Abstract: Zinc oxide powder of the present invention contains zinc oxide particles, in which primary particles of the zinc oxide particles have a minor axis of 35 nm or more and 350 nm or less and have a Heywood diameter of 35 nm or more and 400 nm or less, and a coefficient of variation of a number distribution of the Heywood diameters of the primary particles of the zinc oxide powder is 50% or less.

Abstract: In a zinc oxide powder of the present invention, a content of a water-soluble substance is 0.30% by mass or less, and a mass ratio between an alkali metal and an alkaline earth metal which are included in the water-soluble substance is in a range of 1:2 to 10:1.

Abstract: In a zinc oxide powder of the present invention, a content of a water-soluble substance is 0.30% by mass or less, and a mass ratio between an alkali metal and an alkaline earth metal which are included in the water-soluble substance is in a range of 1:2 to 10:1.

Abstract: Zinc oxide powder of the present invention contains zinc oxide particles, in which primary particles of the zinc oxide particles have a minor axis of 35 nm or more and 350 nm or less and have a Heywood diameter of 35 nm or more and 400 nm or less, and a coefficient of variation of a number distribution of the Heywood diameters of the primary particles of the zinc oxide powder is 50% or less.

Abstract: A laser annealing method for executing laser annealing by irradiating a semiconductor film formed on a surface of a substrate with a laser beam, the method including the steps of, generating a linearly polarized rectangular laser beam whose cross section perpendicular to an advancing direction is a rectangle with an electric field directed toward a long-side direction of the rectangle or an elliptically polarized rectangular laser beam having a major axis directed toward a long-side direction, causing the rectangular laser beam to be introduced to the surface of the substrate, and setting a wavelength of the rectangular laser beam to a length which is about a desired size of a crystal grain in a standing wave direction.

Abstract: Disclosed are a laser annealing method and apparatus capable of forming a crystalline semiconductor thin film on the entire surface of a substrate without sacrificing the uniformity of crystallinity in a seam portion in a long-axis direction of laser light, the crystalline semiconductor thin film having good properties and high uniformity to an extent that the seam portion is not visually recognizable. During the irradiation of a linear beam, portions corresponding to the edges of the linear beam are shielded by a mask 10 which is disposed on the optical path of a laser light 2, and the mask 10 is operated so that the amount of shielding is periodically increased and decreased.

Abstract: A laser annealing apparatus is provided that is capable of reducing irradiation unevenness of laser light caused by a refraction phenomenon of the laser light due to fluctuation in the temperature of inert gas. The laser annealing apparatus includes a gas supply unit for supplying inert gas G to at least a laser irradiation area of a workpiece, and a gas temperature controller for regulating the temperature of the inert gas G. The gas temperature controller controls the temperature of the inert gas G supplied to the laser irradiation area so as to decrease a temperature difference between the temperature of the inert gas G and the atmospheric temperature of a space (a room R) that is disposed outside the supply area of the inert gas so the temperature controlled inert gas surrounds the optical path of the laser light.

Abstract: The energy distribution in the short-side direction of a rectangular laser beam applied to an amorphous semiconductor film (amorphous silicon film) is uniformized. It is possible to the energy distribution in the short-side direction of the rectangular laser beam by the use of a cylindrical lens array or a light guide and concentrating optical systems or by the use of an optical system including a diffracting optical element. Accordingly, since the effective energy range of a laser beam applied to the amorphous semiconductor film is widened and the transport speed of a substrate can be enhanced as much, it is possible to improve the processing ability of the laser annealing.

Abstract: In the case of a lens array type homogenizer optical system, the incident angle and intensity of a laser beam 1 entering a large-sized lens (long-axis condenser lens 22) of a long-axis condensing optical system, which is provided on the rear side, are changed for every shot by performing laser irradiation while long-axis lens arrays 20a and 20b are reciprocated in a direction corresponding to a long axial direction of a linear beam (X-direction). Therefore, vertical stripes are significantly reduced. Further, the incident angle and intensity of a laser beam 1 entering a large-sized lens (projection lens 30) of a short-axis condensing optical system, which is provided on the rear side, are changed for every shot by performing laser irradiation while short-axis lens arrays 26a and 26b are reciprocated in a direction corresponding to a short axial direction of a linear beam (Y-direction). Therefore, horizontal stripes are significantly reduced.

Abstract: In the case of a lens array type homogenizer optical system, the incident angle and intensity of a laser beam 1 entering a large-sized lens (long-axis condenser lens 22) of a long-axis condensing optical system, which is provided on the rear side, are changed for every shot by performing laser irradiation while long-axis lens arrays 20a and 20b are reciprocated in a direction corresponding to a long axial direction of a linear beam (X-direction). Therefore, vertical stripes are significantly reduced. Further, the incident angle and intensity of a laser beam 1 entering a large-sized lens (projection lens 30) of a short-axis condensing optical system, which is provided on the rear side, are changed for every shot by performing laser irradiation while short-axis lens arrays 26a and 26b are reciprocated in a direction corresponding to a short axial direction of a linear beam (Y-direction). Therefore, horizontal stripes are significantly reduced.

Abstract: In the case of a lens array type homogenizer optical system, the incident angle and intensity of a laser beam 1 entering a large-sized lens (long-axis condenser lens 22) of a long-axis condensing optical system, which is provided on the rear side, are changed for every shot by performing laser irradiation while long-axis lens arrays 20a and 20b are reciprocated in a direction corresponding to a long axial direction of a linear beam (X-direction). Therefore, vertical stripes are significantly reduced. Further, the incident angle and intensity of a laser beam 1 entering a large-sized lens (projection lens 30) of a short-axis condensing optical system, which is provided on the rear side, are changed for every shot by performing laser irradiation while short-axis lens arrays 26a and 26b are reciprocated in a direction corresponding to a short axial direction of a linear beam (Y-direction). Therefore, horizontal stripes are significantly reduced.

