Abstract: Apparatus for fabricating a display device includes a stage capable of mounting an insulating substrate of the display device and moving the insulating substrate, linear scales which detect a position or moving distance of the substrate, a laser oscillator which generates continuous-waves laser light, a modulator which turns ON/OFF the continuous-wave laser light, a beam forming optic which shapes the continuous-wave laser light passing through the modulator into a linear or rectangular form, an objective lens which projects the at least one of the laser light on the insulating substrate so as to irradiate the insulating substrate with the laser light.

Abstract: The whole surface of an insulating substrate having an amorphous silicon film formed thereon is scanned/irradiated with a solid-state pulsed laser beam shaped linearly or rectangularly, to form a uniform fine poly-crystalline silicon film for forming a pixel region. The periphery of the pixel region is scanned/irradiated with a time-modulated continuous-wave solid-state laser beam formed linearly. Thus, a peripheral circuit region including a drive circuit is formed as a poly-crystalline silicon film with crystals growing up in the scanning direction. Pixel portion thin film transistors are produced in the uniform fine poly-crystalline silicon film, while a drive circuit or an interface circuit is produced in the peripheral circuit region. One of substrates of a display panel is formed thus. A display panel including transistors with uniform properties in the pixel portion and transistors with excellent properties in the peripheral circuit portion including the drive circuit is obtained.

Abstract: The active layer (active region) of the thin-film transistor making up the driver circuit is obtained by reformation implemented by scanning the continuous-wave laser light, condensed into a linear form or a rectangle form extremely longer in the longitudinal direction than in the transverse direction, along a given direction crossing the longitudinal direction. This is made up of a poly silicon film containing crystal grains having no grain boundaries crossing the direction of current flow, that is, a band-like polycrystalline silicon film. As a result, it is possible to implement a display device having stable and high quality active elements outside the display region on the insulating substrate.

Abstract: An active matrix display device is provided which includes an active matrix substrate having a modified region which is formed by applying laser beams selectively to a silicon film formed on an insulating board. Active circuits, which include pixel circuits, are formed in the modified region. The pitch of the pixel circuits formed in a display region of the active matrix substrate, which display region is in the modified region, is set to be substantially equal to a pitch of peripheral circuits formed in the modified region in a peripheral region of the active matrix substrate. In addition, the pitch of the pixel circuits can be set to be substantially twice the pitch of the pixels themselves.

Abstract: A laser beam is selectively directed to an amorphous silicon film of a pixel portion on an active-matrix substrate of a display device to modify the amorphous silicon film into a polysilicon film. Pixel circuits such as thin film transistors are formed on the modified polysilicon film. Thus, it is possible to realize remarkably economically the display device provided with the active-matrix substrate having the high performance thin film transistor circuits.

Abstract: Arrangements (e.g., methods) for manufacturing a display device, including irradiating an amorphous semiconductor film formed on a substrate with an excimer laser beam to convert the amorphous semiconductor film into a polycrystalline semiconductor film; and irradiating predetermined areas of the polycrystalline semiconductor film intermittently with a continuous wave laser beam while a position of the substrate with respect to the continuous wave laser beam is scanned, crystal grains larger than those of the polycrystalline semiconductor film other than the predetermined areas are formed in each of the predetermined areas locally in the polycrystalline semiconductor film, wherein first thin film transistors are formed in the predetermined areas while second thin film transistors are formed in the polycrystalline semiconductor film other than the predetermined areas thereof.

Abstract: A method of forming a semiconductor thin film. includes a highly sensitive inspection method for detecting lateral crystals and a crystallizing method. In the crystallizing method, the time-based pulse width of a laser SXL is modulated and an approximate band-like crystal silicon film SPSI is formed in a desired region while scanning the substrate SUB1 bidirectionally in the X and ?X directions. In the inspection method, an inspection beam PRO1 is irradiated to the substrate just after the laser SXL is turned off. A protrusion TOKI will be formed on the silicon film portion where the laser SXL is turned off if the state of the silicon film is that of a lateral crystal SPSI. The inspection beam PRO1 is scattered by the protrusion TOKI and observed by a detector. If the state of the silicon film is granular crystal GGSI or aggregated film AGSI, such a protrusion TOKI is not observed.

