JP2002324759A - Laser machining method, liquid crystal display manufacturing method, laser beam machine, semiconductor device manufacturing method, aligner and display - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To form a uniform and large-grain-size polycrystalline silicon film at a high throughput. SOLUTION: A mask 13 has a line pattern 19 set so that the beam width is less than about 5 μm in a light irradiation regions not mutually overlapped among first to fourth mask regions M1 -M4 on e.g. a α-Si film, and their pitch Mp is set 1 μm or more enough to cause a thermal gradient in the light irradiation region of the α-Si film formed on a glass substrate 1. Using the mask 13, the α-Si film formed on the glass substrate 1 is irradiated with a pulse laser beam outputted from an excimer laser 10 through the mask 13, and an XYZ tilt stage 20 is operated to continuously move the glass substrate 1.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a laser processing method and apparatus, a semiconductor device manufacturing method having a process of polycrystallizing an a-Si film, and an exposure apparatus and a display apparatus using the above mask.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a manufacturing process of a p-Si TFT liquid crystal display, a thin film (a-Si film) is formed on a glass substrate of a liquid crystal display device, and the thin film is polycrystallized (polycrystalline silicon film: polycrystalline Si film). Film). As the method of polycrystallization, a solid phase growth method, an excimer laser annealing method, or the like is used. Among them, the solid phase growth method is to obtain a polycrystalline Si film by annealing an a-Si film formed on a glass substrate at a high temperature.
Since it is a high-temperature process, it is necessary to use expensive quartz glass for the glass substrate. On the other hand, the excimer laser annealing method irradiates an a-Si film with a short pulse laser having a pulse width of about 20 ns called an excimer laser to obtain a polycrystalline Si film, and is a low-temperature process. Has been realized. p-SiTF
In the T liquid crystal display, there is an increasing demand for further increasing the crystal grain size of the polycrystalline Si film in order to realize higher performance. Specifically, in the current method, the crystal grain size is about 0.5 μm, but there is an increasing demand for increasing the crystal grain size to several μm or more. Explaining the reason, there is a numerical value called mobility as a factor affecting the performance of the semiconductor device. This mobility indicates the moving speed of electrons. If the crystal grain size is small and there are many crystal grain boundaries in the path of electrons, the mobility is reduced, and it is impossible to improve the performance of the semiconductor device. For these reasons, it is required to increase the crystal grain size of the polycrystalline Si film.

As a method of expanding the crystal grain size, for example, a method of scanning a work using a roof type laser beam or the like as described in JP-A-56-137546, There is a method called super lateral growth as described in Table 2000-505241. In these methods, a laser beam having a line or roof pattern is sequentially irradiated onto the Si thin film in synchronization with the movement of the Si thin film, that is, the movement of the glass substrate. We have also verified that the crystal grain size of the polycrystalline Si film is enlarged by this method.However, in order to sequentially irradiate the laser beam on the Si thin film at intervals, the glass substrate must be irradiated every time the laser beam is irradiated. It must move, and the moving distance needs to be between about 0.1 μm and 1.0 μm. Therefore, a large glass substrate, for example, 30
When a Si thin film on a 0 mm × 400 mm glass substrate is to be a polycrystalline Si film, the glass substrate must be moved at intervals of about 0.1 μm to 1.0 μm, and the polycrystalline silicon In order to generate a Si film, the throughput is several hours, which is impractical. Therefore,
As a method for increasing the speed, for example, there is a technique described in Japanese Patent Application No. 9-217213. In this method, as shown in FIG. 33, a plurality of repetitive patterns 1 are formed on a mask located in a laser light irradiation area, and the glass substrate is moved by the pitch of the patterns 1 to thereby form a laser light irradiation area. Then, a crystal is grown (crystal growth region 2) to polycrystallize the entire irradiation region, and then the entire glass substrate is processed by step-moving the glass substrate by the irradiation region.

There is also a method in which a pitch of a repetitive pattern formed on the mask is narrowed, and a laser irradiation area is crystal-grown along the pattern without moving the glass substrate. For example, using a mask in which a repetitive pattern having a pattern width of 2 μm and a pitch of μm is formed, a length of 2 μm
Describes that the crystal is filled with a 0.3 μm-wide crystal.

[0005]

However, in the former method of increasing the crystal grain size, the throughput is several hours, which is not only impractical and low in productivity, but also as shown in FIG. The beam width of the laser light is, for example, 5
If it is set to be not less than μm, the thermal gradient at the center in the irradiation area of the laser beam is reduced, and although the grain boundaries at both ends of the irradiation area become large, the center is microcrystallized. This results in an Si crystal film that hinders the improvement of the performance of the transistor formed after crystallization.
In the latter method of increasing the speed, the effect of the stop when moving the glass substrate as a substrate transfer system stepwise, the deceleration at the time of restart, the acceleration time is large, and does not reach the throughput in the actual mass production line, Further, high-speed processing is required. Further, the repetitive pattern 1 formed on the mask
In the method of narrowing the pitch of the Si film, the growth rate in the lateral direction (perpendicular to the film thickness direction) of the Si film is actually reduced due to the influence of heat from the adjacent patterns, as shown in FIG. When a part of the laser light irradiation region, for example, an intermediate portion of the irradiation region is microcrystallized (microcrystal region 3) and the pitch of the repetition pattern 1 is further narrowed, as shown in FIG. Will be microcrystallized and the electron mobility will be reduced.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a laser processing method for forming a polycrystalline Si film with high throughput. Another object of the present invention is to provide a laser processing apparatus capable of forming a polycrystalline Si film with high throughput. Another object of the present invention is to provide a semiconductor device manufacturing method having a process of forming a polycrystalline Si film with high throughput. Another object of the present invention is to provide an exposure apparatus to which a mask for producing a polycrystalline Si film having a uniform and large grain size with high throughput is applied. Another object of the present invention is to provide a high-performance display device in which a polycrystalline Si film having a uniform and large grain size is formed.

[0007]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, a plurality of divided laser beams corresponding to the openings of the mask are irradiated by irradiating a pulse laser beam through a mask having a plurality of openings. A laser processing method comprising at least a first step of irradiating a pulsed laser beam to a workpiece, and a second step of irradiating a pulsed laser beam by relatively moving the mask and the workpiece. The said
The irradiation area in one step and the irradiation area in the second step are adjacent to or partially overlap with each other, and
The laser beam is moved while relatively moving the mask and the workpiece so that the apertures through which the pulsed laser beams that radiate the two irradiation areas that are adjacent or partially overlap each other have different apertures. A laser processing method characterized by irradiating light. Note that, in the present invention, an “opening” refers to a portion that transmits light. Therefore, the “mask” in the present invention includes a light-shielding portion and an opening, and includes, for example, a phase shift mask. Further, the laser processing method is characterized in that the pulsed laser light irradiating the two irradiation regions which are adjacent or partially overlap each other is transmitted through each of the adjacent openings.

A laser processing method comprising at least a third step of relatively moving the mask and the workpiece and irradiating a pulsed laser beam after the second step, The irradiation area in the second step and the irradiation area in the third step are adjacent or partially overlap with each other, and the pulsed laser beam that has irradiated the two irradiation areas that are adjacent or partially overlap with each other is transmitted. The laser processing method is characterized in that the laser beam irradiation is performed while relatively moving the mask and the workpiece so that the openings are different from each other. A laser processing method comprising at least a fourth step of relatively moving the mask and the workpiece and further irradiating a pulsed laser beam after the third step; The irradiation area and the irradiation area in the fourth step are adjacent to or partially overlap with each other, and the opening through which the pulsed laser light that has irradiated the two irradiation areas that are adjacent or partially overlap with each other is And irradiating a laser beam while relatively moving the mask and the workpiece so as to form different openings.

[0009] Further, in the laser processing method, the workpiece is a film formed on a substrate. Further, the workpiece is an amorphous silicon film formed on a substrate, and the pulsed laser beam irradiation converts at least a part of the amorphous silicon film into a polysilicon film. It is a processing method. Further, in the laser processing method, the opening has a line shape formed in parallel. The laser processing method is characterized in that the mask and the workpiece are relatively moved in a constant direction at a constant speed. The laser processing method according to the above description, wherein the pulse laser light is emitted while the mask and the workpiece are relatively moved in a constant direction at a constant speed. The laser processing method is characterized in that a pulse laser is emitted every time the mask and the workpiece move relatively equidistantly. By irradiating the pulsed laser light through a mask having a plurality of openings, a first step of irradiating the workpiece with a plurality of pulsed laser lights divided corresponding to the openings of the mask, the mask and By relatively moving the workpiece, the first
A laser processing method further comprising at least a second step of irradiating a pulsed laser beam between the irradiation areas irradiated in the step, wherein the irradiation area in the first step and the irradiation area in the second step Adjacent or partially overlap with each other, and the pulsed laser light that irradiates the adjacent or overlapping irradiation region, the mask and the workpiece to be transmitted through different openings. This is a laser processing method characterized in that laser light irradiation is performed while relatively moving.

After the second step, between the plurality of irradiation areas simultaneously irradiated with the pulsed laser beam in the first step, the irradiation area in the second step is adjacent to or partially overlaps with the irradiation area. The mask further comprises a third step of irradiating the mask with the mask and the mask so that the pulsed laser light irradiating the adjacent or overlapping irradiation area is transmitted through a different opening. The laser processing method is characterized in that laser light irradiation is performed while relatively moving a workpiece. The laser processing method is characterized in that the pulsed laser beams emitted in the first, second and third steps are laser beams emitted at continuous timing. By irradiating a pulsed laser beam through the mask while relatively moving the mask having a plurality of openings and the workpiece, the plurality of pulsed laser beams transmitted through the openings of the mask are processed by the workpiece. In the laser processing method for processing the workpiece by simultaneously irradiating the workpiece, the irradiation area on the workpiece surface by the pulsed laser light emitted at different timings and transmitted through different openings is adjacent or partially overlapped. The laser processing method is characterized in that at least one of the irradiation timing of the pulse laser light and the relative moving speed between the mask and the workpiece is adjusted.

