Abstract: A method for measuring flatness of a sheet material in which a light and dark pattern composed by a light portion and a dark portion is projected onto a surface of the sheet material running in a longitudinal direction, a pattern image is acquired by photographing the light and dark pattern by an image pickup device having an image pickup visual field larger than a width of the sheet material, and the flatness of the sheet material is measured by analyzing the acquired pattern image. A staggered pattern is used for the projecting step and for light to be specularly reflected for receipt by the image pickup device. Calculating the flatness also includes steps of setting a shape measurement line, averaging picture element concentrations, calculating a distribution of the concentrations, and calculating the flatness based on surface shape using the distribution.

Abstract: A method for measuring flatness of a sheet material in which a light and dark pattern composed by a light portion and a dark portion is projected onto a surface of the sheet material running in a longitudinal direction, a pattern image is acquired by photographing the light and dark pattern by an image pickup device having an image pickup visual field larger than a width of the sheet material, and the flatness of the sheet material is measured by analyzing the acquired pattern image. A staggered pattern is used for the projecting step and for light to be specularly reflected for receipt by the image pickup device. Calculating the flatness also includes steps of setting a shape measurement line, averaging picture element concentrations, calculating a distribution of the concentrations, and calculating the flatness based on surface shape using the distribution.

Abstract: Measuring sheet material flatness includes projecting a bright and dark pattern P made up of bright parts and dark parts onto a sheet material surface S travelling in a lengthwise direction, picking up an image of pattern P with image pickup device to acquire a pattern image, with the pickup device having a field of view larger than a sheet material width. The acquired pattern image is analyzed, wherein a pattern P in which a bright part is disposed at a predetermined set pitch respectively in longitudinal and lateral directions is formed by an LED light at a predetermined pitch respectively in the longitudinal and lateral directions. The pattern P is projected onto the surface such that the longitudinal direction of the pattern P lies along a lengthwise direction of the sheet material, and the lateral direction of the pattern P lies along a width direction of the sheet material.

Abstract: A thin-film transistor array device includes: a driving TFT including a first crystalline semiconductor film including crystal grains having a first average grain size; and a switching TFT including a second crystalline semiconductor film including crystal grains having a second average grain size that is smaller than the first average grain size. The first crystalline semiconductor film and the second crystalline semiconductor film are formed at the same time by irradiating a noncrystalline semiconductor film using a laser beam having a Gaussian light intensity distribution such that a temperature of the noncrystalline semiconductor film is within a range of 600° C. to 1100° C., and the first crystalline semiconductor film is formed such that the temperature of the noncrystalline semiconductor film is within a temperature range of 1100° C. to 1414° C. due to latent heat generated by the laser irradiation.

Abstract: A method for measuring flatness of a sheet material in which a light and dark pattern composed by a light portion and a dark portion is projected onto a surface of the sheet material running in a longitudinal direction, a pattern image is acquired by photographing the light and dark pattern by an image pickup device having an image pickup visual field larger than a width of the sheet material, and the flatness of the sheet material is measured by analyzing the acquired pattern image. A staggered pattern is used for the projecting step and for light to be specularly reflected for receipt by the image pickup device. Calculating the flatness also includes steps of setting a shape measurement line, averaging picture element concentrations, calculating a distribution of the concentrations, and calculating the flatness based on surface shape using the distribution.

Abstract: According to a crystallization method, in the crystallization by irradiating a non-single semiconductor thin film of 40 to 100 nm provided on an insulation substrate with a laser light, a light intensity distribution having an inverse peak pattern is formed on the surface of the substrate, a light intensity gradient of the light intensity distribution is controlled, a crystal grain array is formed in which each crystal grain is aligned having a longer shape in a crystal growth direction than in a width direction and having a preferential crystal orientation (100) in a grain length direction, and a TFT is formed in which a source region and a drain region are formed so that current flows across a plurality of crystal grains of the crystal grain array in the crystal growth direction.