Abstract: When any of pixels is not lit in an organic EL display having an organic EL layer between a first electrode and a second electrode, an organic layer of the pixel is observed. If the organic layer of the pixel contains foreign matter, the second electrode is separated into a region in contact with the foreign matter and a region not in contact with both the contact region and the foreign matter. Thus, not-lit display regions are reduced as less as possible, making it possible to manufacture an organic EL display excellent in display performance.

Abstract: A laser beam is concentrated using an objective lens and radiated on a amorphous silicon film or polycrystalline silicon film having a grain size of one micron or less, the laser beam being processed from a continuous wave laser beam (1) to be pulsed using an EO modulator and to have arbitrary temporal energy change while pulsing ; (2) to have an arbitrary spatial energy distribution using a beam-homogenizer, filter having an arbitrary transmittance distribution, and rectangular slit; and (3) to eliminate coherency thereof using a high-speed rotating diffuser. In this manner, it is possible to realize a liquid crystal display device in which a driving circuit comprising a polycrystalline silicon film having substantially the same properties as a single crystal is incorporated in a TFT panel device.

Abstract: Shorting defects between the scan lines and signal lines are repaired during the manufacture of a TFT or other flat panel display unit without causing liquid crystal orientation defects and production yield is thereby improved. In a TFT panel in which scan line 2 bifurcates where scan line 2 and signal line 3 intersect, the lines having a protective insulation film 8 therebetween, one leg of the scan line 2 bifurcation is cut by a laser 9 where a short 7 has been found between lines at the intersection, thereby electrically separating the short. An insulation film material 13 dispensed from a glass pipette 12 is then applied locally to the cut part and surrounding area and cured to form a new insulation film.

Abstract: A semiconductor thin film is manufactured by scanning laser light or a substrate onto an arbitrary region of the semiconductor thin film and irradiating a laser thereon. The semiconductor thin film is formed by the substantially belt-shaped crystal being crystallized such that crystalline grains grow in the scanning direction, on the substrate, on XY coordinates where value x of beam size W (?m) of the laser light measured in substantially the same direction as the scanning direction is defined as X axis, and where value y of scanning velocity Vs (m/s) is defined as Y axis, the crystallization processing is performed within a region where all of the following conditions hold: condition 1: the beam size W is larger than wavelength of the laser beam, condition 2: the scanning velocity Vs is smaller than upper-limit of crystal growth speed, and condition 3: x×(1/y)<25 ?s.

Abstract: A mechanism for always measuring the spatial intensity distribution of a laser beam and displacement of the optical axis of the laser beam is provided so that a measured signal is processed when the laser beam incident on a laser beam shaping optical element is out of a predetermined condition. The shape, diameter and incidence position of the laser beam incident on the laser beam shaping optical element are always kept in the predetermined condition by a spatial filter disposed at the position of a focal point of lenses forming a beam expander disposed in the optical axis, on the basis of a result of the signal processing. In this manner, silicon thin films uniform in crystallinity can be formed stably with a high yield on an insulating substrate which forms display panels of flat panel display devices.

Abstract: A laser beam temporally modulated in amplitude by a modulator and shaped into a long and narrow shape by a beam shaper is rotated around the optical axis of an image rotator inserted between the beam shaper and a substrate. Thus, the longitudinal direction of the laser beam having the long and narrow shape is rotated around the optical axis on the substrate. In order to perform annealing in a plurality of directions on the substrate, the laser beam shaped into the long and narrow shape is rotated on the substrate while a stage mounted with the substrate is moved only in two directions, that is, X- and Y-directions. In such a manner, the substrate can be scanned at a high speed with a continuous wave laser beam modulated temporally in amplitude and shaped into a long and narrow shape, without rotating the substrate. Thus, a semiconductor film can be annealed.