A laser processing method for irradiating a laser beam through a mask having a plurality of openings formed at a distance and irradiating the substrate surface with laser beams separated from each other corresponding to the openings. By irradiating the laser light a plurality of times at a predetermined timing while relatively moving the and the mask, irradiation at different timings,
Further, the laser processing method is characterized in that the irradiation areas on the substrate surface of at least two laser beams transmitted through the different openings overlap at least partially. Irradiation is performed at different timings in a laser processing method in which an amorphous silicon film formed on a substrate is irradiated with pulsed laser light a plurality of times while shifting the irradiation region, thereby transforming the amorphous silicon film into a polysilicon film. In addition, the pulse laser is moved through the mask while relatively moving the mask and the amorphous silicon film so that irradiation regions irradiated with the pulse laser light transmitted through the different openings are adjacent or partially overlapped. A laser processing method characterized in that the deterioration is performed by irradiating light a plurality of times. In a laser processing method of irradiating a pulse laser beam to a mask having a plurality of openings formed thereon and simultaneously irradiating a plurality of portions of a workpiece with the pulse laser light transmitted through the plurality of openings, the mask and the The pulse laser light is irradiated a plurality of times while relatively moving the workpiece, and the relationship between the relative movement speed of the mask and the workpiece and the irradiation timing of the pulse laser light is determined by the processing of the pulse laser light. The laser irradiation areas adjacent to each other on the object are set to be emitted at different timings and formed by irradiation of the pulse laser transmitted through the openings formed at different positions on the mask. The laser processing method is characterized in that the boundaries between the laser irradiation areas adjacent to each other at least contact each other.

By irradiating a pulse laser beam through a mask having a plurality of openings, a plurality of pulse laser beams divided corresponding to the openings of the mask are irradiated on a workpiece having an amorphous silicon film. A first step to move the mask and the workpiece relative to each other, and among a plurality of irradiation areas irradiated with pulsed laser light in the first step, between at least a pair of adjacent irradiation areas. And a second step of irradiating a pulsed laser beam so as to be adjacent to or partially overlap with at least one of the irradiation regions. Laser processing method, wherein in the second step,
The opening through which the pulsed laser light irradiated between at least a pair of adjacent irradiation regions has passed, and the opening through which the pulsed laser light irradiated in the first step adjacent to the irradiation region has passed. A laser processing method is characterized in that irradiation of pulsed laser light is performed while relatively moving the workpiece and the mask so as to form different openings. Further, by irradiating the pulse laser light through a mask having a plurality of openings, a first step of irradiating the workpiece with a plurality of pulse laser lights divided corresponding to the openings of the mask, The mask and the workpiece are relatively moved, and among the plurality of irradiation regions simultaneously irradiated with the pulsed laser light in the first step, a pulsed laser light is further added between at least a pair of adjacent irradiation regions. A laser processing method comprising at least a second step of irradiating, the irradiation area in the first step, the irradiation area in the second step is adjacent or partially overlap each other, and the adjacent The laser beam irradiation is performed while relatively moving the mask and the workpiece so that the pulsed laser beam irradiated to the irradiation region to be transmitted is transmitted through the different opening. A laser processing method and performing.

By irradiating a pulse laser beam through a mask having an opening pattern formed at an equal pitch,
In the laser processing method of irradiating a workpiece with a plurality of pulsed laser beams divided according to the opening pattern of the mask, a pitch of an irradiation region irradiated with the pulsed laser beam transmitted through each opening pattern is P. Then, the interval between the irradiation areas irradiated by the pulsed laser light transmitted through the same opening pattern is smaller than P, and the irradiation area is emitted at a previous timing and passed through the adjacent opening pattern. The laser processing method is characterized in that the pulse laser is irradiated a plurality of times while relatively moving the mask and the workpiece so as to be adjacent to or overlap the irradiation area irradiated by the laser beam. Further, a step of irradiating the workpiece with a plurality of pulsed laser beams divided according to the opening pattern of the mask by irradiating the pulsed laser beam through a mask having an opening pattern formed at an equal pitch. In the laser processing method provided, if the pitch of the irradiation region irradiated by the divided plurality of pulsed laser beams is P, and the width in the pitch direction of each irradiation region is W, the pulse transmitted through the same opening portion A laser processing method comprising: irradiating the pulse laser a plurality of times while relatively moving the mask and the workpiece so that an interval between irradiation areas irradiated by laser light is PW or more and P or less. It is.

A method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device, comprising: a step of forming a film on a light-transmitting substrate; and a step of irradiating the film with a pulsed laser beam to perform laser processing to change the quality of the film. Processing is performed by irradiating a pulsed laser beam through a mask having a plurality of openings, the method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device, wherein the laser processing method according to any one of claims 1 to 21 is used.
In a laser processing apparatus that irradiates a workpiece with a plurality of pulsed laser beams divided corresponding to the openings of the mask, a laser device that outputs the pulse laser, and the mask and the workpiece are relatively positioned. A moving unit to be moved to
A control unit that controls the moving unit to relatively move the mask and the workpiece, and controls the laser device to emit the pulse laser a plurality of times together with the control unit. A plurality of irradiation regions irradiated to the workpiece at the timing before the previous time and a plurality of irradiation regions irradiated to the workpiece at the current timing are adjacent or partially overlap with each other, and the adjacent Alternatively, a laser processing apparatus is characterized in that control is performed such that pulsed laser light applied to overlapping irradiation areas is transmitted through different openings.

A mask having a plurality of openings and a moving unit for relatively moving a workpiece and a laser device for irradiating a pulsed laser beam through the mask; In a laser processing apparatus for simultaneously irradiating the workpiece with a plurality of pulsed laser beams transmitted through the laser beam and processing the workpiece, the pulsed laser beam emitted at different timings and transmitted through different openings is used as the laser beam. At least one of the irradiation timing of the pulsed laser light or the relative moving speed of the mask and the workpiece is adjusted so that the irradiation area on the workpiece surface is adjacent or partially overlapped. It is a laser processing apparatus. Further, in a laser processing apparatus for irradiating an amorphous silicon film formed on a substrate a plurality of times while shifting a pulse laser beam, thereby transforming the amorphous silicon film into a polysilicon film,
Irradiated at different timings, and so that the irradiation area irradiated by the pulsed laser light transmitted through the different openings is adjacent or partially overlapped, while relatively moving the mask and the amorphous silicon film, A laser processing apparatus is configured to irradiate a pulse laser beam a plurality of times through the mask.

Further, in the laser processing apparatus, a mask having a plurality of openings formed thereon is irradiated with a pulsed laser, and the pulsed laser transmitted through the plurality of openings is simultaneously irradiated on a plurality of portions of the portion to be processed. A laser device that outputs a pulse laser, a moving unit that relatively moves the mask and the workpiece, and controls the moving unit to relatively move the mask and the workpiece. And a control unit for controlling the laser device to emit the pulse laser a plurality of times, wherein the control unit is different from the plurality of openings for each of the laser irradiation regions adjacent to each other. The mask is irradiated with the pulsed laser that has passed through the mask, and the mask and the workpiece are relatively positioned so that at least boundaries between the laser irradiation regions adjacent to each other are in contact with each other. Is a laser machining apparatus according to claim which is configured to move the control to. Further, in a semiconductor device manufacturing method for forming a thin film on a substrate, applying a resist on the thin film, performing an exposure process, and thereafter performing a development, an etching process, and removing the resist to manufacture a semiconductor device, Each of the irradiation regions on the thin film of the laser light that has passed therethrough at a predetermined distance in one direction has a region where the irradiation regions do not overlap each other, and a plurality of pattern openings are provided at respective locations where the irradiation regions are continuous. Is formed, and a width and a pitch of these pattern openings are formed using a mask having a value at which a thermal gradient appears when the thin film is irradiated with the laser beam. The mask and the substrate are continuously connected to each other. Moving, irradiating the thin film with the laser beam through the mask in synchronization with the movement, and continuously forming a polycrystallized portion in the thin film. A semiconductor device manufacturing method according to.

An exposure apparatus for irradiating a laser beam to a target object through a mask and performing an exposure process in the irradiation area, comprising: a laser apparatus for outputting the laser beam;
A plurality of pattern openings are formed such that the irradiation regions on the object to be processed by the laser light that have passed when moving at predetermined distances in one direction have regions that do not overlap each other, and these pattern openings are formed. A mask whose width and pitch are set to values according to the exposure processing on the object, and shaping and uniformizing the laser light output from the laser device, and irradiating the object through the mask An illumination optical system for moving the mask and the object to be processed relatively continuously.

[0018]

(1) Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a-S
It is a block diagram of the laser processing apparatus applied to manufacture of the p-SiTFT liquid crystal display which has the process of polycrystallizing an i film. An excimer laser 10 is provided as a laser device that outputs pulsed laser light. The excimer laser 10 has a repetition frequency of 200 to 500H, for example.
z, and is affected by the thickness of the a-Si film.
The energy density at the irradiation point (processing point) on the film is 200 to
It outputs a pulse laser beam of about 500 J / cm2. A variable attenuator 11 is provided on the optical path of the pulse laser light output from the excimer laser 10.
, An illumination optical system 12, a mask 13, and a mirror 14, and the projection lens 1
5 are arranged. The illumination optical system 12 has a homogenizer and a beam shaping function of pulsed laser light, and includes a collimating lens 16 and an array lens group 1.
7 and a field lens 18. The field lens 18 is for forming a uniform beam on the mask 13 in combination with the array lens group 17, and the field lens 18 and the array lens group 17
Thus, a homogenizer is formed. The projection lens 15 is for transferring a mask pattern formed on the mask 13.

The mask 13 is formed by a method in which a microcrystalline region is not formed, that is, the glass of pulsed laser light that has passed through the pattern openings formed in the mask 13 when the glass substrate 1 has been moved at a predetermined distance in one direction. A plurality of pattern openings are formed at positions where the irradiation regions on the substrate 1 do not overlap with each other and the irradiation regions when the pulse laser light is irradiated by a plurality of shots are continuous, and the width and width of these pattern openings are The pitch is formed to a value at which a thermal gradient appears when the glass substrate 1 is irradiated with the pulse laser beam. Specifically, the mask 13 has a plurality of pattern openings (hereinafter, referred to as line patterns) 19 formed in a plurality of parallel lines (lines) as shown in FIG.
Is a mask area M1 when the mask is divided into a plurality of areas, for example, first to fourth mask areas M1 to M4.
To M4, where the width and pitch of these line patterns 19 are not overlapped with each other.
The value is set to a value at which a thermal gradient occurs in the light irradiation region in the a-Si film formed thereon. For example, when the origins Z1 to Z4 are provided in the mask regions M1 to M4, respectively, these line patterns 19 are the mask regions M at different absolute positions from the origins Z1 to Z4.
1 to M4. Moreover, the mask regions M1 to M4 are formed at equal intervals of the pitch Mp.

