Abstract: Methods and apparatus for annealing a layer of semiconductor material, particularly amorphous silicon or IGZO, are provided. In one arrangement, an apparatus comprises a laser source that generates a laser beam. A beam scanning arrangement scans the laser beam, or a plurality of sub-beams generated by the laser beam, relative to the layer of semiconductor material in such a way as to selectively irradiate a plurality of regions of the layer of semiconductor material and thereby generate a corresponding plurality of regions of annealed semiconductor material, particularly polysilicon or annealed IGZO. Each of the regions of annealed semiconductor material is separated from all of the other regions of annealed semiconductor material.

Abstract: An apparatus and method are described that use a cylindrical drum type vacuum drum and allows accurately registered, high resolution laser patterning of thin films on discrete lengths or flexible substrate material that are unwound from an unwind reel and after processing are rewound onto a rewind reel. Length compensator units are provided either side of the drum to accommodate variations in the length of the substrate due to differential rotation of the drum and the unwind and rewind reels.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods for forming fine scale structures (4, 4?, 4?, 5, 6, 7, 8) in the surface of a dielectric substrate (3) to two or more depths are disclosed. In an example, the apparatus comprises a first solid state laser (12) arranged to provide a first pulsed laser beam (13), a first mask (16) having a pattern for defining a first set of structures (4, 6, 7, 8) at a first depth, a projection lens (17) for forming a reduced size image of said pattern on the surface (3) of the substrate and a beam scanner arranged to scan said first pulsed laser beam (13) in a two-dimensional raster scan relative to the first pattern to form a first set of structures (4, 6, 7, 5) at a first depth in the substrate, wherein the first or a further solid state laser is arranged to form a second set of structures (8) at a second depth in the substrate (3).

Abstract: The invention relates to a laser scanning system and associated method. In a disclosed arrangement the method comprises using a laser source to produce a laser beam; using a scanning module to scan the laser beam over the surface of a substrate; and using a redirecting unit at a position in a beam path of the laser beam between the scanning module and the substrate to control the direction of incidence of the laser beam onto the substrate, wherein: the laser beam is scanned over a predetermined region on the substrate in such a way that each portion of the region is exposed by the laser beam from a plurality of different directions of incidence.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods are disclosed for performing laser ablation. In an example arrangement a spatial light modulator (54) is used to modulate a pulsed laser beam from a solid state laser (52). A two-stage de-magnification process (58, 62) is used to allow radiation intensity to be kept relatively low at the spatial light modulator (54) while allowing access to feedback sensors (64) in an intermediate imaging plane.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for manufacturing a conductive thin film are provided. In one arrangement, compositions of nanowires having different mean aspect ratios are mixed together and applied as a layer on a substrate. In other arrangements a single composition of nanowires is processed in order to increase an aspect ratio variance and the processed composition is applied as a layer on a substrate. The layers thus applied provide an improved balance of electrical conductivity to transparency and are expected to provide improved isotropy in the inplane conductivity.

Abstract: The invention relates to a laser scanning system and associated method. In a disclosed arrangement the method comprises using a laser source to produce a laser beam; using a scanning module to scan the laser beam over the surface of a substrate; and using a redirecting unit at a position in a beam path of the laser beam between the scanning module and the substrate to control the direction of incidence of the laser beam onto the substrate, wherein: the laser beam is scanned over a predetermined region on the substrate in such a way that each portion of the region is exposed by the laser beam from a plurality of different directions of incidence.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods for forming fine scale structures (4, 4?, 4?, 5, 6, 7, 8) in the surface of a dielectric substrate (3) to two or more depths are disclosed. In an example, the apparatus 25 comprises a first solid state laser (12) arranged to provide a first pulsed laser beam (13), a first mask (16) having a pattern for defining a first set of structures (4, 6, 7, 8) at a first depth, a projection lens (17) for forming a reduced size image of said pattern on the surface (3) of the substrate and a beam scanner arranged to scan said first pulsed laser beam (13) in a two-dimensional raster scan relative to the first pattern to form a first set of structures (4, 6, 7, 5) at a first depth in the substrate, wherein the first or a further solid state laser is arranged to form a second set of structures (8) at a second depth in the substrate (3).

Abstract: An apparatus and method is described that allows accurately registered, high resolution patterning of thin films on discrete lengths of flexible substrate material that are unwound from a drum and after processing are rewound onto another drum. Discrete lengths of the substrate—are clamped to a chuck and the chuck moved in a direction parallel to the length of the substrate. Accommodating units are provided for accommodating length changes in the substrate both upstream and downstream of the chuck. A processing head is moved across the width of the substrate when clamped to the chuck and pattern formation is by one, or a combination, of laser ablation, laser exposure or ink jet printing using either or both subtractive and additive processes.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for exposing the surface of a drum to patterned illumination from a pulsed laser source to form a dense, regular array of 3-D microstructures is provided. The method may include locating a mask relative to a target area, projecting a uniform line shaped laser beam through the mask to project an image including a plurality of features of the mask onto the target area, de-magnifying the image, rotating the drum continuously so the surface moves in a first direction perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the drum and simultaneously moving the projected beam in a second direction parallel to the axis of rotation of the drum, tilting the projected array of microstructures to correspond to the helical path followed by the laser beam on the drum surface, and controlling the pulsed laser based on an angular position of the drum.

Abstract: The method uses a common optical, system and sequentially creates structures of different sizes in a polymer substrate by means of different laser processes is described. One process uses a laser beam that is tightly focussed on the substrate surface and is used for creating fine groove structures by semi-continuous direct write type beam movement. The second process uses a second laser beam that is used to form a larger size image on the substrate surface and is used to create blind pads and contact holes in the substrate in step and drill mode. A third optional process uses the second laser beam operating in direct writing mode to remove layers of the substrate over larger continuous areas or in a mesh type pattern.

