconductor layer using the shield mask to produce, in the amorphous semiconductor layer, a core from which crystal is to be grown. After the shield mask is removed, low temperature solid phase annealing processing for the amorphous semiconductor layer is performed to grow crystal from the core to form a single crystal region in the amorphous semiconductor layer. Alternatively, the silicon core is formed by irradiating an energy beam, which is capable of being converged into a thin beam and being used to directly draw a picture, at a predetermined position of the amorphous silicon film.

Abstract: A process for preparing a semiconductor member by forming a member having a non-porous monocrystalline semiconductor region on a porous monocrystalline semiconductor region, bonding the insulating surface of a member to the surface of the non-porous monocrystalline semiconductor region, and then removing the porous monocrystalline semiconductor region by etching.

Abstract: An object of this invention is to provide a semiconductor element manufacturing method in which, in forming a polycrystal semiconductor layer by applying ultraviolet rays to an amorphous semiconductor layer formed on a large substrate, an excimer laser employed in the conventional art is used in such a manner that the layer is made uniform in crystallinity, thereby to manufacture a polycrystal semiconductor layer high in quality.