The XYZ tilt stage 20 has a structure in which a glass substrate 1 having an a-Si film formed on the surface is mounted thereon, and the glass substrate 1 can be moved in the XYZ directions. The glass substrate 1 moves continuously in the X direction at a transport speed synchronized with the repetition frequency of the laser light, then moves the glass substrate 1 in the Y direction by a distance corresponding to the length of the line beam, and then pulses the glass substrate 1 again. The glass substrate 1 is moved so that the laser beam raster scans the glass substrate 1 so as to continuously move in the -X direction at a transport speed synchronized with the repetition frequency of the laser light. The XYZ tilt stage 20
Moves the glass substrate 1 at a transfer speed of, for example, about 200 to 500 mm / s. The focus displacement meter 21 measures the displacement with respect to the a-Si film so that the mask pattern forms an image on the a-Si film on the glass substrate 1, and feeds it back to the XYZ tilt stage 20 side, and The image is formed by moving the substrate 1 up and down in the Z direction. Next, the operation of the device configured as described above will be described. In the manufacturing process of the p-Si TFT liquid crystal display, a thin film of an a-Si film is formed on the glass substrate 1, a resist is applied on the thin film, exposure is performed, and then, development, etching, and removal of the resist are performed. Is performed, and the a-Si process on the glass substrate 1 during this process is performed.
There is a process for polycrystallizing a film (polycrystalline Si film).

The method of polycrystallizing the a-Si film on the glass substrate 1 (polycrystalline Si film) is performed as follows. The excimer laser 10 has a repetition frequency of 200 to 5 for example.
A pulse laser beam is output intermittently at 00 Hz. The pulse laser light is irradiated from the variable attenuator 11 to the mask 13 through the illumination optical system 12, reaches the mirror 14 through the mask pattern formed on the mask 13, is reflected by the mirror 14, and is reflected by the projection lens 15. Is irradiated on the a-Si film on the glass substrate 1. On the other hand, X
The YZ tilt stage 20 moves the glass substrate (light-transmitting substrate) 1 having the a-Si film formed on its surface at a transport speed synchronized with the repetition frequency of the pulsed laser beam, for example.
Is continuously moved in the X direction, and then the glass substrate 1 is moved in the Y direction by a distance corresponding to the length of the line beam. It is moved at about 200 to 500 mm / s. When the pulse laser light output from the excimer laser 10 is irradiated onto the a-Si film on the glass substrate 1 through the mask 13 and the glass substrate 1 is continuously moved by the operation of the XYZ tilt stage 20, the glass A- on the substrate 1
The Si film is polycrystallized as follows.

FIG. 3 shows that the pulsed laser light of the first shot is a
-Indicates an irradiation area when irradiated on the Si film,
The pulse laser light that has passed through each line pattern 19 formed in the first to fourth mask regions M1 to M4 of the mask 13 is irradiated on the a-Si film. Next, FIG. 4 shows an irradiation area after the second shot pulsed laser light is irradiated on the a-Si film. Glass substrate 1 continuously X
Therefore, the light irradiation area of the second shot pulsed laser light is adjacent to the light irradiation area of the first shot pulsed laser light (more strictly, it is formed on the mask. Eight regions will be irradiated in one shot corresponding to the eight line patterns thus obtained,
Of the eight irradiation regions irradiated in the first shot, six irradiation regions are adjacent to six irradiation regions out of the eight irradiation regions irradiated in the second shot. In the following description, the term “adjacent” is used in the same meaning.) In addition, the line patterns through which the pulsed laser beams radiating the two adjacent irradiation regions are different from each other. For example, focusing on the region surrounded by the thick line in FIG. 4, the irradiation region of the first shot is irradiated with the pulse laser beam transmitted through the line pattern formed in the first mask region M1 in FIG. On the other hand, the irradiation area of the second shot adjacent to the irradiation area is an area irradiated by the pulse laser beam transmitted through the line pattern formed in the second mask area M2.

Next, FIG. 5 shows an irradiation area after the third shot pulse laser light is irradiated on the a-Si film. Since the glass substrate 1 moves continuously in the X direction, FIG. The light irradiation area of the pulsed laser light of the third shot is adjacent to the light irradiation area of the pulsed laser light of the second shot. Paying attention to the portion surrounded by the thick line in FIG. 5, the region irradiated with the first shot pulsed laser light and the region irradiated with the second shot pulsed laser light are adjacent to each other, and The irradiated region is adjacent to the region irradiated by the third shot pulsed laser light. Moreover, the irradiation area irradiated with the pulse laser light of the third shot is an area irradiated with the pulse laser light transmitted through the line pattern formed in the third mask area M3. Therefore, the line patterns transmitted by the pulsed laser light irradiating the two adjacent irradiation regions are different from each other. After that, similarly to the above, FIG. 6 shows an irradiation area after the fourth shot pulsed laser light has been irradiated on the a-Si film,
FIG. 7 shows an irradiation area after the fifth shot of the pulse laser beam has been irradiated onto the a-Si film. By irradiating the a-Si film on the glass substrate 1 with the pulse laser light through the mask 13 and continuously moving the glass substrate 1 by the operation of the XYZ tilt stage 20, the pulse laser light of the fourth shot is obtained. Irradiation on the a-Si film causes the pulse laser light to be irradiated on almost the entire surface of the region surrounded by the thick line in FIGS. Since pulsed laser light is sequentially irradiated from the right to the left in the drawing in this region, a crystal grows in this direction, and it becomes possible to promote polycrystallization (polysiliconization).

A-Si of pulse laser light at the fifth shot
By irradiating the film, the pulse laser beam is applied to almost the entire area surrounded by the dotted line in FIG. Thereafter, similarly, the glass substrate 1 is irradiated with pulsed laser light while being relatively moved with respect to the mask 13, so that the a-Si film on the glass substrate 1 is sequentially filled with the non-light-irradiated regions, and finally, Almost the entire surface of the a-Si film on the glass substrate 1 is polycrystallized. As described above, in the first embodiment, the first to fourth mask regions M1 to M4 are formed at positions where they do not overlap each other, and their width and pitch are formed on the glass substrate 1. Using a mask 13 on which a line pattern 19 set to have a value causing a thermal gradient in a light irradiation region of the Si film, the pulse laser light output from the excimer laser 10 is applied to the glass substrate 1 through the mask 13. Irradiating the a-Si film of XY
Since the glass substrate 1 is continuously moved by the operation of the Z tilt stage 20, the a-Si film on the glass substrate 1 can be converted into a polycrystalline Si film having a large crystal grain size without stopping the operation of the XYZ tilt stage 20. Can be generated.
In the prior art, it was difficult to increase the speed because polycrystallization was performed by the so-called step-and-repeat method. Since the laser beam irradiation is performed while relatively moving the mask and the workpiece so that the portions have different openings, the polycrystalline Si film can be formed at a high speed.
In addition, the mobility of electrons can be increased by forming a polycrystalline Si film having a large crystal grain size. For example, the performance of a transistor formed on the Si crystal is improved, and p-SiT
The performance of the FT liquid crystal display can also be improved.

Further, in the manufacturing process of the p-Si TFT liquid crystal display, the productivity of polycrystallizing the a-Si film on the glass substrate 1 (polycrystalline Si film) can be increased, and a high throughput can be obtained. In addition, the glass substrate 1
In order to polycrystallize the a-Si film on the entire surface, the glass substrate 1 is continuously moved in the X direction by the XYZ tilt stage 20, then the glass substrate 1 is moved in the Y direction, and then continuously in the -X direction. When moving, the action of polycrystallization is temporarily stopped.
Since acceleration / deceleration of 0 is inevitable, polycrystallization of this portion cannot always be carried out suitably. In this embodiment mode, the pulsed laser light is irradiated so that the irradiation areas are adjacent to each other. So that part of the eye irradiation area overlaps)
Irradiation with pulsed laser light may be performed. Even in this case, since a thermal gradient may be generated, polycrystallization (polysilicon) can be performed. Further, in this embodiment, two openings are provided in each of the mask regions M1 to M4, but one opening may be provided in each of the mask regions. In this case, the line pattern (opening) 19 on the right side of the paper is left in each region in FIG. 2 and the pitch Mp may be halved. If the pulsed laser light radiated on the two adjacent irradiation regions is transmitted through the adjacent openings, polycrystallization can be performed similarly. Further, it is also possible to use three or more mask regions.

If the repetition frequency of the pulsed laser beam is controlled to be constant, it is possible to perform suitable polycrystallization by moving the glass substrate as a workpiece at a constant transport speed. In this case, it is only necessary to move the workpiece at a constant speed except during acceleration or deceleration due to a direction change or the like, so that there is an effect that control is simplified. Needless to say, a configuration may be employed in which the pulse laser is irradiated each time the workpiece moves relatively equidistantly. For example, it is also possible to provide a laser interferometer for measuring the moving distance of the stage, and to emit pulsed laser light every time the stage moves the same distance. From another viewpoint, the laser processing method according to the present embodiment is obtained by irradiating the workpiece with eight pulsed laser beams divided corresponding to the eight openings by irradiating the first shot. It is also possible to move the mask and the workpiece relatively to irradiate the second shot, the third shot, and the fourth shot of the pulsed laser light between the irradiation areas of the first shot. Further, in this embodiment, three shots of pulsed laser light are irradiated between the irradiation areas irradiated at the same timing, but the number of shots may be other.

