A method of manufacturing a gallium nitride substrate includes preparation of a gallium nitride wafer, formation of a transformation layer, and formation of the gallium nitride substrate. The gallium nitride has a first main surface and a second main surface on a side opposite from the first main surface. The gallium nitride wafer is made of a hexagonal crystal, and each of the first main surface and the second main surface is a {1-100} m-plane of the hexagonal crystal. The transformation layer is formed along a planar direction of the gallium nitride wafer by emitting a laser beam into the gallium nitride wafer. The gallium nitride substrate is formed from the gallium nitride wafer by dividing the gallium nitride wafer at the transformation layer. In the formation of the transformation layer, the laser beam is emitted to form an irradiation mark for forming the transformation layer.

According to the present invention, there is provided a copper/ceramic bonded body including: a copper member made of copper or a copper alloy; and a ceramic member made of silicon-containing ceramics, the copper member and the ceramic member being bonded to each other, in which a maximum indentation hardness in a region is set to be in a range of 70 mgf/μm.sup.2 or more and 150 mgf/μm.sup.2 or less, the region being from 10 μm to 50 μm with reference to a bonded interface between the copper member and the ceramic member toward the copper member side.

A substrate processing method of transcribing, in a combined substrate in which a first substrate and a second substrate are bonded to each other, a device layer formed on a surface of the second substrate to the first substrate is provided. A laser beam is radiated in a pulse shape from a rear surface side of the second substrate to a laser absorption layer formed between the second substrate and the device layer.

The present invention provides a microstructure in which evenly distributed crystal grains line up in parallel lines extending along the surface of the film, and a no-lateral-growth region left at each of locations exposed to both ends of a grain interface, which serves as a partition between the neighboring two crystal grains. According to the present invention, there are also provided: a method for forming a polycrystalline film, such as a thin polycrystalline silicon film, a thin aluminum film, and a thin copper film, which is flat and even, in surface, electrically uniform and stable, and mechanically stable; a laser crystallization device for use in manufacture of polycrystalline films, and a semiconductor device using the polycrystalline film and having good electrical property and increased breakdown voltage.

A method includes forming an insulating layer over a package. The package has a plurality of locations where openings are subsequently formed. A first laser shot is performed, location by location, on each of the locations across the package. A first laser spot of the first laser shot overlaps with each of the locations. The first laser shot removes a first portion of the insulating layer below the first laser spot. Another laser shot is performed, location by location, on each of the locations across the package. Another laser spot of the another laser shot overlaps with each of the locations. The another laser shot removes another portion of the insulating layer below the another laser spot. Performing the another laser shot, location by location, on each of the locations across the package is repeated multiple times, until desired portions of the insulating layer are removed.

Methods of forming a metallic-ceramic brazed joint are disclosed herein. The method of forming the brazed joint includes deoxidizing the surface of metallic components, assembling the joint, heating the joint to fuse the joint components, and cooling the joint. In certain embodiments, the brazed joint includes a conformal layer. In further embodiments, the brazed joint has features in order to reduce stress concentrations within the joint.

Thin-film devices, for example electrochromic devices for windows, and methods of manufacturing are described. Particular focus is given to methods of patterning optical devices. Various edge deletion and isolation scribes are performed, for example, to ensure the optical device has appropriate isolation from any edge defects. Methods described herein apply to any thin-film device having one or more material layers sandwiched between two thin film electrical conductor layers. The described methods create novel optical device configurations.

A method for separating integrated circuit dies from a wafer includes making at least two cutting passes with a laser along a first die street of an integrated circuit die, the first die street extending along a first axis on the wafer. The method also includes making at least two cutting passes with the laser along a second die street of the integrated circuit die, the second die street extending along a second axis on the wafer that is generally perpendicular to the first axis. In one process, three cutting passes are made with the laser alternatingly along the first and second die streets to separate the integrated die circuit along the first and second axes. In another process, two cutting passes are made with the laser along the first die street in opposite directions, and two cutting passes are then made with the laser along the second die street in opposite directions.

A laser beam irradiation unit of a laser processing apparatus includes a laser oscillator that oscillates a laser, a Y-axis scanner that executes a high-speed scan with a laser beam emitted from the laser oscillator in a Y-axis direction, an X-axis scanner that executes processing feed of the laser beam emitted from the laser oscillator in an X-axis direction, and a beam condenser. The Y-axis scanner is selected from any of an AOD, a resonant scanner, and a polygon scanner and the X-axis scanner is selected from a galvano scanner and a resonant scanner.

A through-glass via-hole formation method includes: forming a hole-shaped deformed region extending in a thickness direction of a glass substrate by irradiating the glass substrate with a laser beam at an energy intensity not exceeding an ablation threshold of the glass substrate; and forming a via-hole through the glass substrate along the deformed region by immersing the glass substrate in an etching solution such that the deformed region is etched and removed, wherein an etching solution having a first concentration is used as the etching solution to allow the via-hole to have a first aspect ratio, and an etching solution having a second concentration greater than the first concentration is used as the etching solution to allow the via-hole to have a second aspect ratio smaller than the first aspect ratio.