Patent ID: 7112760
Filing Date: 2006-09-26
Classification: B23K,C23C

Abstract:
1. A laser annealer comprising: a laser light source including at least one GaN-type semiconductor laser, the laser light source is configured so as to form a plurality of emission points for emitting laser beams having a wavelength in a range from 350 nm to 450 nm by said at least one GaN-type semiconductor laser; and a scanner for scanning an annealing surface with the laser beams emitted from the laser light source, wherein the laser light source includes one of: (1) a multiplexing laser light source comprising a plurality of GaN-type semiconductor lasers, a single optical fiber, and a converging optical system for converging laser beams emitted from the respective GaN-type semiconductor lasers and inputting the converged beams to an incidence end of the optical fiber; (2) a multiplexing laser light source comprising a plurality of GaN-type multi-cavity lasers each having a plurality of emission points, a single optical fiber, and a converging optical system for converging laser beams emitted from the GaN-type multi-cavity lasers and inputting the converged beams to an incidence end of the optical fiber; (3) a multiplexing laser light source comprising a GaN-type multi-cavity laser having a plurality of emission points, a single optical fiber, and a converging optical system for converging laser beams emitted from the respective emission points and inputting the converged beams to an incidence end of the optical fiber; (4) one of a fiber array light source and a fiber bundle light source comprising a plurality of multiplexing laser light sources as recited above, wherein emission points at exit ends of the optical fibers of the multiplexing laser light sources are arranged in array form or bundle form; and (5) one of a fiber array light source and a fiber bundle light source comprising a plurality of fiber light sources each comprising a single GaN-type semiconductor laser, a single optical fiber, and a condensing optical system for condensing a laser beam emitted from the single GaN-type semiconductor laser and inputting the condensed beam to an incidence end of the optical fiber, wherein emission points at exit ends of the optical fibers of the fiber light sources are arranged in array form or bundle form.