Further, another expression is given in the laser processing method according to the present embodiment. In this embodiment, since the line patterns (opening patterns) are formed at the same pitch Mp, the irradiation regions are also formed at the same pitch. For example, as shown in FIG.
It is. When the width of each irradiation area in the pitch direction is W, the distance between the irradiation areas that have passed through the same opening pattern of the first shot and the second shot becomes PW (that is, smaller than P), and the first shot An irradiation area that has passed through the opening pattern formed in the first mask area M1,
In the second shot, the irradiation area that has passed through the opening pattern formed in the second mask area M2 is adjacent. That is, the interval between the irradiation areas irradiated by the pulse laser light transmitted through the same opening pattern is smaller than P, and this irradiation area is irradiated by the pulse laser light emitted at the previous timing and passing through the adjacent opening pattern. It can be said that the pulsed laser light is irradiated so as to be adjacent to the irradiation area to be irradiated. (2) Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The laser processing apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention is a modification of the configuration of the mask 13 shown in FIG. Therefore, this laser processing apparatus will be described with reference to the laser processing apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 8 is a structural view of a mask 30 used in such a laser processing apparatus. The mask 30 is formed by a method that does not form a microcrystalline region, that is, a plurality of polygonal pattern openings (hereinafter referred to as quadrilateral patterns) formed in the mask 30 when the glass substrate 1 is moved at a predetermined distance in one direction. ) In the glass substrate 1, the irradiation areas of the pulsed laser light that have passed through 31 in the vertical and horizontal directions (XY directions) where the irradiation areas do not overlap each other, and where the irradiation areas when the pulsed laser light is irradiated by a plurality of shots are continuous. A plurality of the rectangular patterns 31 are formed in such a manner that the width and the pitch of the rectangular patterns 31 are such that a thermal gradient appears when the glass substrate 1 is irradiated with the pulse laser beam. Specifically, the mask 30 includes a plurality of quadrangular patterns 31 formed by the mask 3
0 represents a plurality of regions, for example, the first to fourth mask regions M1
Each mask area M11 to M1 when divided into 1 to M14
4 and the width and pitch of the quadrangular pattern 31 are the values at which a thermal gradient occurs in the light irradiation region in the a-Si film formed on the glass substrate 1. It is set to be. For example, these quadrangular patterns 31 correspond to each mask area M1.
When the origins Z11 to Z14 are provided in the respective areas 1 to M14, the absolute positions are formed in the respective mask areas M11 to M14 at different distances from the origins Z11 to Z14. In addition, each of the mask regions M11 to M1
Four spaces are formed at equal intervals of the pitch Mp.

Next, the operation of the device configured as described above will be described. A-S formed on the glass substrate 1 in the manufacturing process of the p-Si TFT liquid crystal display
The method of polycrystallizing the i film is performed as follows. The excimer laser 10 has a repetition frequency of 200 to 500, for example.
The pulse laser light is output intermittently at Hz. The pulse laser beam is irradiated from the variable attenuator 11 through the illumination optical system 12 to the mask 30, and the mask 30
Then, the light reaches the mirror 14 through the square pattern 31 formed on the glass substrate 1, is reflected by the mirror 14, and is irradiated on the a-Si film on the glass substrate 1 by the projection lens 15. On the other hand, X
The YZ tilt stage 20 continuously moves, for example, the glass substrate 1 having the a-Si film formed on its surface in the X direction at a transport speed synchronized with the repetition frequency of the pulsed laser beam, and then moves the glass substrate 1 1 is moved in the Y direction by a distance corresponding to the length of the line beam, and then the glass substrate 1 is again continuously moved in the −X direction, for example, at a transfer speed of 200 to 50.
Move at about 0 mm / s. The a-Si film on the glass substrate 1 is irradiated with the pulse laser beam output from the excimer laser 10 through the mask 30 in this manner, and the XYZ
When the glass substrate 1 is continuously moved by the operation of the tilt stage 20, the a-Si film on the glass substrate 1 is polycrystallized as follows.

FIG. 9 shows that the pulsed laser beam of the first shot is a
-Shows a polycrystallized region when irradiated on the Si film, the first to fourth mask regions M1 of the mask 30
The pulsed laser beam that has passed through each of the square patterns 31 formed in 1 to M14 is irradiated on the a-Si film. next,
FIG. 10 shows a polycrystallized region when the second shot pulsed laser light is irradiated onto the a-Si film.
Since the glass substrate 1 is continuously moving in the X direction, 2
The light irradiation area of the pulsed laser light of the shot is adjacent to the light irradiation area of the pulsed laser light of the first shot. In addition, if attention is paid to the inside of the bold line in FIG.
The area B is irradiated with the pulsed laser light of the second shot adjacent to the irradiation area A by the pulsed laser light of the first shot. Next, FIG. 11 shows an irradiation area when the a-Si film is irradiated with the pulsed laser beam of the third shot. Since the glass substrate 1 is continuously moving in the X direction, three shots are obtained. The light irradiation area of the second pulse laser light is adjacent to the light irradiation area of the second shot pulse laser light. Also in this case, if attention is paid to the area inside the bold line, the area C is irradiated with the pulsed laser light of the third shot adjacent to the area B irradiated with the pulsed laser light of the second shot.

Thereafter, similarly to the above, FIG. 12 shows an irradiation area when the pulsed laser beam of the fourth shot is irradiated on the a-Si film, and FIG. 4 shows an irradiation area when irradiation is performed on the Si film. By irradiating the a-Si film on the glass substrate 1 with the pulse laser light through the mask 30 and continuously moving the glass substrate 1 by the operation of the XYZ tilt stage 20, the pulse laser light of the fourth shot is obtained. A
-Irradiation to the Si film, for example, the first mask region M11
The entire surface is irradiated, and the a-Si film on the entire light irradiation region is polycrystallized. By repeating the irradiation of the pulse laser light in the same manner for the fifth and subsequent shots, a
In the -Si film, the non-light-irradiated region is sequentially filled up, and finally, almost the entire surface of the a-Si film on the glass substrate 1 is polycrystallized. As described above, in the second embodiment, the plurality of quadrangular patterns 31 correspond to the respective mask regions M11 to M14.
In the vertical and horizontal directions that do not overlap with each other, and the width and pitch of these quadrangular patterns 31 are values that cause a thermal gradient in the light irradiation region in the a-Si film formed on the glass substrate 1, for example, a-Si The beam width of the light irradiation area irradiated on the film is within about 5 μm and the pitch is about 5 μm.
using a mask 30 set to be at least μm, irradiating the a-Si film on the glass substrate 1 with the pulse laser light output from the excimer laser 10 through the mask 30;
In addition, since the glass substrate 1 is continuously moved by the operation of the XYZ tilt stage 20, the a-Si on the glass substrate 1 is maintained without stopping the operation of the XYZ tilt stage 20 as in the first embodiment. The film can be continuously formed into a polycrystalline Si film having a uniform and large crystal grain size. Accordingly, the polycrystalline Si film can be formed at a high speed, and the mobility of electrons can be increased by forming a polycrystalline Si film having a large crystal grain size. And the performance of the p-Si TFT liquid crystal display can also be improved.

Further, in the manufacturing process of the p-Si TFT liquid crystal display, the productivity of polycrystallizing the a-Si film on the glass substrate 1 (polycrystalline Si film) can be increased, and a high throughput can be obtained. Note that this mask 3
In the case where a microcrystal region is inevitably generated by irradiating four shots of pulse laser light using
The pitch may be set to twice or more the size of the square pattern while keeping the size of 1 as it is. In this case, at least six shots of pulsed laser light irradiation are required to fill at least the unirradiated area, and the area on the mask 30 is also divided into six. Note that this embodiment can be variously modified similarly to the first embodiment. For example, the irradiation areas may not be adjacent but partially overlap. (3) Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The laser processing apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention is obtained by changing the configuration of the mask 13 shown in FIG. Therefore, this laser processing apparatus will be described with reference to the laser processing apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 14 shows a mask 40 used in such a laser processing apparatus.
FIG. The mask 40 is formed by a method that does not form a microcrystalline region, that is, a plurality of dot-shaped pattern openings (hereinafter referred to as dot-shaped patterns) formed in the mask 40 when the glass substrate 1 is moved at a predetermined distance in one direction. ) 41 and a plurality of ring-shaped pattern openings (hereinafter referred to as “openings”).
The irradiation areas of the pulsed laser light passing through the glass substrate 1 in the vertical and horizontal directions (XY directions) where the irradiation areas do not overlap each other and the pulsed laser light is irradiated by a plurality of shots are continuous. And the widths and pitches of the dot patterns 41 and the quadrangular ring patterns 42 are set to values at which a thermal gradient appears when the glass substrate 1 is irradiated with pulsed laser light. is there.

More specifically, the mask 40 is, for example, divided into the first to third mask regions M21 to M23, and is located in both XY directions where the mask regions M21 to M23 do not overlap each other. Dot patterns 41 and 4
The width and pitch of the square ring pattern 42 are
The value is set so that a thermal gradient is generated in a light irradiation region in the a-Si film formed thereon. For example, each dot pattern 41 is formed in the mask area M21 at the same pitch from the origin Z21, and the quadrangular ring pattern 42 is formed in each mask area M22 to M23 at the origin Z2.
2 to 23 are formed at the same pitch intervals as the respective dot patterns 41. However, each mask area M22 to
Each of the square ring patterns 42 of M23 is formed so that the ring diameters do not overlap each other. next,
The operation of the device configured as described above will be described. The method of polycrystallizing the a-Si film formed on the glass substrate 1 in the manufacturing process of the p-Si TFT liquid crystal display is performed as follows. The excimer laser 10 outputs pulsed laser light intermittently at a repetition frequency of 200 to 500 Hz, for example. This pulsed laser beam passes from the variable attenuator 11 through the illumination optical system 12 to each of the patterns 4 formed in the mask regions M21, M22 and M23.
1 and 42, the light reaches the mirror 14, is reflected by the mirror 14, and is reflected by the projection lens 15 on the glass substrate 1.
Irradiated on the i-film.

On the other hand, the XYZ tilt stage 20 is a
For example, the glass substrate 1 on which a Si film is formed is continuously moved in the X direction at a transport speed synchronized with the repetition frequency of the pulsed laser light, and then the glass substrate 1 is moved in the Y direction by a line beam. The glass substrate 1 is moved by a distance corresponding to the length, and then continuously moved in the −X direction again, for example, at a transfer speed of about 200 to 500 mm / s.
The a-Si film on the glass substrate 1 is irradiated with the pulse laser light output from the excimer laser 10 through the patterns 41 and 42 of the mask 40, and the glass substrate 1 is continuously operated by the operation of the XYZ tilt stage 20. Then, the a-Si film on the glass substrate 1 is polycrystallized as follows. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a region irradiated with the pulse laser beam transmitted through the point-like pattern 41 when the pulse laser beam of the first shot is irradiated on the a-Si film. 16 and 17 will be described focusing on the same region. Next, FIG. 16 shows that the pulsed laser light of the second shot is a
-Indicates an irradiation area when irradiated on the Si film,
Since the glass substrate 1 is continuously moving in the X direction, 2
The light irradiation region of the pulsed laser light of the shot is adjacent to the outer periphery of the light irradiation region of the pulsed laser light of the first shot.

