A multi-layer thin film composite is formed by applying a thin film formed from non-single-crystalline oxide onto a substrate; applying a protection film onto the thin film; and supplying energy to the thin film through at least one of the protection film or the substrate.

A metal oxide film including a crystal part and having highly stable physical properties is provided. The size of the crystal part is less than or equal to 10 nm, which allows the observation of circumferentially arranged spots in a nanobeam electron diffraction pattern of the cross section of the metal oxide film when the measurement area is greater than or equal to 5 nmφ and less than or equal to 10 nmφ.

A strengthened glass article (100), such as a substrate for a p-Si based transistors, includes first and second glass cladding layers (104, 106) and a glass core layer (102) disposed therebetween. A coefficient of thermal expansion [CTE] of each cladding layer (104, 106), which can be made of the same glass, is at least 1×10.sup.−7° C..sup.−1 less than that of the core layer (102). Each of the core and cladding layers has a strain point less than 700° C. A compaction of the glass article (100) is at most about 20 ppm [see FIG. 1]. A method includes forming a glass article and/or heating a glass article to a first temperature of at least about 400° C. The glass article has a glass core layer (102) and a glass cladding layer (104, 106) adjacent to the core layer. The glass article is maintained at a temperature within a range of from 400° C. to 600° C. for a holding period from 30 to 90 minutes and subsequently cooled to a temperature of at most 50° C. over a cooling period from 30 seconds to 5 minutes. The glass article (100) for heat strengthening may have been produced by the fusion overflow down draw process, e.g. as depicted in FIG. 3.

A method for producing a glass substrate with through glass vias according to the present invention includes: irradiating a glass substrate (10) with a laser beam to form a modified portion; forming a first conductive portion (20a) on a first principal surface of the glass substrate (10), the first conductive portion (20a) being positioned in correspondence with the modified portion (12); and forming a through hole (14) in the glass substrate (10) after formation of the first conductive portion by etching at least the modified portion (12) using an etchant. This method allows easy handling of a glass substrate during formation of a conductive portion such as a circuit on the glass substrate, and is also capable of forming a through hole in the glass substrate relatively quickly while preventing damage to the conductive portion such as a circuit formed on the glass substrate.

Embodiments may relate to a semiconductor package that includes a die and a glass core coupled with the die. The glass core may include a cavity with an interconnect structure therein. The interconnect structure may include pads on a first side that are coupled with the die, and pads on a second side opposite the first side. Other embodiments may be described and/or claimed.

A method (200) and deposition zone apparatus (300) for fabricating thin-film optoelectronic devices (100), the method comprising: providing a potassium-nondiffusing substrate (110), forming a back-contact layer (120); forming at least one absorber layer (130) made of an ABC chalcogenide material, adding at least two different alkali metals, and forming at least one front-contact layer (150) wherein one of said at least two different alkali metals is potassium and where, following forming said front-contact layer, in the interval of layers (470) from back-contact layer (120), exclusive, to front-contact layer (150), inclusive, the comprised amounts resulting from adding at least two different alkali metals are, for potassium, in the range of 500 to 10000 ppm and, for the other of said at least two different alkali metals, in the range of 5 to 2000 ppm and at most ½ and at least 1/2000 of the comprised amount of potassium. The method (200) and apparatus (300) are advantageous for more environmentally-friendly production of photovoltaic devices (100) on flexible substrates with high photovoltaic conversion efficiency and faster production rate.

Provided are an oxide sintered compact whereby low carrier density and high carrier mobility are obtained when the oxide sintered compact is used to obtain an oxide semiconductor thin film by a sputtering method, and a sputtering target which uses the oxide sintered compact. This oxide sintered compact contains oxides of indium, gallium, and aluminum. The gallium content is from 0.15 to 0.49 by Ga/(In+Ga) atomic ratio, and the aluminum content is from 0.0001 to less than 0.25 by Al/(In+Ga+Al) atomic ratio. A crystalline oxide semiconductor thin film formed using this oxide sintered compact as a sputtering target is obtained at a carrier density of 4.0×10.sup.18 cm.sup.−3 or less and a carrier mobility of 10 cm.sup.−2V.sup.−1sec.sup.−1 or greater.

The present application discloses an oxide semiconductor thin-film and a thin-film transistor consisted thereof. The oxide semiconductor thin-film is fabricated by doping a certain amount of rare-earth oxide (RO) as light stabilizer to metal oxide (MO) semiconductor. The thin-film transistor comprising a gate electrode, a channel layer consisted by the oxide semiconductor thin-film, a source and drain electrode; the thin-film transistor employing etch-stop structure, a back-channel etch structure or a top-gate self-alignment structure.

A laser irradiation apparatus (1) according to an embodiment includes an optical-system module (20) configured to apply laser light (L1) to an object to be irradiated, a shield plate (51) in which a slit (54) is formed, through which the laser light (L1) passes, and a reflected-light receiving component (61) disposed between the optical-system module (20) and the shield plate (51), in which the reflected-light receiving component (61) is able to receive, out of the laser light (L1), reflected light (R1) reflected by the shield plate (51).

An electronic device includes a substrate, a barrier film, and one of an electrically-conductive layer and a semiconductor layer. The barrier film is provided on the substrate. The barrier film contains an inorganic polymer compound and an organic matter. One of the electrically-conductive layer and the semiconductor layer is provided on the substrate with the barrier film in between.