Patent ID: 8598588
Filing Date: 2013-12-03
Classification: H01L

Abstract:
1. A system for pre-crystallizing regions of a film, the system comprising: a laser source providing a laser beam having a fluence that is selected to form a mixture of solid and liquid in the film and where a fraction of the film is molten throughout its thickness in an irradiated region; a movable at least partially reflective optical element in the path of the laser beam capable of controllably redirecting the path of the laser beam; a stage for supporting the film and capable of translation in at least a first direction; and memory for storing a set of instructions, the instructions comprising: (a) defining a plurality of spaced-apart regions to be pre-crystallized within the film, the film being disposed on a substrate and capable of laser-induced melting; (b) positioning the film relative to the laser beam in preparation for at least partially pre-crystallizing a first region of said plurality of spaced-apart regions; (c) moving the movable optical element so as to scan and irradiate a first portion of the first region with the beam in the first direction at a first velocity, wherein the first velocity is selected such that the beam forms a mixture of solid and liquid in the irradiated first portion of the film and where a fraction of the film is molten throughout its thickness in the first portion of the first region, wherein said first portion of the first region upon cooling forms crystalline grains having predominantly the same crystallographic orientation in at least a single direction; (d) after moving the movable optical element so as to scan the first portion of the first region, translating the film relative to the laser beam in a second direction so as to scan a second portion of the first region with the laser beam in the first direction at the first velocity, wherein the second portion of the first region upon cooling forms crystalline grains having predominantly the same crystallographic orientation in said at least a single direction.