Disclosed herein is a laser beam spot shape detection method for detecting a spot shape of a laser beam oscillated by laser beam oscillator and collected by a condenser in a laser machining apparatus, the laser beam spot shape detection method including: a concave mirror holding step of holding a concave mirror having a spherical face forming a reflecting face with a chuck table; a focal point positioning step of positioning the focal point of the condenser in a proximity including the center of the spherical face forming the reflecting face of the concave mirror held by the chuck table; a laser beam irradiation step of irradiating a laser beam onto the held concave mirror, and an imaging step of capturing images of reflected light with a camera.

A sparse patterned mask for use in a laser ablation process to image a substrate. The mask has a plurality of apertures for transmission of light and non-transmissive areas around the apertures. The apertures individually form a portion of a complete pattern, and a plurality of apertures from one or more masks together form the complete pattern when the masks are imaged. Making a mask sparse provides for a path to remove debris from the substrate during the laser ablation process. Multiple interlaced sparse repeating patterns can create a more complex pattern with repeat distances larger than the individual patterns.

A sparse patterned mask for use in a laser ablation process to image a substrate. The mask has a plurality of apertures for transmission of light and non-transmissive areas around the apertures. The apertures individually form a portion of a complete pattern, and a plurality of apertures from one or more masks together form the complete pattern when the masks are imaged. Making a mask sparse provides for a path to remove debris from the substrate during the laser ablation process. Multiple interlaced sparse repeating patterns can create a more complex pattern with repeat distances larger than the individual patterns.

An apparatus for irradiating semiconductor material is disclosed having, a laser generating a primary laser beam, an optical system and a means for shaping the primary laser beam, comprising a plurality of apertures for shaping the primary laser beam into a plurality of secondary laser beams. Wherein the shape and/or size of the individual apertures corresponds to that of a common region of a semiconductor material layer to be irradiated. The optical system is adapted for superposing the secondary laser beams to irradiate said common region. Further, the use of such an apparatus in semiconductor device manufacturing is disclosed.

An apparatus for irradiating semiconductor material is disclosed having, a laser generating a primary laser beam, an optical system and a means for shaping the primary laser beam, comprising a plurality of apertures for shaping the primary laser beam into a plurality of secondary laser beams. Wherein the shape and/or size of the individual apertures corresponds to that of a common region of a semiconductor material layer to be irradiated. The optical system is adapted for superposing the secondary laser beams to irradiate said common region. Further, the use of such an apparatus in semiconductor device manufacturing is disclosed.

A diffractive optical beam shaping element for imposing a phase distribution on a laser beam that is intended for laser processing of a material includes a phase mask that is shaped as an area and is configured for imposing a plurality of beam shaping phase distributions on the laser beam incident on to the phase mask. A virtual optical image is attributed to at least one of the plurality of beam shaping phase distributions, wherein the virtual image can be imaged into an elongated focus zone for creating a modification in the material to be processed. Multiple such elongated focus zones can spatially add up and interfere with each other, to modify an intensity distribution in the material and, for example, generate an asymmetric modification zone.

A diffractive optical beam shaping element for imposing a phase distribution on a laser beam that is intended for laser processing of a material includes a phase mask that is shaped as an area and is configured for imposing a plurality of beam shaping phase distributions on the laser beam incident on to the phase mask. A virtual optical image is attributed to at least one of the plurality of beam shaping phase distributions, wherein the virtual image can be imaged into an elongated focus zone for creating a modification in the material to be processed. Multiple such elongated focus zones can spatially add up and interfere with each other, to modify an intensity distribution in the material and, for example, generate an asymmetric modification zone.

A method of forming openings in a polymer layer includes positioning a layer of a material over a cavity such that a portion of the first material lies over a cavity, ablating the portion of the material at a first shape, and ablating the portion of the material at a second shape, wherein the second shape lies within the first shape. A method of forming openings in a polymer layer includes positioning a layer of a first material over a second material having a cavity such that a portion of the first material lies over the cavity, ablating the portion of the first material over the cavity at a first shape, and ablating the portion of the second material over the cavity at a second shape, wherein the second shape lies within the first shape.

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 laser processing device includes: a laser light source emitting laser light; a converging optical system converging the laser light at an object to be processed; a reflective spatial light modulator modulating the laser light such that the laser light is caused to branch into 0th order light and ±nth order light (n is a natural number) including at least first processing light and second processing light, and the first processing light is converged at a first converging point and the second processing light is converged at a second converging point; and a light blocking part blocking light to be converged at an outside with respect to the first processing light and the second processing light of the 0th order light and the ±nth order light to be converged at the object.