Patent ID: 6025218
Filing Date: 2000-02-15
Classification: H01L

Abstract:
A method of manufacturing an electronic device comprising a laminated conductor on a substrate, an insulating film covering at least a part of the laminated conductor, and a thin-film circuit element having a crystalline semiconductor region in a semiconductor thin-film island on the insulating film, the laminated conductor comprising a metal film and a less conductive film and extending at least part on an area of the substrate not covered by the island, wherein the method comprises the steps of:(a) depositing the less conductive film on the metal film to provide the material for the laminated conductor, the less conductive film being of a given semiconductor material selected to have an energy absorption characteristic, and being deposited to a given thickness, to provide the protection described in step (e),(b) patterning the less conductive film and the metal film to provide the laminated conductor,(c) depositing the insulating film to cover at least part of the laminated conductor and an adjacent area of the substrate,(d) depositing and patterning a film of semiconductor material to provide the island on at least a part of the insulating film, and(e) directing an energy beam towards the island to crystallize the semiconductor material of the island so as to provide the crystalline semiconductor region of the thin-film circuit element, the energy beam being incident also on part of the laminated conductor not covered by the island, during this step (e) the metal film being protected from the energy beam by the given semiconductor material of the less conductive film being absorptive of the energy beam and by the given thickness of the less conductive film being greater than its melt depth when heated by the energy beam.