Abstract: Attenuation regions of laser light are removed or reduced in size using a slit located in the immediate vicinity of a surface to be irradiated so that a steep energy distribution is obtained in the end portions of the laser light. The reason why the slit is located in the immediate vicinity of the surface to be irradiated is to suppress the spread of the laser light. In addition, the attenuation regions of the laser light are folded by using a mirror instead of the slit to increase energy densities in the attenuation regions by one another so that a steep energy density distribution is obtained in the end portions of the laser light.

Abstract: It is an object to provide a laser irradiation apparatus for enlarging an area of a beam spot and reducing a proportion of a region with low crystallinity. It is also an object to provide a laser irradiation apparatus for enhancing throughput with a CW laser beam. Furthermore, it is an object to provide a laser irradiation method and a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device with the laser irradiation apparatus. A region melted by a first pulsed laser beam having harmonic is irradiated with a second CW laser beam. Specifically, the first laser beam has a wavelength of visible light or a shorter wavelength than that of visible light (approximately not more than 830 nm, preferably, not more than 780 nm). Since the first laser beam melts a semiconductor film, an absorption coefficient of the second laser beam to the semiconductor film increases drastically and thereby being more absorbable.

Abstract: It is an object to provide a laser apparatus, a laser irradiating method and a manufacturing method of a semiconductor device that make laser energy more stable. To attain the object, a part of laser beam emitted from an oscillator is sampled to generate an electric signal that contains as data energy fluctuation of a laser beam. The electric signal is subjected to signal processing to calculate the frequency, amplitude, and phase of the energy fluctuation of the laser beam.

Abstract: The present invention is to provide a beam homogenizer, a laser irradiation apparatus, and a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, which can suppress the loss of a laser beam and form a beam spot having homogeneous energy distribution constantly on an irradiation surface without being affected by beam parameters of a laser beam. A deflector is provided at an entrance of an optical waveguide or a light pipe used for homogenizing a laser beam emitted from a laser oscillator. A pair of reflection planes of the deflector is provided so as to have a tilt angle to an optical axis of the laser beam, whereby the entrance of the optical waveguide or the light pipe is expanded. Accordingly, the loss of the laser beam can be suppressed. Moreover, by providing an angle adjusting mechanism to the deflector, a beam spot having homogeneous energy distribution can be formed at an exit of the optical waveguide.

Abstract: The speed of the laser scanned by the scanning means such as a galvanometer mirror or a polygon mirror is not constant in the center portion and in the end portion of the scanning width. As a result, the object, for example an amorphous semiconductor film, is irradiated with the excessive energy and therefore there is a risk that the amorphous semiconductor film is peeled. In the present invention, in the case where the laser spot of the energy beam output continuously on the irradiated object is scanned by moving it back and forth with the use of the scanning means or the like, the beam is irradiated to the outside of the element-forming region when the scanning speed of the spot is not the predetermined value, for example when the speed is not constant, and accelerates, decelerates, or is zero, for example in the positions where the scanning direction changes, or where the scanning starts or ends.

Abstract: In annealing of a non-single crystal silicon film by a linear laser beam, it is performed so as irradiation tracks caused by the linear laser beam do not remain in the silicon film. Laser light is partitioned by an integrally formed cylindrical array lens, and is composed into a single uniform laser beam on an irradiation surface by a cylindrical lens and a doublet cylindrical lens. The integrally formed cylindrical array lens is used, and therefore cylindrical lenses structuring this array lens can be made very fine. It thus becomes possible to partition the laser light into a large number of partitions, and the uniformity of the laser beam on the irradiation surface is increased. Very few laser irradiation tracks remain on the silicon film annealed by the very uniform laser beam.

Abstract: A surface of a single crystal semiconductor substrate is irradiated with ions to form a damaged region, an insulating layer is formed over the surface of the single crystal semiconductor substrate, and a surface of a substrate having an insulating surface is made to be in contact with a surface of the insulating layer to bond the substrate having an insulating surface to the single crystal semiconductor substrate. Then, the single crystal semiconductor substrate is separated at the damaged region by performing heat treatment to form a single crystal semiconductor layer over the substrate having an insulating surface, and the single crystal semiconductor layer is patterned to form a plurality of island-shaped semiconductor layers. One of the island-shaped semiconductor layers is irradiated with a laser beam which is shaped to entirely cover the island-shaped semiconductor layer.