Abstract: There are provided a crystallization method which can design laser beam having a light intensity and a distribution optimized on an incident surface of a substrate, form a desired crystallized structure while suppressing generation of any other undesirable structure area and satisfy a demand for low-temperature processing, a crystallization apparatus, a thin film transistor and a display apparatus. When crystallizing a non-single-crystal semiconductor thin film by irradiating laser beam thereto, irradiation light beam to the non-single-crystal semiconductor thin film have a light intensity with a light intensity distribution which cyclically repeats a monotonous increase and a monotonous decrease and a light intensity which melts the non-single-crystal semiconductor. Further, at least a silicon oxide film is provided on a laser beam incident surface of the non-single-crystal semiconductor film.

Abstract: A thin-film transistor array device includes: a driving TFT including a first crystalline semiconductor film including crystal grains having a first average grain size; and a switching TFT including a second crystalline semiconductor film including crystal grains having a second average grain size that is smaller than the first average grain size. The first crystalline semiconductor film and the second crystalline semiconductor film are formed at the same time by irradiating a noncrystalline semiconductor film using a laser beam having a Gaussian light intensity distribution such that a temperature of the noncrystalline semiconductor film is within a range of 600° C. to 1100° C., and the first crystalline semiconductor film is formed such that the temperature of the noncrystalline semiconductor film is within a temperature range of 1100° C. to 1414° C. due to latent heat generated by the laser irradiation.

Abstract: To provide a method of manufacturing a crystalline semiconductor film having a crystal structure with favorable in-plane uniformity. The method includes: irradiating an amorphous semiconductor film with a continuous-wave laser beam to increase a temperature of the amorphous semiconductor film to a range of 600° C. to 1100° C., the continuous-wave laser beam having a light intensity distribution continuously convex upward on each of major and minor axes; crystallizing the amorphous semiconductor film at the temperature increased to the range of 600° C. to 1100° C.; and increasing a crystal grain size of the crystallized amorphous semiconductor film, as a result of an increase in an in-plane temperature of the crystallized amorphous film to a range of 1100° C. to 1414° C. by latent heat released in the crystallizing of the amorphous semiconductor film.

Abstract: A crystallization apparatus includes a light modulation element, and an image forming optical system that forms a light intensity distribution set based on light transmitted through the light modulation element on an irradiation surface. The crystallization apparatus irradiates a non-single crystal semiconductor film with light having the light intensity distribution to generate a crystallized semiconductor film. A curvature radius of at least one isointensity line of a light intensity substantially varies along the isointensity line in the light intensity distribution on the irradiation surface, and a curvature radius of at least a part of the isointensity line has a minimum value of 0.3 ?m or below.

Abstract: A crystallization apparatus includes a light modulation element, and an image forming optical system that forms a light intensity distribution set based on light transmitted through the light modulation element on an irradiation surface. The crystallization apparatus irradiates a non-single crystal semiconductor film with light having the light intensity distribution to generate a crystallized semiconductor film. A curvature radius of at least one isointensity line of a light intensity substantially varies along the isointensity line in the light intensity distribution on the irradiation surface, and a curvature radius of at least a part of the isointensity line has a minimum value of 0.3 ?m or below.

Abstract: A crystallization apparatus includes a light modulation element, and an image forming optical system that forms a light intensity distribution set based on light transmitted through the light modulation element on an irradiation surface. The crystallization apparatus irradiates a non-single crystal semiconductor film with light having the light intensity distribution to generate a crystallized semiconductor film. A curvature radius of at least one isointensity line of a light intensity substantially varies along the isointensity line in the light intensity distribution on the irradiation surface, and a curvature radius of at least a part of the isointensity line has a minimum value of 0.3 ?m or below.

Abstract: According to a crystallization method, in the crystallization by irradiating a non-single semiconductor thin film of 40 to 100 nm provided on an insulation substrate with a laser light, a light intensity distribution having an inverse peak pattern is formed on the surface of the substrate, a light intensity gradient of the light intensity distribution is controlled, a crystal grain array is formed in which each crystal grain is aligned having a longer shape in a crystal growth direction than in a width direction and having a preferential crystal orientation (100) in a grain length direction, and a TFT is formed in which a source region and a drain region are formed so that current flows across a plurality of crystal grains of the crystal grain array in the crystal growth direction.