Abstract: The energy distribution in the short-side direction of a rectangular laser beam applied to an amorphous semiconductor film (amorphous silicon film) is uniformized. It is possible to the energy distribution in the short-side direction of the rectangular laser beam by the use of a cylindrical lens array 26 or a light guide 36 and concentrating optical systems 28 and 44 or by the use of an optical system including a diffracting optical element. Accordingly, since the effective energy range of a laser beam applied to the amorphous semiconductor film is widened and the transport speed of a substrate 3 can be enhanced as much, it is possible to improve the processing ability of the laser annealing.

Abstract: In laser annealing using a solid state laser, a focus position of a minor axial direction of a rectangular beam is easily corrected depending on positional variation of a laser irradiated portion of a semiconductor film. By using a minor-axis condenser lens 29 condensing incident light in a minor axial direction and a projection lens 30 projecting light, which comes from the minor-axis condenser lens 29, onto a surface of a semiconductor film 3, laser beam 1 is condensed on the surface of the semiconductor film 3 in the minor axial direction of a rectangular beam. The positional variation of a vertical direction of the semiconductor film 3 in a laser irradiated portion of the semiconductor film 3 is detected by a positional variation detector 31, and the minor-axis condenser lens 29 is moved in an optical axis direction based on a value of the detection.

Abstract: The energy distribution in the short-side direction of a rectangular laser beam applied to an amorphous semiconductor film (amorphous silicon film) is uniformized. It is possible to the energy distribution in the short-side direction of the rectangular laser beam by the use of a cylindrical lens array 26 or a light guide 36 and concentrating optical systems 28 and 44 or by the use of an optical system including a diffracting optical element. Accordingly, since the effective energy range of a laser beam applied to the amorphous semiconductor film is widened and the transport speed of a substrate 3 can be enhanced as much, it is possible to improve the processing ability of the laser annealing.

Abstract: Provided is a laser annealing apparatus capable of reducing irradiation unevenness of laser light caused by a refraction phenomenon of laser light due to fluctuation in the temperature of inert gas. A laser annealing apparatus 1 includes a gas supply unit 10 for supplying inert gas G to at least a laser irradiation area of a workpiece 7 to be processed, and a gas temperature controller 15 for regulating the temperature of the inert gas G. The gas temperature controller 15 controls the temperature of the inert gas G supplied to the laser irradiation area so as to decrease the temperature difference between the temperature of the inert gas G and the atmospheric temperature of a space (a room R) that is disposed outside the supply area of the inert gas so as to surround the optical path of the laser light.

Abstract: Disclosed are a laser annealing method and apparatus capable of forming a crystalline semiconductor thin film on the entire surface of a substrate without sacrificing the uniformity of crystallinity in a seam portion in a long-axis direction of laser light, the crystalline semiconductor thin film having good properties and high uniformity to an extent that the seam portion is not visually recognizable. During the irradiation of a linear beam, portions corresponding to the edges of the linear beam are shielded by a mask 10 which is disposed on the optical path of a laser light 2, and the mask 10 is operated so that the amount of shielding is periodically increased and decreased.

Abstract: In laser annealing using a solid state laser, a focus position of a minor axial direction of a rectangular beam is easily corrected depending on positional variation of a laser irradiated portion of a semiconductor film. By using a minor-axis condenser lens 29 condensing incident light in a minor axial direction and a projection lens 30 projecting light, which comes from the minor-axis condenser lens 29, onto a surface of a semiconductor film 3, laser beam 1 is condensed on the surface of the semiconductor film 3 in the minor axial direction of a rectangular beam. The positional variation of a vertical direction of the semiconductor film 3 in a laser irradiated portion of the semiconductor film 3 is detected by a positional variation detector 31, and the minor-axis condenser lens 29 is moved in an optical axis direction based on a value of the detection.

Abstract: In the case of a lens array type homogenizer optical system, the incident angle and intensity of a laser beam 1 entering a large-sized lens (long-axis condenser lens 22) of a long-axis condensing optical system, which is provided on the rear side, are changed for every shot by performing laser irradiation while long-axis lens arrays 20a and 20b are reciprocated in a direction corresponding to a long axial direction of a linear beam (X-direction). Therefore, vertical stripes are significantly reduced. Further, the incident angle and intensity of a laser beam 1 entering a large-sized lens (projection lens 30) of a short-axis condensing optical system, which is provided on the rear side, are changed for every shot by performing laser irradiation while short-axis lens arrays 26a and 26b are reciprocated in a direction corresponding to a short axial direction of a linear beam (Y-direction). Therefore, horizontal stripes are significantly reduced.

Abstract: The energy distribution in the short-side direction of a rectangular laser beam applied to an amorphous semiconductor film (amorphous silicon film) is uniformized. It is possible to the energy distribution in the short-side direction of the rectangular laser beam by the use of a cylindrical lens array 26 or a light guide 36 and concentrating optical systems 28 and 44 or by the use of an optical system including a diffracting optical element. Accordingly, since the effective energy range of a laser beam applied to the amorphous semiconductor film is widened and the transport speed of a substrate 3 can be enhanced as much, it is possible to improve the processing ability of the laser annealing.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a laser annealing method and apparatus capable of performing uniform beam emission. By means of the present invention, uniform beam application to a sample can be achieved because a linear cross-sectional configuration can be created in an optical system with a beam having a Gaussian distribution while areas of strong light intensity are avoided by rotating the beam from a laser light source at a prescribed angle by means of rotating means even when the beam pattern of the beam from the laser light source has a non-uniform intensity distribution.