Patent ID: 8663387

Claim:
A method for processing at least one portion of a thin film sample on a substrate, the at least one portion of the film sample having a first boundary and a second boundary, the method comprising the steps of: (a) controlling an irradiation beam generator to emit successive irradiation beam pulses at a predetermined repetition rate; (b) masking each of the irradiation beam pulses to define one or more first beamlets and one or more second beamlets; (c) continuously scanning, at a constant predetermined speed, the film sample; (d) during step (c), successively irradiating one or more first areas of the film sample by the first beamlets so that the first areas are melted throughout their thickness, wherein each one of the first areas irradiated by the first beamlets of each of the irradiation beam pulses is allowed to re-solidify and crystallize thereby having grains grown longitudinally therein forming a grain boundary; and (e) during step (c) and after step (d), successively irradiating two or more second areas of the film sample by the second beamlets of the irradiation beam pulses so that the second areas are melted throughout their thickness, wherein at least two of the second areas partially overlap a particular area of the re-solidified and crystallized first areas, and wherein at least a first one of the at least two of the second areas overlaps the grain boundary substantially along a length of the grain boundary provided within the particular area and at least a second one of the at least two of the second areas overlaps a parallel grain boundary parallel to the grain boundary substantially along a length of the parallel grain boundary provided within the particular area, and wherein the particular area extends along a first axis and the grains therein are longitudinally oriented, the first one of the at least two of the second areas extends along a second axis that is parallel to the first axis, is arranged at a first location that is offset from the first axis, and has a side parallel to the first axis and overlapping an unirradiated region of the film sample, and the second one of the at least two of the second areas extends along a third axis that is parallel to the first axis, is arranged at a second location that is offset from the first axis and provided opposite from the first location, and has side parallel to the first axis and overlapping an unirradiated region of the film sample, and wherein the grains provided in the particular area grow in a longitudinal direction into each of the at least two of the second areas upon a re-solidification thereof such that the grains grown longitudinally extend between the third axis towards the second axis.