Abstract: A polycrystalline film is prepared by (a) providing a substrate having a thin film disposed thereon, said film capable of laser-induced melting, (b) generating a sequence of laser pulses having a fluence that is sufficient to melt the film throughout its thickness in an irradiated region, each pulse forming a line beam having a predetermined length and width, said width sufficient to prevent nucleation of solids in a portion of the thin film that is irradiated by the laser pulse, (c) irradiating a first region of the film with a first laser pulse to form a first molten zone, said first molten zone demonstrating a variation in width along its length to thereby define a maximum width (Wmax) and a minimum width (Wmin), wherein the first molten zone crystallizes upon cooling to form one or more laterally grown crystals, (d) laterally moving the film in the direction of lateral growth a distance that is greater than about one-half Wmax and less than Wmin; and (e) irradiating a second region of the film with a seco

Abstract: A process and system are provided for processing at least one section of each of a plurality of semiconductor film samples. In these process and system, the irradiation beam source is controlled to emit successive irradiation beam pulses at a predetermined predetermined repetition rate. Using such emitted beam pulses, at least one section of one of the semiconductor film samples is irradiated using a first sequential lateral solidification (“SLS”) technique and/or a first uniform small grained material (“UGS”) techniques to process the such sections) of the first sample. Upon the completion of the processing of this section of the first sample, the beam pulses are redirected to impinge at least one section of a second sample of the semiconductor film samples. Then, using the redirected beam pulses, such sections) of the second sample are irradiated using a second SLS technique and/or a second UGS technique to process the at least one section of the second sample.

Abstract: In accordance with one aspect, the present invention provides a method for providing polycrystalline films having a controlled microstructure as well as a crystallographic texture. The methods provide elongated grains or single-crystal islands of a specified crystallographic orientation. In particular, a method of processing a film on a substrate includes generating a textured film having crystal grains oriented predominantly in one preferred crystallographic orientation; and then generating a microstructure using sequential lateral solidification crystallization that provides a location-controlled growth of the grains orientated in the preferred crystallographic orientation.

Abstract: A thin film transistor array panel is provided, which includes: a substrate including a plurality of pixel areas; a semiconductor layer formed on the substrate and including a plurality of pairs of first and second semiconductor portions in respective pixel areas; a first insulating layer formed on the semiconductor layer; a gate wire formed on the first insulating layer; a second insulating layer formed on the gate wire; a data wire formed on the second insulating layer; a third insulating layer formed on the data wire; a pixel electrode formed on the third insulating layer and connected to the data wire, wherein width and length of at least one of the first and the second semiconductor portions vary between at least two pixel areas.

Abstract: A process and system for processing a thin film sample, as well as the thin film structure are provided. In particular, a beam generator can be controlled to emit successive irradiation beam pulses at a predetermined repetition rate. Each irradiation beam pulse may be masked to define a first plurality of beamlets and a second plurality of beamlets. The first and second plurality of beamlets of each of the irradiation pulses being provided for impinging the film sample and having an intensity which is sufficient to at least partially melt irradiated portions of the section of the film sample. A particular portion of the section of the film sample is irradiated with the first beamlets of a first pulse of the irradiated beam pulses to melt first areas of the particular portion, the first areas being at least partially melted, leaving first unirradiated regions between respective adjacent ones of the first areas, and being allowed to resolidify and crystallize.

Abstract: High throughput systems and processes for recrystallizing thin film semiconductors that have been deposited at low temperatures on a substrate are provided. A thin film semiconductor workpiece is irradiated with a laser beam to melt and recrystallize target areas of the surface exposed to the laser beam. The laser beam is shaped into one or more beamlets using patterning masks. The mask patterns have suitable dimensions and orientations to pattern the laser beam radiation so that the areas targeted by the beamlets have dimensions and orientations that are conducive to semiconductor recrystallization. The workpiece is mechanically translated along linear paths relative to the laser beam to process the entire surface of the work piece at high speeds. Position sensitive triggering of a laser can be used generate laser beam pulses to melt and recrystallize semiconductor material at precise locations on the surface of the workpiece while it is translated on a motorized stage.

Abstract: A process and system for processing a thin film sample are provided. In particular, a beam generator can be controlled to emit at least one beam pulse. The beam pulse is then masked to produce at least one masked beam pulse, which is used to irradiate at least one portion of the thin film sample. With the at least one masked beam pulse, the portion of the film sample is irradiated with sufficient intensity for such portion to later crystallize. This portion of the film sample is allowed to crystallize so as to be composed of a first area and a second area. Upon the crystallization thereof, the first area includes a first set of grains, and the second area includes a second set of grains whose at least one characteristic is different from at least one characteristic of the second set of grains. The first area surrounds the second area, and is configured to allow an active region of a thin-film transistor (“TFT”) to be provided at a distance therefrom.

