A laser processing method which can efficiently perform laser processing while minimizing the deviation of the converging point of a laser beam in end parts of an object to be processed is provided. This laser processing method comprises a preparatory step of holding a lens at an initial position set such that a converging point is located at a predetermined position within the object; a first processing step (S11 and S12) of emitting a first laser beam for processing while holding the lens at the initial position, and moving the lens and the ltd object relative to each other along a main surface so as to form a modified region in one end part of a line to cut; and a second processing step (S13 and S14) of releasing the lens from being held at the initial position after forming the modified region in the one end part of the line to cut, and then moving the lens and the object relative to each other along the main surface while adjusting the gap between the lens and the main surface after the release, so as to form the modified region.

The present disclosure provides a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device. Furthermore the present disclosure provides a photovoltaic device and a light emitting diode manufactured in accordance with the method. The method comprises the steps of forming a germanium layer using deposition techniques compatible with high-volume, low-cost manufacturing, such as magnetron sputtering, and exposing the germanium layer to laser light to reduce the amount of defects in the germanium layer. After the method is performed the germanium layer can be used as a virtual germanium substrate for the growth of III-V materials.

Disclosed herein is an inspecting apparatus including an illuminating unit adapted to be positioned in the periphery of a transparent member for illuminating the transparent member from the outside of the circumference thereof, an imaging unit adapted to be opposed to the transparent member for imaging the transparent member illuminated by the illuminating unit, and a displaying monitor for displaying an image obtained by the imaging unit.

A wafer grooving apparatus (100) for forming an elongate recess (103) in a semiconductor wafer surface, the apparatus comprising:

a wafer table (110) for receiving and holding a semiconductor wafer;
a radiation device (120) for generating a radiation beam (121);
a beam directing device (130) for directing the radiation beam to a top surface (102) of the wafer so as to create a beam spot (142) where the radiation beam ablates wafer material on the wafer surface to form a recess;
a wafer table displacement drive (170) for effecting a mutual displacement between the radiation beam and the wafer surface in a radiation beam displacement direction;
a recess profile measuring device (180) arranged at a predetermined distance behind the beam directing device in the radiation beam displacement direction effected by the wafer table displacement drive for measuring a depth profile of the recess that has been formed by the radiation beam.

A semiconductor device includes a solder supporting material above a substrate. The semiconductor device also includes a solder on the solder supporting material. The semiconductor device further includes selective laser annealed or laser ablated portions of the solder and underlying solder supporting material to form a semiconductor device having 3D features.

The present invention describes an apparatus for a first laser scribing (P1) on the front electrode of a thin film solar cell panel and a similar apparatus for subsequent laser scribing (P2,P3) on the semiconductor layer and semiconductor layer/rear electrode. Before starting scribing process (P1), the left hand edge or reference line on the left hand edge on a workpiece is aligned substantively parallel to the linear drive before translating the workpiece on the apparatus. Similarly, the first and second scribed lines (Lp1,Lp2) formed during the P1 and P2 processes are separately aligned parallel to the linear drive before starting the relevant process (P2,P3). Alternatively, parallelism of the workpiece is carried out for each batch of the workpiece. In both apparatuses, the laser sources are mounted on independently motorised axes.

A laser annealing device includes a laser beam source, a laser beam irradiating optical system that irradiates a treatment area of a treatment object substrate with a laser beam emitted from the laser beam source, an illumination light source that emits illumination light in a visible light region, an illumination optical system that irradiates the treatment area with light emitted from the illumination light source, and a spectral detector that detects light in the visible light region that has been reflected by the treatment area in which an annealing treatment has been performed with the laser beam, and outputs spectral characteristics of the light.

A wafer manufacturing method for manufacturing a wafer from an ingot includes forming a peeling layer within the ingot by positioning a condensing point at a depth corresponding to the thickness of the wafer to be produced, and irradiating the ingot with a first laser beam, forming a character, a number, or a mark representing information regarding resistivity in or on the ingot by positioning a condensing point in a region in which devices are not to be formed and irradiating the ingot with a second laser beam, and dividing the ingot with the peeling layer as a starting point.

A laser processing apparatus includes a main imaging unit configured to image a region to be laser-processed and an auxiliary imaging unit. The auxiliary imaging unit includes an objective lens, a camera configured to generate an image via the objective lens, a half-silvered mirror disposed between the camera and the objective lens, a light source configured to illuminate a wafer held on a chuck table via the half-silvered mirror and the objective lens, a first polarizing plate disposed between the camera and the half-silvered mirror, and a second polarizing plate disposed between the light source and the half-silvered mirror. The second polarizing plate is disposed such that a polarization plane of light applied from the light source, passed through the second polarizing plate, and reflected by the half-silvered mirror is rotated by a required angle with respect to a polarization axis of the first polarizing plate.

A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device includes: bonding at least a part of the rear surface of a semiconductor wafer, and a supporting substrate in use of using a silane coupling agent; forming a functional structure on a front surface of the semiconductor wafer; placing a condensation point of laser light transmitted through the semiconductor wafer on a bonding interface between the semiconductor wafer and the supporting substrate, and irradiating the bonding interface with the laser light, thereby forming a fracture layer on at least a part of an outer circumferential section of the bonding interface; separating the bonding interface; and carrying out rear surface processing on the rear surface of the semiconductor wafer.