Abstract: One object is to provide a lighting device having a large irradiation range at low cost. One object is to provide a lighting device with improved light extraction efficiency at low cost. The lighting device includes a light-transmitting base, a first light-transmitting electrode formed over almost the whole area of a surface of the light-transmitting base, an EL layer over the first light-transmitting electrode, and a second electrode over the EL layer. The light-transmitting base has a cylindrical shape, a conical shape, a prismatic shape, or a pyramidal shape whose bottom surface is the surface of the light-transmitting base.

Abstract: When a variable directivity antenna apparatus is controlled to form an initial composite directional pattern, RSSI is measured, and a weak electric field group or an intense electric field group is selected based on the measured RSSI. When the variable directivity antenna apparatus is controlled to form the composite directional patterns included in the selected composite directional pattern group, PER for each of the composite directional patterns is measured, and one composite directional pattern is selected from among the composite directional patterns included in the selected composite directional pattern group based on the measured PER, so that the variable directivity antenna apparatus is controlled to form the selected composite directional pattern.

Abstract: When a semi-conductor film is irradiated with conventional pulsed laser light, unevenness, which is called as ridge, is caused on the surface of the semiconductor film. In the case of a top-gate type TFT, element characteristics are changed depending on the ridge. In particular, there is a problem in that variation in the plural thin film transistors electrically connected in parallel with one another. According to the present invention, in manufacturing a circuit including plural thin film transistors, the width LP of a region (not including a microcrystal region) that is melted by irradiating a semiconductor film with light of a continuous wave laser is enlarged, and active layers of a plurality of thin film transistors (that are electrically connected in parallel with one another) are arranged in one region.

Abstract: A detected signal 111 contains a preamble portion which includes symbol alternations, followed by a unique word portion, and a data portion. Each time a symbol alternation is detected, a correction value calculation section 102 averages the phase shift in the detected signal 111 for a predetermined length, thereby calculating a correction value 115. The correction value determination section 103 stores a plurality of correction values 115 in a chronological order. When the unique word portion is detected, the correction value determination section 103 retains, as an effective correction value 118, a correction value which is arrived at by going back a predetermined number of correction values among the stored correction values. A phase rotation section 104 corrects the phase of the detected signal 111 by using an effective correction value 118 calculated by the correction value determination section 103.

Abstract: A radio communication device that, even if it is interfered by a radio transmission station other than a radio transmission station with which it intends to communicate, estimates a signal transmitted from the intended radio transmission station by taking into account the influence of the interference, by obtaining an estimator of “s” that denotes a column vector representing a signal transmitted from the radio transmission station, in accordance with a following expression: s=RssHH(HRssHH+Ruu)?1r, where “Rss” denotes a covariance matrix of the column vector “s”, “r” denotes a column vector representing the signal received by the signal receiving unit, “H” denotes a matrix being the numerical sequence calculated by the first calculating unit, “Ruu” denotes a covariance matrix being the numerical sequence calculated by the second calculating unit, “H” denotes a complex conjugate transposition, and “?1” denotes an inverse matrix.

Abstract: The present invention provides a beam homogenizer being equipped with an optical waveguide having a pair of reflection planes provided oppositely, having one end surface into which the laser beam is incident, and having the other end surface from which the laser beam is emitted in the optical system for forming the beam spot. The optical waveguide is a circuit being able to keep radiation light in a certain region and to transmit the radiation light in such a way that the energy flow thereof is guided in parallel with an axis of the channel.

