Abstract: According to a crystallization method, in the crystallization by irradiating a non-single semiconductor thin film of 40 to 100 nm provided on an insulation substrate with a laser light, a light intensity distribution having an inverse peak pattern is formed on the surface of the substrate, a light intensity gradient of the light intensity distribution is controlled, a crystal grain array is formed in which each crystal grain is aligned having a longer shape in a crystal growth direction than in a width direction and having a preferential crystal orientation (100) in a grain length direction, and a TFT is formed in which a source region and a drain region are formed so that current flows across a plurality of crystal grains of the crystal grain array in the crystal growth direction.

Abstract: An integrated circuit, which is configured such that a MOS transistor and a bipolar transistor are integrated at the same time, is formed on an insulating substrate which includes a display device. An electronic device or a display includes a plurality of semiconductor devices which are formed by using a semiconductor thin film and are formed in the semiconductor thin film that is provided on an insulating substrate and is crystallized in a predetermined direction. The plurality of semiconductor devices include a MOS transistor and at least either one of a lateral bipolar thin-film transistor and a MOS-bipolar hybrid thin film transistor.

Abstract: An integrated circuit, which is configured such that a MOS transistor and a bipolar transistor are integrated at the same time, is formed on an insulating substrate which includes a display device. An electronic device or a display includes a plurality of semiconductor devices which are formed by using a semiconductor thin film and are formed in the semiconductor thin film that is provided on an insulating substrate and is crystallized in a predetermined direction. The plurality of semiconductor devices include a MOS transistor and at least either one of a lateral bipolar thin-film transistor and a MOS-bipolar hybrid thin film transistor.

Abstract: A crystallization apparatus includes a light modulation element, and an image forming optical system that forms a light intensity distribution set based on light transmitted through the light modulation element on an irradiation surface. The crystallization apparatus irradiates a non-single crystal semiconductor film with light having the light intensity distribution to generate a crystallized semiconductor film. A curvature radius of at least one isointensity line of a light intensity substantially varies along the isointensity line in the light intensity distribution on the irradiation surface, and a curvature radius of at least a part of the isointensity line has a minimum value of 0.3 ?m or below.

Abstract: A dehydrogenation treatment method which includes forming a hydrogenated amorphous silicon film above a non-heat-resistant substrate, and eliminating bonded hydrogen from the hydrogenated amorphous silicon film by irradiating an atmospheric thermal plasma discharge to the hydrogenated amorphous silicon film for a time period of 1 to 500 ms. The surface of the substrate is heated at a temperature of 1000 to 2000° C. by irradiating the atmospheric thermal plasma discharge.

Abstract: A thin-film semiconductor device including a transparent insulating substrate, an island semiconductor layer formed on the transparent insulating substrate and including a source region containing a first-conductivity-type impurity and a drain region containing a first-conductivity-type impurity and spaced apart from the source region, a gate insulating film and a gate electrode which are formed on a portion of the island semiconductor layer, which is located between the source region and the drain region, a sidewall spacer having a 3-ply structure including a first oxide film, a nitride film and a second oxide film, which are respectively formed on a sidewall of the gate electrode, and an interlayer insulating film covering the island semiconductor layer and the gate electrode.

Abstract: In a lateral bipolar transistor including an emitter, a base and a collector which are formed in a semiconductor thin film formed on an insulating substrate, the semiconductor thin film is a semiconductor thin film which is crystallized in a predetermined direction. In addition, in a MOS-bipolar hybrid transistor formed in a semiconductor thin film formed on an insulating substrate, the semiconductor thin film is a semiconductor thin film which is crystallized in a predetermined direction.

Abstract: A method of receiving video data, a control signal, etc. via a non-contact transmission path is adopted, and a receiving circuit for receiving and amplifying a signal is formed on the same insulating substrate as a display device. Thus, there are provided a thin-film transistor which is formed in a semiconductor thin film that is formed on the insulating substrate and crystallized in a predetermined direction, and an inductor for forming an inductive-coupling circuit, which is formed by using an electrically conductive thin film provided on the insulating substrate. The direction of movement of carriers flowing in the thin-film transistor is parallel to the direction of crystallization of the semiconductor thin film, and the inductor and the thin-film transistor are integrated so as to be electrically coupled directly or indirectly.

Abstract: A phase shifter which modulates the phase of incident light has a light-transmitting substrate such as a glass substrate, and a phase modulator such as a concavity and convexity pattern which is formed on the laser beam incident surface of the light-transmitting substrate and modules the phase of incident light. A light-shielding portion which shields light in the peripheral portion where the optical intensity distribution decreases of the phase modulator is formed on the laser beam incident surface or exit surface of the phase shifter, thereby shielding the peripheral light in the irradiation surface of the incident laser beam.

Abstract: A crystallizing method of causing a phase shifter to phase-modulate a laser beam whose wavelength is 248 nm or 300 nm or more from an excimer laser unit into a laser beam with a light intensity profile having a plurality of inverted triangular peak patterns in cross section and of irradiating the pulse laser beam onto a substrate to be crystallized for crystallization. The substrate to be crystallized is such that one or more silicon oxide films which present absorption properties to the laser beam and differ in the relative proportions of Si and O are provided on a laser beam incident face.

