A laser irradiation device is provided with a light source that generates a laser beam, a projection lens that irradiates a prescribed region of an amorphous silicon thin film deposited on a substrate with the laser beam, and a projection mask pattern that is disposed on the projection lens and provided with a plurality of opening portions such that the prescribed region of the amorphous silicon thin film is irradiated with the laser beam; wherein the projection lens irradiates the prescribed region of the amorphous silicon thin film on the substrate moving in a prescribed direction with the laser beam through the projection mask pattern and the areas of at least neighboring opening portions in the projection mask pattern differ from each other in one row orthogonal to the movement direction.

A laser irradiation device includes a light source for generating a laser beam, a projection lens for irradiating a prescribed region of an amorphous silicon thin film deposited on a substrate with the laser beam, and a projection mask pattern that is disposed on the projection lens and that includes a rectangular transmission region for transmitting the laser beam in a prescribed projection pattern; and is characterized in that a short side of the rectangular transmission region has a length that causes the irradiation energy of the laser beam passing through the projection mask pattern to become substantially uniform in the prescribed region.

Semiconductor memory devices and methods for manufacturing semiconductor memory devices are provided herein, An example method includes forming a first silicon layer on a bottom conductive layer, transforming the first silicon layer into a first polysilicon layer, forming a second silicon layer stacked on the first polysilicon layer, and a third silicon layer stacked on the second silicon layer, transforming the second and third silicon layers into second and third polysilicon layers, forming an amorphous silicon layer on the third polysilicon layer, forming the amorphous silicon layer into a silicide layer on at least a portion of the third polysilicon layer, depositing an oxide onto at least a portion of the first, second, and third polysilicon layers, selectively trimming the silicide layer, and forming a top conductive layer on at least a portion of the trimmed silicide layer.

A laser irradiation device is provided with a light source that generates laser light, and a projection lens for applying the laser light to predetermined regions of an amorphous silicon thin film deposited on a substrate. The laser irradiation device also arranged such that the projection lens includes a first projection lens for applying the laser light to first regions corresponding to a channel region of a thin film transistor, the first regions being a part of the predetermined regions, and a second projection lens for applying the laser light to second regions corresponding to predetermined elements included in a gate driver, the second regions being a part of the predetermined regions.

A laser annealing device includes: a CW laser device configured to emit continuous wave laser light caused by continuous oscillation to preheat the amorphous silicon; a pulse laser device configured to emit the pulse laser light toward the preheated amorphous silicon; an optical system configured to guide the continuous wave laser light and the pulse laser light to the amorphous silicon; and a control unit configured to control an irradiation energy density of the continuous wave laser light so as to preheat the amorphous silicon to have a predetermined target temperature less than a melting point thereof, and configured to control at least one of a fluence and a number of pulses of the pulse laser light so as to crystallize the preheated amorphous silicon.

A laser beam irradiation device includes a light source that emits a laser beam; and a projection lens that irradiates a plurality of different areas of an amorphous silicon thin film attached to a thin-film transistor with the laser beam, wherein the projection lens irradiates the plurality of different areas of the amorphous silicon thin film with the laser beam such that a source electrode and a drain electrode of the thin-film transistor are connected in parallel to each other by a plurality of channel regions.

Provided are a laser annealing apparatus, a laser annealing method, and a mask with which scan nonuniformity can be decreased. According to the present invention, all or some openings of a plurality of openings are configured so that a partial subregion of a prescribed region is irradiated with laser light. The plurality of openings are configured so that, between prescribed regions irradiated with laser light via a group of openings in one row arranged in a row direction and prescribed regions irradiated with laser light via a group of openings in another row arranged in the row direction, the number of times of laser light radiations in subregions having the same occupying region is the same, and at least two openings of a group of openings arranged in a column direction have different positions or shapes.

A compound semiconductor solar cell and a method of manufacturing the same are disclosed. The method for fabricating a compound semiconductor solar cell comprises forming a first mask layer on a front surface of a compound semiconductor layer of a second region which is a region other than a first region where the front electrode is to be formed; forming a seed metal layer on the front surface of the compound semiconductor layer of the first region and on the first mask layer of the second region; removing the seed metal layer over the first mask layer and the first mask layer; removing a part of the compound semiconductor layer of the second region from the front surface of the compound semiconductor layer by using the seed metal layer of the first region as a mask; forming a second mask layer on the compound semiconductor layer of the second region; forming an electrode metal layer on the seed metal layer not covered by the second mask layer; and removing the second mask layer.

A laser annealing method includes: step A of providing a substrate having an amorphous semiconductor film formed on a surface thereof; and step B of selectively irradiating a portion of the amorphous semiconductor film with laser light. The step B includes a step of simultaneously forming, in the portion, two molten regions that have elongate shapes congruent to each other and are arranged in line symmetry with each other.

A laser annealing method includes: step A of providing a substrate having an amorphous semiconductor film formed on a surface thereof; and step BF of selectively irradiating a portion of the amorphous semiconductor film with laser light. Step B includes a step of simultaneously forming, in said portion, a first melted region that is elongated in a first direction and a second direction that is elongated in a second melted region different from the first direction.