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 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).

A laser irradiation device may include: a laser device configured to emit a pulse laser beam; beam scan optics configured to allocate the pulse laser beam emitted from the laser device to optical paths; beam homogenizers provided in the respective optical paths, each of the beam homogenizers being configured to homogenize distribution of light intensity of the pulse laser beam allocated to a corresponding optical path of the optical paths; and a controller configured to control the beam scan optics to allocate, for each pulse, the pulse laser beam emitted from the laser device to the corresponding optical path of the optical paths.

The present application provides a low temperature poly-silicon thin film, a low temperature poly-silicon thin film transistor and manufacturing methods thereof, and a display device. The manufacturing method of a low temperature poly-silicon thin film comprises steps of: forming an amorphous silicon thin film on a base; and performing a laser annealing process on the amorphous silicon thin film by using a mask plate to form a low temperature poly-silicon thin film, wherein the mask plate includes a transmissive region and a shielding region surrounding the transmissive region, and two sides of the shielding region adjacent to the transmissive region are in concave-convex shapes. Performance of the low temperature poly-silicon thin film formed by the manufacturing method of a low temperature poly-silicon thin film in the present application is enhanced.

A manufacturing method and apparatus of low temperature polycrystalline silicon, and a polycrystalline silicon are provided. The manufacturing method of low temperature polycrystalline silicon includes forming an amorphous silicon layer on a substrate; scanning the amorphous silicon layer by using a laser to emit a strip-shaped laser beam to go through a mask which includes transmissive stripes and partially-transmissive stripes arranged alternately, to form low temperature fusion regions and high temperature fusion regions which are arranged alternately on the amorphous silicon layer; recrystallizing the amorphous silicon layer from the low temperature fusion regions to the high temperature fusion regions.

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 manufacturing method of a semiconductor memory device in an embodiment, includes: forming a first mask pattern having a first opening and a plurality of second openings above a stacked body; forming a second mask pattern covering some of the plurality of second openings; and etching the stacked body with the first mask pattern as a mask while sequentially exposing the plurality of second openings by causing an end of the second mask pattern to retreat to form a first hole extending in the stacked body in a stacking direction of the stacked body at a position of the first opening and form a plurality of second holes extending in the stacked body to different depths in the stacking direction at positions of the plurality of second openings, and reaching first layers of a plurality of first layers at different levels.

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 manufacturing method of a semiconductor memory device in an embodiment, includes: forming a first mask pattern having a first opening and a plurality of second openings above a stacked body; forming a second mask pattern covering some of the plurality of second openings; and etching the stacked body with the first mask pattern as a mask while sequentially exposing the plurality of second openings by causing an end of the second mask pattern to retreat to form a first hole extending in the stacked body in a stacking direction of the stacked body at a position of the first opening and form a plurality of second holes extending in the stacked body to different depths in the stacking direction at positions of the plurality of second openings, and reaching first layers of a plurality of first layers at different levels.

To provide a laser annealing device capable of performing annealing whereby electron mobility is different depending on the part, a mask, a thin film transistor, and a laser annealing method. A laser annealing device of the present invention is provided with a mask in which a plurality of openings are formed along the scanning direction, moves a substrate in the scanning direction, and irradiates the substrate with laser light via the openings. The openings respectively have first opening regions, which are aligned in the scanning direction, and which have a same shape, and some of the openings among the openings respectively have second opening regions continuous to the first opening regions in the predetermined direction with respect to the first opening regions.