Provided are a laser annealing device, laser annealing method, and mask which make it possible to reduce display blurriness at a mask-joining boundary. The laser annealing device is equipped with a mask in which a plurality of opening blocks, which include a plurality of openings arranged in the column direction parallel to the scanning direction, are arranged in the row direction which is perpendicular to the scanning direction. The laser annealing device moves the mask and/or substrate in a direction parallel to the scanning direction, and each time the mask and/or substrate move to a prescribed position in the direction perpendicular to the scanning direction, performs processing for irradiating a plurality of prescribed substrate regions with a laser beam through the plurality of openings. Furthermore, at least one pair comprising adjacent two opening blocks is provided in a manner such that the position of the openings in a first opening block which is one block among the pair and the position of the openings in a second opening block which is the other block among the pair are offset in the direction parallel to the scanning direction.

A thin film transistor according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a gate electrode supported by a substrate; a gate insulating layer covering the gate electrode; a silicon semiconductor layer being provided on the gate insulating layer and having a crystalline silicon region, the crystalline silicon region including a first region, a second region, and a channel region located between the first region and the second region, such that the channel region, the first region, and the second region overlap the gate electrode via the gate insulating layer; an insulating protection layer disposed on the silicon semiconductor layer so as to cover the channel region and allow the first region and the second region to be exposed; a source electrode electrically connected to the first region; and a drain electrode electrically connected to the second region. The channel region is lower in crystallinity than the first region and the second region.

A laser irradiation device includes a light source that generates a laser beam, a projection lens that irradiates a predetermined region of an amorphous silicon thin film, mounted on each of a plurality of thin-film transistors on a glass substrate moving in a predetermined direction, with the laser beam, and a projection mask pattern provided on the projection lens and has a plurality of columns each including a predetermined number of opening portions and provided parallel to the predetermined direction, in which the projection lens emits the laser beam through the projection mask pattern, and the projection mask pattern is configured such that at least some of the predetermined number of opening portions are not on a straight line parallel to the predetermined direction in each of the plurality of columns.

A laser irradiation apparatus includes a light source configured to generate a laser beam, a projection lens configured to irradiate a predetermined region of an amorphous silicon thin film deposited on each of a plurality of thin film transistors on a glass substrate with the laser beam, and a projection mask pattern provided on the projection lens and including a plurality of masks to which transmittances that are proportions of laser beams passing therethrough are set, wherein the projection lens irradiates the plurality of thin film transistors on the glass substrate moving in a predetermined direction with the laser beam via the plurality of masks included in the projection mask pattern, and each of the plurality of masks included in the projection mask pattern is set to any one of the plurality of transmittances.

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 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).

The present disclosure provides an excimer laser annealing apparatus for laser annealing a substrate, including a beam current consumer, a focusing lens, and a laser. The beam current consumer is disposed between the substrate and the laser, the focusing lens is disposed between the beam current consumer and the laser and is located on the optical path of the laser beam of the laser directed onto the substrate, the focus of the focusing lens is on the optical path of the laser beam of the laser directed onto the substrate and on the substrate, the beam current consumer is provided with a transmission cavity and a reflection cavity connecting with the transmission cavity, the reflection cavity includes a surface provided with a reflection film, the laser beam generated by the laser is focused by the focusing lens and then emitted to the substrate through the transmission cavity.

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.

The present invention provides a method for manufacturing a thin film transistor including processing of irradiating an amorphous silicon film 8 deposited on a substrate with laser light. The method comprises: a laser annealing step for forming a polysilicon film 9 including a channel region 52 by irradiating an area including a formation region of the region 52 in the film 8 with the laser light such that the area including the formation region is heated, melted, and recrystallized; and a removing step for etching off an area outside the region 52 from the polysilicon film 9. Thus, the present invention can provide a method for manufacturing a thin film transistor and a mask for use in the manufacturing method that are capable of promoting the recrystallization of the film 8 and thereby improving its electron mobility even when laser irradiation has to be performed under restricted irradiation conditions.

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.