Abstract: Method and system for generating a metal thin film with a uniform crystalline orientation and a controlled crystalline microstructure are provided. For example, a metal layer is irradicated with a pulsed laser to completely melt the film throughout its entire thickness. The metal layer can then resolidify to form grains with a substantially uniform orientation. The resolidified metal layer can be irradiated with a sequential lateral solidification technique to modify the crystalline microstructure (e.g., create larger grains, single-crystal regions, grain boundary controlled microstructures, etc.) The metal layer can be irradiated by patterning a beam using a mask which includes a first region capable of attenuating the pulsed laser and a second region allowing complete irradiation of sections of the thin film being impinged by the masked laser beam. An inverse dot-patterned mask can be used, the microstructure that may have substantially the same as the geometric pattern as that of the dots of the mask.

Abstract: Methods for processing an amorphous silicon thin film sample into a polycrystalline silicon thin film are disclosed.

Abstract: A method of processing a polycrystalline film on a substrate includes generating a plurality of laser beam pulses, positioning the film on a support capable of movement in at least one direction, directing the plurality of laser beam pulses through a mask to generate patterned laser beams; each of said beams having a length l?, a width w? and a spacing between adjacent beams d?, irradiating a region of the film with the patterned beams, said beams having an intensity that is sufficient to melt an irradiated portion of the film to induce crystallization of the irradiated portion of the film, wherein the film region is irradiated n times; and after irradiation of each film portion, translating either the film or the mask, or both, a distance in the x- and y-directions, where the distance of translation in the y-direction is in the range of about 1?/n-?, where ? is a value selected to form overlapping the beamlets from the one irradiation step to the next, and where the distance of translation in the x-direction

Abstract: A process and system for processing a thin film sample (e.g., a semiconductor thin film), as well as the thin film structure are provided. In particular, a beam generator can be controlled to emit at least one beam pulse. With this beam pulse, at least one portion of the film sample is irradiated with sufficient intensity to fully melt such section of the sample throughout its thickness, and the beam pulse having a predetermined shape. This portion of the film sample is allowed to resolidify, and the re-solidified at least one portion is composed of a first area and a second area. Upon the re-solidification thereof, the first area includes large grains, and the second area has a region formed through nucleation. The first area surrounds the second area and has a grain structure which is different from a grain structure of the second area. The second area is configured to facilitate thereon an active region of an electronic device.

Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to methods and systems for processing a thin film samples. In an exemplary method, semiconductor thin films are loaded onto two different loading fixtures, laser beam pulses generated by a laser source system are split into first laser beam pulses and second laser beam pulses, the thin film loaded on one loading fixture is irradiated with the first laser beam pulses to induce crystallization while the thin film loaded on the other loading fixture is irradiated with the second laser beam pulses. In a preferred embodiment, at least a portion of the thin film that is loaded on the first loading fixture is irradiated while at least a portion of the thin film that is loaded on the second loading fixture is also being irradiated. In an exemplary embodiment, the laser source system includes first and second laser sources and an integrator that combines the laser beam pulses generated by the first and second laser sources to form combined laser beam pulses.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to systems and methods for irradiating regions of a thin film sample(s) with laser beam pulses having different energy beam characteristics that are generated and delivered via different optical paths.

Abstract: A crystalline film includes a first crystalline region having a first film thickness and a first crystalline grain structure; and a second crystalline region having a second film thickness and a second crystalline grain structure. The first film thickness is greater than the second film thickness and the first and second film thicknesses are selected to provide a crystalline region having the degree and orientation of crystallization that is desired for a device component.

Abstract: Methods of making a polycrystalline silicon thin-film transistor having a uniform microstructure. One exemplary method requires receiving a polycrystalline silicon thin film having a grain structure which is periodic in at least a first direction, and placing at least portions (410, 420) of one or more thin-film transistors on the received film such that they are tilted relative to the periodic structure of the thin film.

Abstract: Systems and methods for reducing a surface roughness of a polycrystalline or single crystal thin film produced by the sequential lateral solidification process are disclosed.

Abstract: A method is provided for zone-melting-recrystallization (ZMR) to produce high quality substantially subboundary-free silicon-on-insulator (SOI) thin films by controlled radiant heating of the silicon film. Using this technique, a much wider experimental parameter range which improves the uniformity of the crystalline quality over the entire SOI film is possible.

Abstract: A method is provided for zone-melting-recrystallization (ZMR) to produce high quality substantially subboundary-free silicon-on-insulator (SOI) thin films by controlled radiant heating of the silicon film. Using this technique, a much wider experimental parameter range which improves the uniformity of the crystalline quality over the entire SOI film is possible.