Abstract: An object is to provide an SOI substrate provided with a semiconductor layer which can be used practically even when a glass substrate is used as a base substrate. Another object is to provide a semiconductor device having high reliability using such an SOI substrate. An altered layer is formed on at least one surface of a glass substrate used as a base substrate of an SOI substrate to form the SOI substrate. The altered layer is formed on at least the one surface of the glass substrate by cleaning the glass substrate with solution including hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid or nitric acid. The altered layer has a higher proportion of silicon oxide in its composition and a lower density than the glass substrate.

Abstract: A decrease in voltage in a polymer electrolyte fuel cell comprising stack of unit cells caused by the temperature difference between the cells located at the ends and the other cells due to a differential in heat dissipation from end plates is prevented by controlling the cooling temperature of the cells closest to the end plates of the fuel cell without affecting the output voltage of the cells in the middle by not including a coolant flow channel in the conductive separator plate between at least one of the end plates and the unit cell located closest to the one of the end plates.

Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a laser irradiation apparatus, a laser irradiation method, and a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device using the laser irradiation method that can suppress the energy distribution of the laser beam. The present invention provides a laser irradiation apparatus including a laser oscillator oscillating a pulsed laser beam, a lens assembly having a plurality of optical systems, position control means for controlling the position of the lens assembly to select at least two from the plurality of optical systems in synchronization with oscillations of a plurality of pulses of the pulsed laser beam, wherein the selected plurality of optical systems forms a plurality of pulses with spatial energy distribution inverted or rotated each other.

Abstract: The present invention provides a light emitting material having high electric conductivity, and further a light emitting element which can be driven at low voltage. Light emitting devices and electronic devices with reduced power consumption can also be provided. A light emitting element including a light emitting material is provided in which a first electrode 101, a first insulating layer 102, a light emitting layer 103, a second insulating layer 104 and a second electrode 105 are provided over a first electrode 101, the light emitting layer 103 includes an inorganic compound that is any of a sulfide, a nitride and an oxide as a base material; at least one element selected from the group consisting of copper, silver, aluminum, fluorine and chlorine, as a luminescent center material; manganese; and either gallium phosphide or gallium antimonide.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a laser irradiation method being able to control the irradiation position of the laser beam accurately compared with the conventional irradiation method. Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device with the use of the laser irradiation method being able to irradiate a large substrate accurately with the laser beam. The irradiation position of the laser beam is controlled by using a laser oscillator emitting a laser beam, an optical system for shaping the laser beam into rectangular on the irradiation object, means for moving the irradiation object relative to the laser beam in the long-side direction and the short-side direction of the beam spot, means for moving the irradiation object more slowly in the long-side direction than in the short-side direction, and a laser positioning mechanism.

Abstract: Even when the laser irradiation is performed under the same condition with the energy distribution of the beam spot shaped as appropriate, the energy given to the irradiated surface is not yet homogeneous. When a semiconductor film is crystallized to form a crystalline semiconductor film using such inhomogeneous irradiation energy, the crystallinity becomes inhomogeneous in this film, and the characteristic of semiconductor elements manufactured using this film varies. In the present invention, an irradiated object formed over a substrate is irradiated with a laser beam having the pulse width that is an order of picosecond (10?12 second) or less.

Abstract: The present invention is to provide a laser irradiation method for performing homogeneous laser irradiation to the irradiation object even when the thickness of the irradiation object is not even. In the case of irradiating the irradiation object having uneven thickness, the laser irradiation is performed while keeping the distance between the irradiation object and the lens for condensing the laser beam on the surface of the irradiation object constant by using an autofocusing mechanism. In particular, when the irradiation object is irradiated with the laser beam by moving the irradiation object relative to the laser beam in the first direction and the second direction of the beam spot formed on the irradiation surface, the distance between the irradiation object and the lens is controlled by the autofocusing mechanism before the irradiation object is moved in the first and second directions.

Abstract: A display position determination apparatus has a selection unit selecting a first part from a parts group of display objects, an acquisition unit acquiring display occupancy in a display screen for each of said display objects, a judgment unit judging whether a balloon for the first part selected by said selection unit can be displayed within a non-display area or not in said display screen where no parts group is displayed; a search unit searching a second part from said parts group based on the display occupancy acquired by said acquisition unit when said judgment unit judges that the balloon cannot be displayed in said non-display area, and a determination unit determining that the display area of the balloon for said first part is within the display area of the second part searched by said search unit.

Abstract: A method of operating a fuel cell cogeneration system comprises the steps of cooling a fuel cell by circulating an internal heat transfer medium through the fuel cell while the fuel cell is generating electric power, storing an external heat transfer medium in a heat utilization portion, detecting remaining calories of the heat utilization portion by a first detector provided at the heat utilization portion, increasing a temperature of the fuel cell to an operating temperature by carrying out a first temperature increasing operation, and increasing the temperature of the fuel cell to the operating temperature by carrying out a second temperature increasing operation.

Abstract: In conducting laser annealing using a CW laser or a quasi-CW laser, productivity is not high as compared with an excimer laser and thus, it is necessary to further enhance productivity. According to the present invention, a fundamental wave is used without putting laser light into a non linear optical element, and laser annealing is conducted by irradiating a semiconductor thin film with pulsed laser light having a high repetition rate. A laser oscillator having a high output power can be used for laser annealing, since a non linear optical element is not used and thus light is not converted to a harmonic. Therefore, the width of a region having large grain crystals that is formed by scanning once can be increased, and thus the productivity can be enhanced dramatically.

Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a laser irradiation apparatus which can manufacture a homogenously crystallized film by varying the energy intensity of an irradiation beam in forward and backward directions of the irradiation. A laser irradiation apparatus of the present invention comprises a laser oscillator and means for varying beam intensity wherein a laser beam is obliquely incident into the irradiation surface, the laser beam is scanned relative to the irradiation surface, and the beam intensity is varied in accordance with the scanning direction. Further, the laser oscillator is a continuous wave solid-state laser, gas laser, or metal laser. A pulsed laser having a repetition frequency of 10 MHz or more can also be used.

Abstract: An object is to provide a novel light emitting material. Another object is to provide a light emitting device and an electronic device with reduced power consumption. Still another object is to provide a light emitting device and an electronic device which can be manufactured at low cost. Provided is a light emitting element including a base material, a first impurity element, a second impurity element, and a third impurity element. The base material is one of ZnS, CdS, CaS, Y2S3, Ga2S3, SrS, BaS, ZnO, Y2O3, AlN, GaN, InN, ZnSe, ZnTe, and SrGa2S4; the first impurity element is any of Cu, Ag, Au, Pt, and Si; the second impurity element is any of F, Cl, Br, I, B, Al, Ga, In, and Tl; and the third impurity element is any of Li, Na, K, Rb, Cs, N, P, As, Sb, and Bi.

Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide laser irradiation apparatus and method which can decrease the proportion of the microcrystal region in the whole irradiated region and can irradiate a semiconductor film homogeneously with a laser beam. A low-intensity part of a laser beam emitted from a laser oscillator is blocked by a slit, the laser beam is deflected by a mirror, and the beam is shaped into a desired size by using two convex cylindrical lenses. Then, the laser beam is delivered to the irradiation surface.

Abstract: The object of the present invention is to provide a laser irradiation apparatus being able to enlarge the beam spot to a large degree compared with that of the CW laser, to suppress the thermal damage to the glass substrate, and to form an aggregation of crystal grains including a single crystal extending long in a scanning direction by growing the crystal continuously in the scanning direction. The laser irradiation of the present invention comprises a pulsed laser oscillator, a non-linear optical element for converting the wavelength of the laser light emitted from the pulsed laser oscillator, and an optical system for condensing the laser light whose wavelength is converted on a semiconductor film, wherein the pulsed laser oscillator has a repetition rate in the range of 10 MHz to 100 GHz.

Abstract: The present invention is to provide a laser irradiation method for performing homogeneous laser irradiation to the irradiation object even when the thickness of the irradiation object is not even. In the case of irradiating the irradiation object having uneven thickness, the laser irradiation is performed while keeping the distance between the irradiation object and the lens for condensing the laser beam on the surface of the irradiation object constant by using an autofocusing mechanism. In particular, when the irradiation object is irradiated with the laser beam by moving the irradiation object relative to the laser beam in the first direction and the second direction of the beam spot formed on the irradiation surface, the distance between the irradiation object and the lens is controlled by the autofocusing mechanism before the irradiation object is moved in the first and second directions.

Abstract: To provide a method for manufacturing an SOI substrate provided with a semiconductor layer which can be used practically even when a substrate having a low heat-resistant temperature, such as a glass substrate or the like is used. The semiconductor layer is transferred to a supporting substrate by the steps of irradiating a semiconductor wafer with ions from one surface to form a damaged layer; forming an insulating layer over one surface of the semiconductor wafer; attaching one surface of the supporting substrate to the insulating layer formed over the semiconductor wafer and performing heat treatment to bond the supporting substrate to the semiconductor wafer; and performing separation at the damaged layer into the semiconductor wafer and the supporting substrate. The damaged layer remaining partially over the semiconductor layer is removed by wet etching and a surface of the semiconductor layer is irradiated with a laser beam.

Abstract: By managing a coating material injection time and the like parameters so that they may be controlled within specifically determined ranges, an in-mold coating formation method is provided for manufacturing a molded product coated with a coating layer having a uniform quality in its outside appearance. By continuously and unifyingly managing a mold opening amount and a mold closing force, an in-mold coating formation method and an in-mold coating formation apparatus are provided which are so formed that, if the control of a mold closing force and the control of a mold opening amount are continuously changed and at the same time a high precision and a high response are maintained, it is possible to enlarge a selectable range for selecting a molding condition, thereby producing an integrally formed molded product having an excellent outside appearance and whose coating layer has a high adhesion strength.

Abstract: An object of the invention is to provide a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device having a semiconductor element with a minute structure, which can reduce a cost and improve throughput due to a small number of steps and reduction in a material. One feature of the invention is to form a first film pattern over a substrate, form a second film pattern which is curved on the surface of the first film pattern or the substrate, and form a film pattern by irradiating the first film pattern with light with the second film pattern therebetween and modifying part of the second film pattern.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device having a semiconductor element capable of reducing a cost and improving a throughput with a minute structure, and further, a method for manufacturing a liquid crystal television and an EL television. According to one feature of the invention, a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device comprises the steps of: forming a light absorption layer over a substrate, forming a first region over the light absorption layer by using a solution, generating heat by irradiating the light absorption layer with laser light, and forming a first film pattern by heating the first region with the heat.

Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a light-emitting device with high current efficiency and high display quality, in which a change in luminance with time is suppressed. The light-emitting device is provided with a plurality of light-emitting elements in each of which a plurality of light-emitting units each including at least one light-emitting layer are connected in series between a pair of electrodes. Between one of light-emitting units and the other light-emitting unit, an intermediate conductive layer is provided in the light-emitting unit. The light-emitting layer includes base material which is a compound containing an element belonging to group 2 and an element belonging to group 16 or a compound containing an element belonging to group 12 and an element belonging to group 16, and an impurity element which is an emission center. This structure makes it possible to increase light emission luminance without increasing current density.