Abstract: A light irradiation apparatus irradiates a target plane with light having a predetermined light intensity distribution. The apparatus includes a light modulation element having a light modulation pattern of a periodic structure represented by a primitive translation vector (a1, a2), an illumination system for illuminating the modulation element with the light, and an image forming optical system for forming the predetermined light intensity distribution obtained by the modulation pattern on the target plane. A shape of an exit pupil of the illumination system is similar to the Wigner-Seitz cell of a primitive reciprocal lattice vector (b1, b2) obtained from the primitive translation vector (a1, a2) by the following equations: b1=2?(a2×a3)/(a1·(a2×a3)) and b2=2?(a3×a1)/(a1·(a2×a3)) in which a3 is a vector having an arbitrary size in a normal direction of a flat surface of the modulation pattern of the modulation element, “·” is an inner product of the vector, and “×” is an outer product of the vector.

Abstract: A crystallization apparatus includes a light modulation element, and an image forming optical system that forms a light intensity distribution set based on light transmitted through the light modulation element on an irradiation surface. The crystallization apparatus irradiates a non-single crystal semiconductor film with light having the light intensity distribution to generate a crystallized semiconductor film. A curvature radius of at least one isointensity line of a light intensity substantially varies along the isointensity line in the light intensity distribution on the irradiation surface, and a curvature radius of at least a part of the isointensity line has a minimum value of 0.3 ?m or below.

Abstract: A method of forming a polycrystalline semiconductor film, which includes irradiating an amorphous semiconductor film formed on an insulating substrate with light to convert the amorphous semiconductor into a polycrystalline semiconductor with laterally grown crystal grains, thus forming a polycrystalline semiconductor film, wherein crystal growth in the semiconductor is controlled such that first crystal grains laterally grow in the first direction along a X-axis from the first group of initial nuclei, the second crystal grains laterally grow in the second direction opposite to the first direction along the X-axis from the second group of initial nuclei arranged apart from the first group of initial nuclei along the X-axis, and the first crystal grains collide against the second crystal grains at different points in time along a Y-axis.

Abstract: A laser crystallization apparatus and a crystallization method with a high throughput are provided. Laser light having a predetermined light intensity distribution is irradiated to a semiconductor film to melt and crystallize, wherein a irradiation position is placed very quickly and with a high positional accuracy, thereby forming the semiconductor film having a large crystal grain size. A laser crystallization apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention comprises a crystallizing laser light source, a phase shifter modulating pulse laser light to have the predetermined light intensity distribution, an excimer imaging optical system, a substrate holding stage mounting a processing substrate and continuously moving in the predetermined direction, a position measuring means, and a signal generating means indicating generation of the pulse laser light based on the position measurement of the stage by the position measuring means.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a phase shifter for laser annealing which is capable of effectively preventing the sticking of particles. A first layer and a third layer are made of quartz glass, and a two-dimensional pattern of fine grooves is formed in the surfaces of the layers. The first layer and the third layer are arranged so that a second layer is sandwiched between the layers in a state in which the surfaces provided with the grooves face each other. A peripheral edge portion of the first layer is laminated on that of the third layer by a spacer. The second layer is made of an inactive gas introduced between the first layer and the third layer.

Abstract: An optical device comprises a first cylindrical lens array in which a plurality of first lens segments each having a first radius of curvature and a first width so as to divide laser light into a plurality of light components are arranged, and a plurality of second lens segments each having a second radius of curvature and a second width, and provided in at least one position of the first cylindrical lens array so as to be arranged between adjacent first lens segments.

Abstract: A light irradiation apparatus includes a light modulation element which modulates a phase of an incident light beam to obtain a V-shaped light intensity distribution having a bottom portion of a minimum light intensity, and an image formation optical system which applies the modulated light beam from the light modulation element to an irradiation target surface in such a manner that the V-shaped light intensity distribution is provided on the irradiation target surface. The light modulation element has such a complex amplitude transmittance distribution that a secondary derivative of a phase value of a complex amplitude distribution becomes substantially zero at the bottom portion of the V-shaped light intensity distribution in an image space of the image formation optical system.

Abstract: The present invention comprises a light modulation optical system having a first element which forms a desired light intensity gradient distribution to an incident light beam and a second element which forms a desired light intensity minimum distribution with an inverse peak shape to the same, and an image formation optical system which is provided between the light modulation optical system and a substrate having a polycrystal semiconductor film or an amorphous semiconductor film, wherein the incident light beam to which the light intensity gradient distribution and the light intensity minimum distribution are formed is applied to the polycrystal semiconductor film or the amorphous semiconductor film through the image formation optical system, thereby crystallizing a non-crystal semiconductor film. The pattern of the first element is opposed to the pattern of the second element.

Abstract: An aberration measurement apparatus measures the aberration of an imaging optical system. The apparatus includes an illumination system, a separation member, and a measurement unit. The illumination system supplies the imaging optical system with measurement light used to measure an aberration of the imaging optical system and background light different from the measurement light. The separation member separates the measurement light and the background light which have passed through the imaging optical system. The measurement unit measures the aberration of the imaging optical system on the basis of the measurement light separated by the separation member.

Abstract: An integrated circuit, which is configured such that a MOS transistor and a bipolar transistor are integrated at the same time, is formed on an insulating substrate which includes a display device. An electronic device or a display includes a plurality of semiconductor devices which are formed by using a semiconductor thin film and are formed in the semiconductor thin film that is provided on an insulating substrate and is crystallized in a predetermined direction. The plurality of semiconductor devices include a MOS transistor and at least either one of a lateral bipolar thin-film transistor and a MOS-bipolar hybrid thin film transistor.