Abstract: A system for processing a multi-device panel, comprising a substrate having front and rear surfaces, a first array of device regions located on the front surface and a second array of device regions on the rear surface, by vector direct-write laser ablation, comprising a first processing station comprising a pair of opposedly-mounted processing heads, each processing head comprising a laser beam delivery apparatus comprising a laser beam scanner and a lens unit, and a distance measurement device, mounting device for mounting the panel between the processing heads of the first processing station such that the relative position of the panel and the first processing station can be adjusted so that the processing heads are brought into alignment with selected front-surface and rear-surface device regions to be processed, wherein each processing head is operable to make an estimate of the distance between the lens unit and the surface of the device region to be processed using the distance measurement device, cont

Abstract: An apparatus and method are described that use a cylindrical drum type vacuum drum and allows accurately registered, high resolution laser patterning of thin films on discrete lengths or flexible substrate material that are unwound from an unwind reel and after processing are rewound onto a rewind reel. Length compensator units are provided either side of the drum to accommodate variations in the length of the substrate due to differential rotation of the drum and the unwind and rewind reels.

Abstract: An apparatus and method is described that allows accurately registered, high resolution patterning of thin films on discrete lengths of flexible substrate material that are unwound from a drum and after processing are rewound onto another drum. Discrete lengths of the substrate - are clamped to a chuck and the chuck moved in a direction parallel to the length of the substrate. Accommodating units are provided for accommodating length changes in the substrate both upstream and downstream of the chuck. A processing head is moved across the width of the substrate when clamped to the chuck and pattern formation is by one, or a combination, of laser ablation, laser exposure or ink jet printing using either or both subtractive and additive processes.

Abstract: A capacitive touch panel comprising; a transparent substrate, a layer of transparent conducting material (71) deposited onto a surface of the transparent substrate, the layer of transparent conducting material (71) being divided to form a plurality of discrete electrode cells which are electrically connected in a first orthogonal direction X but electrically isolated in a second orthogonal direction Y, a deposited pattern of transparent insulating material (73) on the transparent conducting layer (71), the pattern configured to bridge adjacent electrically isolated cells, and a deposited pattern of transparent conducting material (74) overlaying and intersecting with the deposited pattern of transparent insulating material (73) thereby providing an electrical connection between adjacent electrically isolated cells and thereby providing two orthogonal conduction paths across the transparent conducting layer (71).

Abstract: A method for the formation of grooves (74, 85) in the surface of a polymer layer substrate (36, 46, 51, 65, 73, 83) by a direct write laser vaporization process, the polymer being selected, or modified by the addition of organic or inorganic material, so that it strongly absorbs wavelengths in the range 525 nm to 535 nm, the method comprising the steps: providing a laser beam (32, 42) with a wavelength in the range 525 nm to 535 nm that has diffraction limited or substantially diffraction limited beam quality and operates either continuously, quasi-continuously or Q-switched, using an optical system (35, 45, 64, 72, 82) to focus the laser beam to a focal spot on the surface of the substrate, using a scanner (44, 63) to move the focal spot relative to an area on the substrate so the substrate surface is vaporized where it is exposed to the beam so as to form a groove with a depth that is less than the thickness of the polymer layer, controlling the scanner so as to change the position of the focal spot on the

Abstract: The method uses a common optical, system and sequentially creates structures of different sizes in a polymer substrate by means of different laser processes is described. One process uses a laser beam that is tightly focussed on the substrate surface and is used for creating fine groove structures by semi-continuous direct write type beam movement. The second process uses a second laser beam that is used to form a larger size image on the substrate surface and is used to create blind pads and contact holes in the substrate in step and drill mode. A third optional process uses the second laser beam operating in direct writing mode to remove layers of the substrate over larger continuous areas or in a mesh type pattern.

Abstract: A method for exposing the surface of a drum to patterned illumination from a pulsed laser source at a suitable energy density in order to cause ablation of the surface to form a dense, regular array of 3-D microstructures, comprising the steps locating a mask containing a line of different features on a fixed pitch relative to a target area; projecting a uniform line shaped laser beam through the mask in order to project an image made up of a multiplicity of the features on the mask onto the target area; de-magnifying the image carried by the beam between the mask and the target area; locating the surface of the drum for ablation in the target area; rotating the drum continuously so the surface moves in a first direction perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the drum and also simultaneously moving the projected beam with respect to the drum in a second direction parallel to the axis of rotation of the drum; tilting the projected array of microstructures to correspond to the helical path followed by the las

Abstract: A system for processing a multi-device panel, comprising a substrate having front and rear surfaces, a first array of device regions located on the front surface and a second array of device regions on the rear surface, by vector direct-write laser ablation, comprising a first processing station comprising a pair of opposedly-mounted processing heads, each processing head comprising a laser beam delivery apparatus comprising a laser beam scanner and a lens unit, and a distance measurement means, mounting means for mounting the panel between the processing heads of the first processing station such that the relative position of the panel and the first processing station can be adjusted so that the processing heads are brought into alignment with selected front-surface and rear-surface device regions to be processed, wherein each processing head is operable to make an estimate of the distance between the lens unit and the surface of the device region to be processed using the distance measurement means, control

Abstract: A method is described for forming a partially transparent thin film solar panel by providing an array of unconnected holes in an opaque layer of the panel the holes being sufficiently small so that they are not discernable to the human eye and the light transparency factor caused by the holes being selectively controlled so that it can be graded in two dimensions by varying the size and/or spacing of the holes.