At this time, in each light irradiation area, polycrystallization is performed without being affected by heat from the adjacent patterns 42. Next, FIG. 17 shows an irradiation area when the pulsed laser beam of the third shot is irradiated on the a-Si film. Since the glass substrate 1 is continuously moving in the X direction, the third shot is shown. The light irradiation region of the pulse laser light is adjacent to the outer periphery of the light irradiation region of the second shot pulse laser light. Thereafter, as described above, FIG.
Irradiation of the pulse laser beam onto the a-Si film shown in FIG. 17 to FIG. 17 is repeated, and the a-Si film is continuously polycrystallized. In addition, the glass substrate 1 is mounted on the XYZ tilt stage 20.
By continuously moving in the X direction by the operation of the above, by irradiating the pulse laser light after the fourth shot,
The point that light is sequentially irradiated to the non-irradiated area is the same as in the first or second embodiment. By irradiating the pulse laser beam onto the a-Si film on the glass substrate 1 through the mask 40 and continuously moving the glass substrate 1 by the operation of the XYZ tilt stage 20, polycrystallization can be performed. It becomes possible. Therefore, a-
In the Si film, the unirradiated area is sequentially filled up, and finally the entire surface of the a-Si film on the glass substrate 1 is polycrystallized.

As described above, according to the third embodiment, even if the mask 40 on which the plurality of dot patterns 41 and the plurality of square ring patterns 42 are formed is used, the first embodiment can be used.
The same effect as in the second embodiment can be obtained. (4) Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The laser processing apparatus according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention is a modification of the configuration of the mask 13 shown in FIG. Therefore, this laser processing apparatus will be described with reference to the laser processing apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 18 shows a mask 50 used in such a laser processing apparatus.
FIG. The mask 50 is formed by a method that does not form a microcrystalline region, that is, a plurality of polygonal pattern openings (hereinafter referred to as quadrilateral patterns) formed in the mask 50 when the glass substrate 1 is moved at a predetermined distance in one direction. ) 51 are formed in vertical and horizontal directions (XY directions), respectively.
In addition, the width and pitch of these rectangular patterns 51 are formed to values at which a thermal gradient appears when the glass substrate 1 is irradiated with pulsed laser light. Specifically, the mask 50
Are formed on the glass substrate 1 at positions in both the XY directions of each of the mask regions M31 to M33 when divided into the first to third mask regions M31 to M33, for example, and the width and pitch of the rectangular pattern 51 are formed on the glass substrate 1. The value is set so that a thermal gradient is generated in the light irradiation area of the a-Si film. For example, the quadrangular pattern 51 is formed in each mask area M3.
They are formed at equal pitch intervals so that the centers are equidistant from the origins Z31 to Z33 of 1 to M33.

Next, the operation of the device configured as described above will be described. A-S formed on the glass substrate 1 in the manufacturing process of the p-Si TFT liquid crystal display
The method of polycrystallizing the i film is performed as follows. The excimer laser 10 has a repetition frequency of 200 to 500, for example.
The pulse laser light is output intermittently at Hz. The pulsed laser light passes from the variable attenuator 11 through the illumination optical system 12 and passes through the mask regions M31 and M3 of the mask 50.
2. The light is divided by the rectangular pattern 51 formed on the M33 and reaches the mirror 14 where the light is reflected. The light is reflected by the mirror 14 and irradiated onto the a-Si film on the glass substrate 1 by the projection lens 15. On the other hand, the XYZ tilt stage 20
For example, the glass substrate 1 having the a-Si film formed on its surface is continuously moved at a constant transport speed, for example, the glass substrate 1 in the X direction, and the glass substrate 1 is then moved in the Y direction by the length of a line beam. Then, the glass substrate 1 is moved again by -X
Continuously in the direction, for example, the transfer speed 200 to 500 mm /
Move about s. That is, the a-Si film on the glass substrate 1 is irradiated with the pulse laser beam output from the excimer laser 10 through the first to third mask regions M31 to M33 of the mask 50, and the XYZ tilt stage 20
When the glass substrate 1 is moved in the X direction every three shots by the above operation, the a-Si film on the glass substrate 1 is polycrystallized as follows.

FIG. 19 shows the first mask region M3 when the pulsed laser beam of the first shot is irradiated on the a-Si film.
1 shows an area irradiated by the pulse laser light transmitted through the first mask area M. The a-Si film is irradiated with the pulse laser light passing through each of the square patterns 51 formed in the first mask area M31 of the mask 50. You. Note that the central part of these light irradiation regions may be microcrystallized L due to a small thermal gradient. The following description focuses on this area. Next, FIG. 20 shows an irradiation region K2 when the pulse laser beam of the second shot is irradiated. The light irradiation region of the pulse laser beam of the second shot corresponds to the pulse laser beam of the first shot. It is adjacent to the inner peripheral side of the light irradiation area. Note that a polycrystalline region K2 is generated by the second shot pulse laser light adjacent to the inner peripheral side of the region K1 irradiated by the first shot pulse laser light. Next, FIG. 21 shows a polycrystallized region K when the pulse laser light of the third shot is irradiated onto the a-Si film.
In Fig. 3, the light irradiation area of the third shot pulsed laser light is adjacent to the inner peripheral side of the light irradiation area of the second shot pulsed laser light. Also in this case, the region K3 is adjacent to the inside of the region K2 irradiated with the second shot pulsed laser beam,
Is irradiated.

Thereafter, as described above, FIGS.
Irradiation of the pulse laser light on the a-Si film shown in Fig.
Then, the a-Si film is continuously polycrystallized. In addition,
The lath substrate 1 is moved by the operation of the XYZ tilt stage 20.
The first to third embodiments because they are moving continuously
The unirradiated area on the silicon film is sequentially filled as in the case of
It is. And because it can be done at a constant speed,
Compared with the conventional step-and-repeat type
As a result, high-speed processing becomes possible. Thus, in the fourth embodiment,
According to the embodiment, a matrix having a plurality of quadrangular patterns 51 is formed.
Even if the disc 50 is used, the first to third embodiments can be used.
A similar effect can be achieved. This embodiment is also
Various modifications are possible as in the other embodiments. (5) Next, a drawing of the fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described.
It will be described with reference to FIG. In the fifth embodiment of the present invention,
The laser processing apparatus uses the configuration of the mask 13 shown in FIG.
It has been changed. Therefore, such a laser processing device
Will be described with the aid of the laser processing apparatus shown in FIG.
You. FIG. 22 shows a mask 60 used in such a laser processing apparatus.
FIG. This mask 60 is placed on the glass substrate 1
When the a-Si film is polycrystallized by irradiating pulse laser light
Pattern openings in the direction corresponding to the crystal growth direction
(Hereinafter referred to as a line pattern) 61 in the X direction.
It has been achieved.

More specifically, the mask 60 includes a plurality of line patterns 61 formed by dividing the mask into a plurality of regions, for example, first to fourth mask regions M41 to M44. And the width and pitch of these line patterns 61 are set to values that cause a thermal gradient in the light irradiation region of the a-Si film formed on the glass substrate 1. For example, these line patterns 61 correspond to each mask region M41.
When the origins Z41 to Z44 are provided for M44 to M44, respectively,
The mask areas M41 to M41 are formed at different absolute positions from the origins Z41 to Z44. Moreover, the mask regions M41 to M41 are formed at equal intervals of the pitch Mp. Next, the operation of the device configured as described above will be described. The excimer laser 10 has a repetition frequency of 200 to 500, for example.
The pulse laser light is output intermittently at Hz. The pulse laser light is irradiated from the variable attenuator 11 through the illumination optical system 12 to the mask 60, and is irradiated with the first to fourth light beams.
Through the line pattern 61 formed in the mask regions M41 to M41, reaches the mirror 14, is reflected by the mirror 14, and is reflected by the projection lens 15 on the a-Si
Irradiated on the film.

On the other hand, the XYZ tilt stage 20 is a
The glass substrate 1 having the Si film formed on its surface is transported at a transport speed synchronized with the repetition of the pulsed laser beam, for example, the glass substrate 1
Is continuously moved in the X direction, and then the glass substrate 1 is moved in the Y direction by a distance corresponding to the length of the line beam. It is moved at about 200 to 500 mm / s. The a-Si film on the glass substrate 1 is irradiated with the pulse laser light output from the excimer laser 10 through each line pattern 61 of the mask 60 and the glass substrate 1 is continuously operated by the operation of the XYZ tilt stage 20. When moved, the a-Si film on the glass substrate 1 becomes the first to fourth films.
Similarly to the operation of the embodiment, the unirradiated area is sequentially filled up, and finally the entire surface of the a-Si film on the glass substrate 1 is polycrystallized. At this time, the growth direction of the polycrystal is perpendicular to the moving direction of the glass substrate 1 (work) as shown in FIG. That is, the line pattern 61
Since the light irradiation region irradiated on the a-Si film through the substrate becomes linear, the thermal gradient in the narrow width direction of the light irradiation region is large, so that the light irradiation region is moved in the width direction (movement of the glass substrate 1). (A direction perpendicular to the direction).

When, for example, the mask 13 shown in FIG. 1 is used, the crystal grows in the narrow width direction of the light irradiation area by the mask 13, that is, in the moving direction (X direction) of the glass substrate 1. As described above, according to the fifth embodiment, the glass substrate 1 is continuously moved in the X direction using the mask 60 on which the plurality of line patterns 61 are formed in the X direction. The a-Si film is
The entire surface can be polycrystallized in the X direction (the moving direction of the glass substrate 1). Therefore, if the mask 60 or the mask 13 shown in FIG. 1 is used, the growth direction of polycrystallization formed on the glass substrate 1 can be controlled. Note that the fifth embodiment and the following sixth embodiment can be variously modified from other embodiments. (6) Next, a sixth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The laser processing apparatus according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention is a modification of the configuration of the mask 13 shown in FIG. Therefore, this laser processing apparatus will be described with reference to the laser processing apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 24 shows a mask 70 used in such a laser processing apparatus.
FIG. The mask 70 has a plurality of pattern openings (hereinafter, referred to as line patterns) in a direction corresponding to a crystal growth direction when polycrystallizing by irradiating the a-Si film on the glass substrate 1 with pulsed laser light. 71 is an oblique direction,
For example, it is formed in a direction at 45 ° to the X direction.