Abstract: When a laser bean temporally modulated in amplitude by a modulator is shaped into a long and narrow beam by a beam shaper, the scanning-direction size of the long and narrow beam shaped by the beam shaper is selected to be in a range of from 2 to 10 microns, preferably in a range of from 2 to 4 microns and the scanning speed of the beam is selected to be in a range of from 300 to 1000 mm/s, preferably in a range of from 500 to 1000 m/s. As a result, damage of the silicon thin film can be suppressed while energy utilizing efficiency of the laser beam can be improved. Accordingly, laterally grown crystals (belt-like crystals) improved in throughput can be obtained on a required region of a substrate scanned and irradiated with the laser beam.

Abstract: An amorphous silicon film on an insulating substrate portion to be formed as an individual display panel in a large-sized insulating substrate is irradiated with a continuous-wave (CW) solid-state laser beam condensed linearly, while being scanned therewith at a fixed speed in the width direction of the condensed laser beam. A pixel portion and a peripheral circuit portion in the same insulating substrate portion are irradiated with the laser beam temporally modulated to have a power density high enough to provide predetermined crystallinity. The amorphous silicon film is transformed into a silicon film having crystallinity corresponding to performance required for thin film transistors to be built in each of the pixel portion and the peripheral circuit portion. In such a manner, a thin film transistor circuit having optimum crystallinity required in the pixel or peripheral circuit portion can be obtained while high throughput is kept.

Abstract: The whole surface of an insulating substrate having an amorphous silicon film formed thereon is scanned/irradiated with a solid-state pulsed laser beam shaped linearly or rectangularly, to form a uniform fine poly-crystalline silicon film for forming a pixel region. The periphery of the pixel region is scanned/irradiated with a time-modulated continuous-wave solid-state laser beam formed linearly. Thus, a peripheral circuit region including a drive circuit is formed as a poly-crystalline silicon film with crystals growing up in the scanning direction. Pixel portion thin film transistors are produced in the uniform fine poly-crystalline silicon film, while a drive circuit or an interface circuit is produced in the peripheral circuit region. One of substrates of a display panel is formed thus. A display panel including transistors with uniform properties in the pixel portion and transistors with excellent properties in the peripheral circuit portion including the drive circuit is obtained.

Abstract: Herein disclosed are a variety of techniques relating to the wiring and logic corrections on a chip by making use of the focused ion beam (which is shortly referred to as “FIB”) or the laser selection metal CVD. The time periods for the wiring corrections and for debugging and developing an electronic system are shortened by making use of the processing characteristics of the FIB. Illustratively, a hole is bored in an insulating film above a portion of a wiring which is to be connected to another wiring by means of a focused ion beam. The inside of the hole and a predetermined region on the insulating film are irradiated with either a laser beam or an ion beam in a metal compound gas to deposit metal in the hole and on said region and a connecting wiring is formed by means of optically pumped CVD.

Abstract: The active layer (active region) of the thin-film transistor making up the driver circuit is obtained by reformation implemented by scanning the continuous-wave laser light, condensed into a linear form or a rectangle form extremely longer in the longitudinal direction than in the transverse direction, along a given direction crossing the longitudinal direction. This is made up of a poly silicon film containing crystal grains having no grain boundaries crossing the direction of current flow, that is, a band-like polycrystalline silicon film. As a result, it is possible to implement a display device having stable and high quality active elements outside the display region on the insulating substrate.

Abstract: A laser beam 208 is selectively directed to an amorphous silicon film 104 of a pixel portion on an active-matrix substrate 101 of a display device to modify the amorphous silicon film 104 into a polysilicon film 105. Pixel circuits such as thin film transistors are formed on the modified polysilicon film 105.

Abstract: A laser beam is concentrated using an objective lens and radiated on a amorphous silicon film or polycrystalline silicon film having a grain size of one micron or less, the laser beam being processed from a continuous wave laser beam (1) to be pulsed using an EO modulator and to have arbitrary temporal energy change while pulsing ; (2) to have an arbitrary spatial energy distribution using a beam-homogenizer, filter having an arbitrary transmittance distribution, and rectangular slit; and (3) to eliminate coherency thereof using a high-speed rotating diffuser. In this manner, it is possible to realize a liquid crystal display device in which a driving circuit comprising a polycrystalline silicon film having substantially the same properties as a single crystal is incorporated in a TFT panel device.