Patent ID: 6555449
Filing Date: 2003-04-29
Classification: B23K,G03F,H01L

Abstract:
A method for processing an amorphous silicon thin film sample into a polycrystalline silicon thin film, comprising the steps of:(a) generating a sequence of excimer laser pulses; (b) controllably modulating each excimer laser pulse in said sequence to a predetermined fluence; (c) homogenizing each modulated laser pulse in said sequence in a predetermined plane; (d) masking portions of each homogenized fluence controlled laser pulse in said sequence with a two dimensional pattern of slits to generate a sequence of fluence controlled pulses of line patterned beamlets, each slit in said pattern of slits being sufficiently narrow to prevent inducement of significant nucleation in region of a silicon thin film sample irradiated by a beamlet corresponding to said slit, (e) irradiating an amorphous silicon thin film sample with said sequence of fluence controlled slit patterned beamlets to effect melting of portions thereof corresponding to each fluence controlled patterned beamlet pulse in said sequence of pulses of patterned beamlets; and (f) controllably sequentially translating a relative position of said sample with respect to each of said fluence controlled pulse of slit patterned beamlets to thereby process said amorphous silicon thin film sample, wherein step (b) is performed in real-time during at least one of step (e) and step (f).