More specifically, the mask 7 includes a plurality of line patterns 7 that divide the mask into a plurality of regions, for example, the first to fourth regions.
When the mask regions M51 to M54 are divided into the mask regions M51 to M54, the portions of the mask regions M51 to M54 which do not overlap each other are oriented at 45 ° with respect to the X direction, and the width and pitch of these line patterns 71 are different from those of the glass substrate 1. The value is set to a value at which a thermal gradient occurs in the light irradiation region in the a-Si film formed thereon. For example, these line patterns 71
Represents the origin Z51 in each of the mask areas M51 to M54.
Are provided in the mask areas M51 to M54 at different absolute positions from the origins Z51 to Z54. In addition, the mask regions M51 to M54 are formed at equal intervals of the pitch Mp. Next, the operation of the device configured as described above will be described. The excimer laser 10 outputs pulsed laser light intermittently at a repetition frequency of 200 to 500 Hz, for example. This pulsed laser light is irradiated from the variable attenuator 11 through the illumination optical system 12 to the mask 70, reaches the mirror 14 through the line patterns 71 formed in the first to fourth mask regions M51 to M54, The light is reflected by the mirror 14 and irradiated on the a-Si film on the glass substrate 1 by the projection lens 15.

On the other hand, the XYZ tilt stage 20 is
The glass substrate 1 having the Si film formed on its surface is transported at a transport speed synchronized with the repetition of the pulsed laser beam, for example, the glass substrate 1
Is continuously moved in the X direction, and then the glass substrate 1 is moved in the Y direction by a distance corresponding to the length of the line beam. It is moved at about 200 to 500 mm / s. The a-Si film on the glass substrate 1 is irradiated with the pulse laser beam output from the excimer laser 10 through each line pattern 71 of the mask 70, and the glass substrate 1 is continuously operated by the operation of the XYZ tilt stage 20. When moved, the a-Si film on the glass substrate 1 becomes the first to fourth films.
Similarly to the operation of the embodiment, the unirradiated area is sequentially filled up, and finally the entire surface of the a-Si film on the glass substrate 1 is polycrystallized. At this time, the direction of growth of the polycrystal is at 45 ° to the X direction as shown in FIG.
That is, the light irradiation area irradiated on the a-Si film through the line pattern 71 is linear in the direction of 45 ° with respect to the X direction, so that heat in the narrow width direction of the light irradiation area is small. Since the gradient is large, crystals grow in this width direction (a direction at 45 ° to the X direction).

As described above, according to the sixth embodiment, the glass substrate 1 is continuously moved in the X direction by using the mask 70 on which a plurality of line patterns 71 are formed in a direction at 45 ° to the X direction. , So that a on the glass substrate 1
The entire surface of the -Si film can be polycrystallized in a direction at 45 ° to the X direction. Therefore, the mask 71, FIG.
By using the mask 60 shown in FIG. 1 or the mask 13 shown in FIG. It is needless to say that the sixth embodiment can provide the same effects as the fifth embodiment. (7) Next, a seventh embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The seventh embodiment of the present invention describes a method of manufacturing a p-Si TFT liquid crystal display by applying the laser processing apparatus according to any one of the first to sixth embodiments. Things. FIG. 26 is a configuration diagram showing an example of a TFT liquid crystal display in a manufacturing process. The TFT liquid crystal display 80 includes a plurality of pixel portions 81, a driver 82 for each pixel portion 81 formed around each of the pixel portions 81, and a peripheral circuit 83 including a cable array, a D / A converter, and the like. I have.

When manufacturing such a TFT liquid crystal display 80, an a-Si film is formed on a glass substrate of the TFT liquid crystal display 80, and a plurality of pixel portions 81 in the a-Si film, a driver 82 and a peripheral portion are formed. Circuit 8
A polycrystalline Si film is formed in a region corresponding to No. 3. In particular, since it is expected that a region corresponding to the driver 82 and the peripheral circuit 83 is directly mounted with, for example, a memory or a CPU, it is required to improve characteristics of the film quality. However, in order to form a polycrystalline Si film in a region corresponding to the plurality of pixel portions 81, the laser processing apparatus according to any of the first to sixth embodiments, for example, the first In the embodiment, the pulse laser beam repeatedly output from the excimer laser 10 is applied to the mask 13 on which the plurality of line patterns 19 shown in FIG. 2 are formed, and the pulse laser transmitted through the mask pattern of the mask 13 is applied. The light is passed through the projection lens 15 and the like to the pixel unit 8.
Irradiate on the a-Si film corresponding to 1, and continuously move the glass substrate, for example, in the X direction at a transport speed synchronized with the repetition frequency of the pulse laser beam by the XYZ tilt stage 20, It moves by a distance corresponding to the length of the line beam in the Y direction, and then continuously moves again in the −X direction. As a result, the unirradiated area of the a-Si film on the pixel portion 81 is sequentially filled up, and finally the entire surface of the a-Si film on the pixel portion 81 is polycrystallized.

Further, a plurality of drivers 82 and peripheral circuits 83
In order to form a polycrystalline Si film in a region corresponding to the above, the laser processing apparatus in any one of the first to sixth embodiments, for example, the first embodiment is applied, Similarly to the above, the pulse laser beam transmitted through the mask pattern of the mask 13 is irradiated onto the a-Si film corresponding to the driver 82 and the peripheral circuit 83 through the projection lens 15 and the like. The light irradiation area of the pulse laser light is shown as a field 83 of the projection lens 15. With this,
For example, the glass substrate 1 is continuously moved in the direction along the longitudinal direction of the driver 82 and the peripheral circuit 83, for example, in the Y direction (or X direction) at a transport speed synchronized with the repetition frequency of the pulse laser beam by the XYZ tilt stage 20. And move. By scanning the irradiation position of the pulse laser light in this way, finally, the driver 82 and the peripheral circuit 8
The entire surface of the a-Si film on 3 is polycrystallized. On the other hand, FIG.
FIG. 7 is a configuration diagram showing an example of another TFT liquid crystal display in a manufacturing process. This TFT liquid crystal display 90
It comprises a plurality of pixel portions 91, a plurality of drivers 92 formed around each of the pixel portions 91, and a peripheral circuit 93 including a card array, a D / A converter, and the like. The size of the driver 92 and the peripheral circuit 93 is smaller than the area of the field 83 of the projection lens 15.

In order to form a polycrystalline Si film in a region corresponding to the pixel portion 91 of the TFT liquid crystal display 90, the laser according to any one of the first to sixth embodiments is used. A processing apparatus, for example, the first embodiment is applied, and a pulse laser beam repeatedly output from an excimer laser 10 is irradiated on a mask 13 on which a plurality of line patterns 19 shown in FIG.
Is irradiated on the a-Si film corresponding to the pixel portion 91 through the projection lens 15 or the like, and the glass substrate is moved by the XYZ tilt stage 20 in synchronization with the repetition frequency of the pulse laser light. Then, for example, the glass substrate 1 is continuously moved in the X direction,
Next, it is moved in the Y direction by a distance corresponding to the length of the line beam, and then continuously moved in the −X direction again. Thereby, the non-light-irradiated area of the a-Si film on the pixel portion 91 is sequentially filled up, and finally the a-Si
The entire surface of the film is polycrystallized. In order to form a polycrystalline Si film in a region corresponding to the plurality of drivers 92 and the peripheral circuit 93, a laser processing apparatus according to any one of the first to sixth embodiments, for example, Applying the first embodiment, similarly to the above, the pulse laser light transmitted through the mask pattern of the mask 13 is transmitted through the projection lens 15 and the like to the driver 92 and the peripheral circuit 93 corresponding to the a-
Irradiate on the Si film.

At the same time, the glass substrate is moved by the XYZ tilt stage 20 by a distance covering a region corresponding to the driver 92 and the peripheral circuit 93 at a transport speed synchronized with the repetition frequency of the pulse laser beam. As a result, the a-
The entire surface of the Si film is polycrystallized. As described above, according to the seventh embodiment, the regions corresponding to the plurality of pixel portions 81 and 91 and the drivers 82 and 92 and the peripheral circuits 83 and 93 in the TFT liquid crystal display can be polycrystallized.
In particular, for example, it is possible to improve the characteristics of the film quality of the regions corresponding to the drivers 82 and 92 and the peripheral circuits 83 and 93 which are expected to directly mount a memory or a CPU. Further, in the TFT liquid crystal display 90 shown in FIG.
Is formed smaller than the area of the field 83, the overlap when irradiating the pulse laser beam can be reduced, and the performance of the polycrystalline Si film can be improved. In the seventh embodiment, the plurality of pixel units 81, 9
1 and its drivers 82, 92 and peripheral circuits 83, 93
Is polycrystallized in the entire region corresponding to the above, but is not limited to this. For example, drivers 82 and 92 and peripheral circuits 83 and 93
Only the region where a semiconductor element such as a CPU or a memory is formed in the region may be polycrystallized.

(8) Next, an eighth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 28 is a schematic configuration diagram of an exposure apparatus such as a stepper. The laser device 100 outputs a laser beam for performing exposure processing on the object to be processed 101. An illumination optical system 102 and a mirror 103 are provided on the optical path of the laser light output from the laser device 100.
Are arranged, and a mask 104 and an imaging lens system 105 are arranged on the reflection optical path of the mirror 103. The illumination optical system 102 shapes and uniforms the laser light output from the laser device 100. The mask 104 is a processing target 1 of the laser light that has passed when the mask 104 has moved in the one direction at a predetermined distance.
01, a plurality of pattern openings are formed so that the irradiation areas do not overlap with each other, and the width and pitch of these pattern openings are determined according to the exposure process on the object 101, for example, a glass substrate of a liquid crystal display. Value is set to For example, the mask 104 includes the mask 13 shown in FIG. 2, the mask 30 shown in FIG. 8, the mask 40 shown in FIG. 14, and the mask 5 shown in FIG.
0, the mask 60 shown in FIG. 22 or the mask 70 shown in FIG.