Abstract: According to a crystallization method, in the crystallization by irradiating a non-single semiconductor thin film of 40 to 100 nm provided on an insulation substrate with a laser light, a light intensity distribution having an inverse peak pattern is formed on the surface of the substrate, a light intensity gradient of the light intensity distribution is controlled, a crystal grain array is formed in which each crystal grain is aligned having a longer shape in a crystal growth direction than in a width direction and having a preferential crystal orientation (100) in a grain length direction, and a TFT is formed in which a source region and a drain region are formed so that current flows across a plurality of crystal grains of the crystal grain array in the crystal growth direction.

Abstract: A crystal silicon array includes a crystallized unit region obtained by crystallizing at least a part of a non-single crystal semiconductor film. The crystallized unit region includes at least one square two-dimensional crystal portion having a size of 7 ?m square or more, and at least one needle crystal portion having a grain length of 3.5 ?m or more.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a laser crystallization method and crystallization apparatus using a high-accuracy substrate height control mechanism. There is provided a laser crystallization method includes obtaining a first pulse laser beam having an inverse-peak-pattern light intensity distribution formed by a phase shifter, and irradiating a thin film disposed on a substrate with the first pulse laser beam, thereby melting and crystallizing the thin film, the method includes selecting a desired one of reflected light components of a second laser beam by using a polarizing element disposed on an optical path of the second laser beam when illuminating, with the second laser beam, an first pulse laser beam irradiation position of the thin film, correcting a height of the substrate to a predetermined height by detecting the selected reflected light component, and irradiating the first pulse laser beam to the thin film having the corrected height.

Abstract: There are provided a crystallization method which can design laser beam having a light intensity and a distribution optimized on an incident surface of a substrate, form a desired crystallized structure while suppressing generation of any other undesirable structure area and satisfy a demand for low-temperature processing, a crystallization apparatus, a thin film transistor and a display apparatus. When crystallizing a non-single-crystal semiconductor thin film by irradiating laser beam thereto, irradiation light beam to the non-single-crystal semiconductor thin film have a light intensity with a light intensity distribution which cyclically repeats a monotonous increase and a monotonous decrease and a light intensity which melts the non-single-crystal semiconductor. Further, at least a silicon oxide film is provided on a laser beam incident surface of the non-single-crystal semiconductor film.

Abstract: A crystallization apparatus includes a light modulation element, and an image forming optical system that forms a light intensity distribution set based on light transmitted through the light modulation element on an irradiation surface. The crystallization apparatus irradiates a non-single crystal semiconductor film with light having the light intensity distribution to generate a crystallized semiconductor film. A curvature radius of at least one isointensity line of a light intensity substantially varies along the isointensity line in the light intensity distribution on the irradiation surface, and a curvature radius of at least a part of the isointensity line has a minimum value of 0.3 ?m or below.

Abstract: There are provided a crystallization method which can design laser beam having a light intensity and a distribution optimized on an incident surface of a substrate, form a desired crystallized structure while suppressing generation of any other undesirable structure area and satisfy a demand for low-temperature processing, a crystallization apparatus, a thin film transistor and a display apparatus. When crystallizing a non-single-crystal semiconductor thin film by irradiating laser beam thereto, irradiation light beam to the non-single-crystal semiconductor thin film have a light intensity with a light intensity distribution which cyclically repeats a monotonous increase and a monotonous decrease and a light intensity which melts the non-single-crystal semiconductor. Further, at least a silicon oxide film is provided on a laser beam incident surface of the non-single-crystal semiconductor film.

Abstract: In a laser processing method and a laser processing apparatus which irradiate a processing target body with a laser beam pulse-oscillated from a laser beam source, a processing state is monitored by a photodetector, and the laser beam source is again subjected to oscillation control on the moment when erroneous laser irradiation is detected, thereby performing laser processing. Further, in a laser crystallization method and a laser crystallization apparatus using a pulse-oscillated excimer laser, a homogenizing optical system, an optical element and a half mirror are arranged in an optical path, light from the half mirror is detected by a photodetector, and a light intensity insufficient irradiation position is again irradiated with a laser beam to perform crystallization when the detection value does not fall within a range of a predetermined specified value.