Abstract: Provided are a laser apparatus of continuous oscillation that is capable of enhancing the efficiency of substrate processing, a laser irradiation method, and a manufacturing method for a semiconductor device using the laser apparatus. A portion of a semiconductor film that should be left on a substrate after patterning is grasped in accordance with a mask. Then, a portion to be scanned with a laser light is determined so that it is possible to crystallize at least the portion to be obtained through the patterning. Also, a beam spot is made to strike the portion to be scanned. As a result, the semiconductor film is partially crystallized. That is, with the present invention, the laser light is not scanned and irradiated onto the entire surface of a semiconductor film but is scanned so that at least an indispensable portion is crystallized.

Abstract: A method for forming a single crystal semiconductor layer in which a first porous layer and a second porous layer are formed over a single crystal semiconductor ingot, a groove is formed in a part of the second porous layer and a single crystal semiconductor layer is formed over the second porous layer, the single crystal semiconductor ingot is attached onto a large insulating substrate, water jet is directed to the interface between the first porous layer and the second porous layer, and the single crystal semiconductor layer is attached to the large insulating substrate, or a method for forming a crystalline semiconductor layer in which a crystalline semiconductor ingot is irradiated with hydrogen ions to form a hydrogen ion irradiation region in the crystalline semiconductor ingot, the crystalline semiconductor ingot is rolled over the large insulating substrate while being heated, the crystalline semiconductor layer is separated from the hydrogen ion irradiation region, and the crystalline semiconductor l

Abstract: A TFT having a high threshold voltage is connected to the source electrode of each TFT that constitutes a CMOS circuit. In another aspect, pixel thin-film transistors are constructed such that a thin-film transistor more distant from a gate line drive circuit has a lower threshold voltage. In a further aspect, a control film that is removable in a later step is formed on the surface of the channel forming region of a TFT, and doping is performed from above the control film.

Abstract: One surface of a single crystal semiconductor substrate is irradiated with ions to form a damaged region in the single crystal semiconductor substrate. An insulating layer is formed over the one surface of the single crystal semiconductor substrate. A surface of a substrate having an insulating surface and a surface of the insulating layer are disposed in contact with each other to bond the substrate having the insulating surface and the single crystal semiconductor substrate to each other. Heat treatment is performed to divide the single crystal semiconductor substrate along the damaged region and to form a semiconductor layer over the substrate having the insulating surface. One surface of the semiconductor layer is irradiated with light from a flash lamp under conditions where the semiconductor layer is not melted, to repair a defect.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a laser irradiation method and a laser irradiation apparatus for irradiating an irradiation surface with a linear beam having more homogeneous intensity by blocking a low-intensity part of the linear beam without forming the fringes due to the diffraction on the irradiation surface. In the laser irradiation, a laser beam emitted from a laser oscillator 101 passes through a slit 102 so as to block a low-intensity part of the laser beam, the traveling direction of the laser beam is bent by a mirror 103, and an image formed at the slit is projected to an irradiation surface 106 by a convex cylindrical lens 104.

Abstract: In a light-emitting element provided with a thick layer of a plurality of EL layers which are partitioned by a charge generation layer between a pair of electrodes, a portion which a conductive foreign substance enters between the pair of electrodes emits stronger light at a voltage lower than a voltage required when a normal portion starts emitting light. In a light-emitting element provided with a plurality of EL layers which are partitioned by a charge generation layer between a pair of electrodes, a voltage may be applied thereto in the forward direction. Then, an abnormal light-emission portion may be detected because the portion emits light at a luminance of 1 (cd/m2) or higher when the applied voltage is lower than a voltage required when a normal portion starts emitting light. The portion may be irradiated with laser light so as to be insulated.

Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a laser irradiation technique which can keep the stability of the laser oscillator high and which can perform laser process homogeneously by avoiding the adverse effect due to the return light reflected on an irradiation when, for example, crystallizing with a lens array, and to provide a crystallization method and a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device which use the technique. In the present invention, a laser beam emitted from a laser oscillator is divided into a plurality of beams through a lens array such as a cylindrical lens array, the divided beams pass through opening portions of a slit while being focused at the opening portions and condensed beam is irradiated to an irradiation surface. Thus, the light reflected on the irradiation object can be blocked by using the slit.