The XYZ stage 106 holds the object 101 to be processed.
Is placed, and the object 101 is moved in the XY directions and the Z directions. Next, the operation of the apparatus configured as described above will be described for a case where the mask 13 shown in FIG. For example, p-SiTF
In the manufacturing process of a T liquid crystal display, a
A thin film of a Si film is formed, a resist is applied on the thin film, and an exposure process is performed. Thereafter, development, etching, and removal of the resist are performed. The exposure apparatus of the eighth embodiment is used for the exposure processing of such a process. The first shot laser light output from the laser device 100 is shaped and uniformed by the illumination optical system 102, reflected by the mirror 103, and irradiated on the mask 104. Then, the laser light passes through the line pattern 19 of the mask 104 and is irradiated by the projection lens system 105 onto the object to be processed 101 which is a glass substrate of the liquid crystal display. FIG. 29 shows a linear exposure region by the laser light of the first shot and the exposure intensity at that time. A resist film is applied to the surface of the object to be processed 101, and an exposure process is performed on an exposure region having an exposure intensity higher than the resist exposure threshold.

Next, the XYZ stage 106 moves the object 101 by a distance corresponding to half the pitch of the line pattern 19 of the mask 104. This moving direction is
The direction is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the line pattern 19 of the mask 104. Next, when the laser light of the second shot is output from the laser device 100, this laser light is shaped and uniformed by the illumination optical system 102, and the mirror 103
Then, the light passes through the line pattern 19 of the mask 104 and is irradiated by the projection lens system 105 onto the object to be processed 101 which is a glass substrate of a liquid crystal display. FIG. 30 shows a linear exposure region by the second shot laser beam and the exposure intensity at that time. Exposure processing is performed on the target object 101 in an exposure region having an exposure intensity higher than a resist exposure threshold. These exposure regions are performed between each exposure region in the first exposure process. As a result,
The resist on the object to be processed 101 transfers a linear pattern as shown in FIG. 31 by two exposure processes.
By the way, when a resist exposure process is performed using a plurality of line patterns formed on a mask and the interval between these line patterns is reduced, the line pattern cannot be decomposed due to the vicinity of the resolution limit by the projection lens system 105, as shown in FIG. As described above, the exposure intensity continuously becomes higher than the resist exposure threshold value, and the exposure area of the line pattern is not exhibited. Therefore, the resist on the object to be processed 101 is exposed in a wide pattern.

On the other hand, according to the eighth embodiment of the present invention, even if the exposure area of the line pattern is narrowed, the exposure area can be decomposed and subjected to the exposure processing. Pattern can be transferred precisely and with high resolution. For example, a mask is formed so that each irradiation region does not completely overlap with each other, but has a partially overlapping portion (that is, each irradiation region has a region that does not overlap with each other), and laser processing is performed. Exposure may be performed. Even in this case, the effects of the present invention can be obtained. The present invention is not limited to the above-described first to eighth embodiments, and can be variously modified in an implementation stage without departing from the scope of the invention. further,
The above embodiments include various stages of the invention,
Various inventions can be extracted by appropriately combining a plurality of disclosed components. For example, even if some components are deleted from all the components shown in the embodiment, the problem described in the column of the problem to be solved by the invention can be solved, and the problem described in the column of the effect of the invention can be solved. In the case where the effect is obtained, a configuration from which this configuration requirement is deleted can be extracted as an invention.

[0054]

As described above in detail, according to the present invention, a polycrystalline Si film can be formed at a high throughput. Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a semiconductor device manufacturing method having a process of forming a polycrystalline Si film with high throughput. Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide an exposure apparatus capable of transferring a mask pattern with high precision and high resolution by applying a mask for forming a polycrystalline Si film having a uniform and large grain size at a high throughput. According to the present invention,
A high-performance display device in which a polycrystalline Si film having a uniform and large grain size is generated can be provided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing a first embodiment of a laser processing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a mask in the first embodiment of the laser processing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a view showing an irradiation area of a first shot in the first embodiment of the laser processing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an irradiation area of a second shot in the laser processing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a third shot irradiation area in the first embodiment of the laser processing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a view showing an irradiation area of a fourth shot in the laser processing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an irradiation area of a fifth shot in the laser processing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a configuration diagram of a mask in a second embodiment of the laser processing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an irradiation area of a first shot in a laser processing apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an irradiation area of a second shot in a laser processing apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an irradiation area of a third shot in a second embodiment of the laser processing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an irradiation area of a fourth shot in the laser processing apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an irradiation area of a fifth shot in the laser processing apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a configuration diagram of a mask in a third embodiment of the laser processing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an irradiation area of a first shot in a laser processing apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an irradiation area of a second shot in the third embodiment of the laser processing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an irradiation region of a third shot in a third embodiment of the laser processing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a configuration diagram of a mask in a laser processing apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 19 is a diagram showing an irradiation area of a first shot in a laser processing apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 20 is a diagram showing an irradiation area of a second shot in a laser processing apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 21 is a diagram showing a third shot irradiation area in the laser processing apparatus according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 22 is a configuration diagram of a mask in a laser processing apparatus according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 23 is a diagram showing a growth direction of polycrystal when a mask is used in a fifth embodiment of the laser processing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 24 is a configuration diagram of a mask in a laser processing apparatus according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 25 is a view showing a growth direction of a polycrystal when a mask is used in a sixth embodiment of the laser processing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 26 shows a T to which the laser processing apparatus according to the present invention is applied.
FIG. 21 is a view for explaining a seventh embodiment which is a method for manufacturing an FT liquid crystal display.

FIG. 27 is a view for explaining a seventh embodiment which is another manufacturing method of a TFT liquid crystal display to which the laser processing apparatus according to the present invention is applied.

FIG. 28 is a configuration diagram showing an exposure apparatus according to an eighth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 29 is a schematic diagram showing a first exposure process in an exposure apparatus according to an eighth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 30 is a schematic view showing a second exposure process in the exposure apparatus according to the eighth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 31 is a schematic diagram showing a transfer result in an exposure apparatus according to an eighth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 32 is a schematic view showing a transfer operation by a conventional exposure apparatus.

FIG. 33 is a schematic view showing a conventional method for converting a Si thin film into a polycrystalline Si film.

FIG. 34 is a schematic view showing a conventional method of making a Si thin film into a polycrystalline Si film by narrowing the pitch of a repeated pattern.

FIG. 35 is a schematic view showing a conventional method for further reducing the pitch of a repetitive pattern to turn a Si thin film into a polycrystalline Si film.

FIG. 36 is a schematic view showing the relationship between the beam width of a conventional laser beam and the generation of microcrystals.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1: glass substrate 10: excimer laser 11: variable attenuator 12: illumination optical system 13: mask 14: mirror 15: projection lens 16: collimating lens 17: array lens group 18: field lens 19: pattern opening (line pattern) 20: XYZ tilt stage 21: Focus displacement meter 30: Mask 31: Pattern opening (square pattern) 40: Mask 41: Pattern opening (dot-like pattern) 42: Pattern opening (square ring pattern) 60: Mask 61: pattern opening (line pattern) 70: mask 71: pattern opening (line pattern) 80, 90: TFT liquid crystal display 81, 91: pixel unit 82, 92: driver 83, 93: peripheral circuit 100: laser device 101 : Object to be processed 102: Teru Bright optical system 103: mirror 104: mask 105: imaging lens system 106: XYZ stage

Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI Theme coat II (Reference) H01L 29/786 F term (Reference) 2H092 GA59 JA24 JA28 KA04 MA30 MA35 MA37 NA21 NA24 NA27 NA29 5F052 AA02 BA01 BA02 BA04 BA07 BA12 BA14 BA18 BB07 CA04 CA10 DA02 JA01 5F110 AA01 BB02 DD02 GG02 GG13 PP03 PP05 PP06 PP23

Claims (29)

[Claims] A first step of irradiating a pulsed laser beam through a mask having a plurality of openings to irradiate a workpiece with a plurality of pulsed laser beams divided corresponding to the openings of the mask. A laser processing method comprising at least a second step of relatively moving the mask and the workpiece and further irradiating a pulsed laser beam, wherein the irradiation area in the first step, The irradiation region in the second step is adjacent or partially overlapped with each other, and the opening portion where the pulsed laser light that has irradiated the two irradiation regions that are adjacent or partially overlapped is different from the opening portion. A laser processing method comprising: irradiating a laser beam while relatively moving the mask and the workpiece. 2. A pulse laser beam radiated to two adjacent or partially overlapping irradiation regions is transmitted through the adjacent openings, respectively.
The laser processing method as described. 3. A laser processing method comprising: at least a third step of relatively moving the mask and the workpiece and further irradiating a pulsed laser beam after the second step; The irradiation area in the second step and the irradiation area in the third step are adjacent or partially overlap with each other, and the pulsed laser beam that has irradiated the two irradiation areas that are adjacent or partially overlap with each other is transmitted. 2. The laser processing method according to claim 1, wherein the laser beam irradiation is performed while relatively moving the mask and the workpiece so that the openings are different from each other. 4. A laser processing method comprising at least a fourth step of relatively moving the mask and the workpiece and irradiating a pulsed laser beam after the third step, wherein the fourth step The irradiation region in the third step and the irradiation region in the fourth step are adjacent to or partially overlap with each other, and the pulsed laser beam that has irradiated two adjacent or partially overlapped irradiation regions has been transmitted. 4. The laser processing method according to claim 3, wherein the laser beam irradiation is performed while relatively moving the mask and the workpiece so that the openings are different from each other. 5. The laser processing method according to claim 1, wherein the workpiece is a film formed on a substrate. 6. The workpiece is an amorphous silicon film formed on a substrate, and at least a part of the amorphous silicon film is transformed into a polysilicon film by irradiation with the pulsed laser beam. 5. The laser processing method according to claim 1, wherein: 7. The laser processing method according to claim 1, wherein the opening has a line shape formed in parallel. 8. The laser processing method according to claim 1, wherein the mask and the workpiece are relatively moved in a fixed direction at a constant speed. 9. The laser device according to claim 1, wherein the pulse laser beam is emitted while the mask and the workpiece are relatively moved in a constant direction at a constant speed. Or the laser processing method described in any one of the above. 10. The pulse laser according to claim 1, wherein a pulse laser is emitted each time the mask and the workpiece move relatively equidistantly. Laser processing method. A first step of irradiating a pulsed laser beam through a mask having a plurality of openings to irradiate a workpiece with a plurality of pulsed laser beams divided corresponding to the openings of the mask. And moving the mask and the workpiece relatively, between the irradiation areas irradiated in the first step, further irradiating a pulsed laser beam
A laser processing method comprising at least two steps,
The irradiation area in the first step and the irradiation area in the second step are adjacent to or partially overlap with each other,
In addition, the pulsed laser light irradiating the adjacent or overlapping irradiation area is irradiated with the laser light while relatively moving the mask and the workpiece so as to pass through the different opening. A laser processing method characterized by performing. 12. After the second step, between the plurality of irradiation areas simultaneously irradiated with pulsed laser light in the first step, the irradiation area in the second step is adjacent to or partially overlaps with the irradiation area. So as to further include at least a third step of irradiating pulsed laser light, so that the pulsed laser light irradiating the adjacent or overlapping irradiation area is transmitted through a different opening,
The laser processing method according to claim 10, wherein the laser beam irradiation is performed while the mask and the workpiece are relatively moved. 13. The pulse laser beam emitted in each of the first, second, and third steps is a laser beam emitted at a continuous timing. The laser processing method described in the above. A plurality of pulse lasers transmitted through the openings of the mask by irradiating a pulse laser beam through the masks while relatively moving the workpiece having the plurality of openings and the workpiece and the mask. In a laser processing method of simultaneously irradiating light to the workpiece and processing the workpiece, an irradiation area on the workpiece surface by the pulse laser light emitted at different timings and transmitted through different openings is adjacent. Alternatively, at least one of the irradiation timing of the pulsed laser light and the relative moving speed between the mask and the workpiece is adjusted so as to partially overlap. 15. A laser processing method comprising: irradiating a laser beam through a mask having a plurality of openings formed apart from each other; By irradiating the laser beam a plurality of times at a predetermined timing while relatively moving the substrate and the mask, a substrate of at least two laser beams irradiated at different timings and transmitted through different openings A laser processing method, wherein an irradiation area on a surface at least partially overlaps. 16. A laser processing method for irradiating an amorphous silicon film formed on a substrate with a pulse laser beam a plurality of times while shifting an irradiation area to transform the amorphous silicon film into a polysilicon film. The mask and the amorphous silicon film are relatively moved so that irradiation regions irradiated by the timing and irradiated by the pulsed laser light transmitted through the different openings are adjacent or partially overlap with each other. A laser processing method comprising irradiating a plurality of times with a pulse laser beam through a mask to perform the alteration. 17. A laser processing method for irradiating a mask having a plurality of openings with a pulsed laser beam and simultaneously irradiating a plurality of portions of a workpiece with the pulsed laser light transmitted through the plurality of openings. Irradiating the pulse laser beam a plurality of times while relatively moving the mask and the workpiece, and a relationship between a relative moving speed between the mask and the workpiece and an irradiation timing of the pulse laser beam. The laser irradiation regions adjacent to each other on the workpiece are emitted at different timings and are formed by irradiation of the pulse laser transmitted through the openings formed at different positions on the mask. And a boundary between the laser irradiation areas adjacent to each other is at least in contact with each other. . 18. A method comprising: irradiating a pulse laser beam through a mask having a plurality of openings to divide the plurality of pulse laser beams corresponding to the openings of the mask into a workpiece having an amorphous silicon film. A first step of irradiating the mask and the workpiece relative to each other, and among the plurality of irradiation areas irradiated with the pulsed laser light in the first step, at least a pair of adjacent irradiation areas. A second step of further irradiating a pulsed laser beam so as to be adjacent to or partially overlap with at least one of the irradiation regions, wherein the amorphous silicon film between the at least one pair of irradiation regions is a polysilicon film. A laser processing method for modifying to, in the second step,
The opening through which the pulsed laser light irradiated between at least a pair of adjacent irradiation regions has passed, and the opening through which the pulsed laser light irradiated in the first step adjacent to the irradiation region has passed. A laser processing method, characterized in that irradiation of pulse laser light is performed while relatively moving the workpiece and the mask so as to form different openings. 19. A first step of irradiating a pulsed laser beam through a mask having a plurality of openings to irradiate a workpiece with a plurality of pulsed laser beams divided corresponding to the openings of the mask. And, relatively moving the mask and the workpiece, of the plurality of irradiation regions simultaneously irradiated with pulsed laser light in the first step, between at least a pair of adjacent irradiation regions, furthermore A laser processing method comprising at least a second step of irradiating a pulsed laser beam, wherein the irradiation area in the first step and the irradiation area in the second step are adjacent to or partially overlap with each other, and The laser light while relatively moving the mask and the workpiece so that the pulsed laser light applied to the adjacent irradiation area is transmitted through the different opening. Laser processing method and performing irradiation. 20. Irradiation of a pulse laser beam through a mask having an opening pattern formed at an equal pitch to irradiate a workpiece with a plurality of pulsed laser beams divided corresponding to the opening pattern of the mask. In the laser processing method, when the pitch of the irradiation area irradiated by the pulse laser light transmitted through each opening pattern is P, the interval between the irradiation areas irradiated by the pulse laser light transmitted through the same opening pattern is larger than P. The mask and the workpiece so that the irradiation region is adjacent to or overlaps with the irradiation region irradiated by the pulsed laser beam that has been emitted at the previous timing and passed through the adjacent opening pattern. A laser processing method comprising irradiating the pulse laser a plurality of times while relatively moving. 21. Irradiating a pulse laser beam through a mask having an opening pattern formed at an equal pitch to irradiate a workpiece with a plurality of pulse laser beams divided corresponding to the opening pattern of the mask. In the laser processing method including the step of performing, the pitch of the irradiation region irradiated by the plurality of divided pulsed laser light is P, and the width in the pitch direction of each irradiation region is W,
Irradiating the pulse laser a plurality of times while relatively moving the mask and the workpiece so that an interval between irradiation regions irradiated by the pulse laser light transmitted through the same opening is equal to or more than PW and equal to or less than P. A laser processing method characterized by the above-mentioned. 22. A method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device, comprising: a step of forming a film on a light-transmitting substrate; and a step of irradiating the film with a pulsed laser beam to perform laser processing to change the quality of the film. 22. A method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device, wherein the laser processing uses the laser processing method according to claim 1. 23. A laser processing apparatus that irradiates a pulse laser beam through a mask having a plurality of openings to irradiate a workpiece with a plurality of pulse laser beams divided corresponding to the openings of the mask. A laser device that outputs the pulse laser, a moving unit that relatively moves the mask and the workpiece, and controls the moving unit to relatively move the mask and the workpiece. And a control unit that controls the laser device to emit the pulse laser a plurality of times together with the control unit, wherein the control unit is configured to irradiate a plurality of irradiation regions on the workpiece at a timing before the previous time, At this time, the plurality of irradiation regions irradiated to the workpiece are adjacent or partially overlapped, and the pulsed laser beams irradiated to the adjacent or overlapping irradiation regions are different from each other. Laser processing apparatus and performing control so that that passed through the serial opening. 24. A mask comprising a plurality of openings and a moving unit for relatively moving a workpiece, and a laser device for irradiating a pulsed laser beam through the mask,
In a laser processing apparatus that simultaneously irradiates the workpiece with a plurality of pulsed laser beams transmitted through the openings of the mask and processes the workpiece, pulses emitted at different timings and transmitted through different openings are provided. At least one of the irradiation timing of the pulsed laser light or the relative moving speed of the mask and the workpiece is adjusted such that the irradiation area on the workpiece surface by the laser light is adjacent or partially overlaps. A laser processing apparatus characterized in that: 25. A laser processing apparatus for irradiating an amorphous silicon film formed on a substrate a plurality of times while shifting a pulsed laser beam to change the amorphous silicon film into a polysilicon film, at different timings. The mask and the amorphous silicon film are relatively moved so that irradiation regions irradiated by pulsed laser light transmitted through the different openings are adjacent or partially overlapped with each other. A laser processing apparatus configured to irradiate pulse laser light a plurality of times. 26. A laser processing apparatus which irradiates a pulse laser on a mask having a plurality of openings formed therein and simultaneously irradiates a plurality of portions of a portion to be processed with the pulse laser transmitting through the plurality of openings, respectively. A laser device that outputs a pulse laser, a moving unit that relatively moves the mask and the workpiece, and controls the moving unit to relatively move the mask and the workpiece. And a control unit for controlling the laser device to emit the pulse laser a plurality of times, wherein the control unit is different from the plurality of openings for each of the laser irradiation regions adjacent to each other. The mask and the workpiece are relatively moved so that the pulsed laser beam transmitted through the mask is irradiated and the boundary between the laser irradiation regions adjacent to each other is at least in contact with each other. Laser processing apparatus characterized by being configured to control. 27. A semiconductor device manufacturing method comprising: forming a thin film on a substrate; applying a resist on the thin film; performing an exposure process; and thereafter performing development, etching, and removal of the resist to manufacture a semiconductor device. In the method, each of the irradiation areas on the thin film of the laser light that has passed when moved by a predetermined distance in one direction has an area where the irradiation areas do not overlap with each other, and a plurality of irradiation areas are provided at each location where the irradiation areas are continuous. A mask is used in which a pattern opening is formed, and the width and pitch of these pattern openings are formed to a value at which a thermal gradient appears when the thin film is irradiated with the laser beam. The thin film is continuously moved, and the thin film is irradiated with the laser beam through the mask in synchronization with the movement to continuously form a polycrystallized portion on the thin film. Semiconductor device manufacturing method according to claim. 28. An exposure apparatus that irradiates a laser beam to a target object through a mask to perform an exposure process in an irradiation area, wherein the exposure apparatus moves in one direction by a predetermined distance from the laser apparatus that outputs the laser beam. A plurality of pattern openings are formed such that the respective irradiation regions on the object to be processed by the laser light that have passed each other have regions that do not overlap each other, and the width and pitch of these pattern openings are the object to be processed. A mask set to a value corresponding to the exposure processing to the mask; an illumination optical system for shaping and uniformizing the laser light output from the laser device to irradiate the object to be processed through the mask; and the mask. And a moving means for relatively continuously moving the object to be processed. 29. A display portion, and a silicon film which is arranged on a substrate which constitutes the display portion for displaying an image on the display portion and which is polycrystallized by being irradiated with a laser beam as a constituent element. A display device including a peripheral circuit and a driver, wherein the peripheral circuit or the driver is divided into a plurality of regions on the substrate, and the polycrystalline silicon film in at least one of the regions is the laser. A display device, wherein the display device is irradiated with light without overlapping so as to be polycrystallized.