JP2018064048A - Laser irradiation device, laser irradiation method, and method of manufacturing semiconductor device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an excellent laser irradiation device, an excellent laser irradiation method, and an excellent method of manufacturing a semiconductor manufacturing device.SOLUTION: A laser irradiation device 1 according to one embodiment includes: a laser generator 14 for generating laser beams; a floating unit 10 for floating an object to be processed 16 which is to be irradiated with laser beams; and a transport unit 11 for transporting the floating object to be processed 16. The transport unit 11 includes: a holding mechanism 12 for holding the object to be proceeded 16 by absorbing the object to be processed 16 via a porous body 151; and a movement mechanism 13 for moving the holding mechanism 12 in the transport direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

  The present invention relates to a laser irradiation apparatus, a laser irradiation method, and a semiconductor device manufacturing method.

  There is known a laser annealing apparatus that crystallizes an amorphous film by irradiating an amorphous film formed on a silicon substrate or a glass substrate with laser light. Patent Document 1 discloses a laser annealing apparatus that transports a substrate using a transport unit and irradiates the substrate with laser light while the substrate is levitated using a levitation unit.

JP 2002-231654 A

  In the technique disclosed in Patent Literature 1, the substrate is transported using the transport unit while the substrate is levitated using the levitation unit, and the substrate is irradiated with laser light. When the substrate is transported using the transport unit, the substrate is gripped using the transport unit.

  When transporting a substrate in a laser annealing apparatus, it is preferable to transport the substrate at a high speed in order to improve throughput. In addition, it is desired to continuously irradiate the substrate with laser light and to reduce waste of laser light. In order to improve the yield, it is preferable to uniformly irradiate the substrate with laser light to suppress uneven irradiation. Furthermore, in the laser annealing apparatus, it is desired to increase the size of the substrate in order to improve productivity. Therefore, various problems occur with the increase in size of the substrate.

  Other problems and novel features will become apparent from the description of the specification and the accompanying drawings.

  A laser irradiation apparatus according to an embodiment adsorbs an object to be processed through a porous body, thereby holding the object to be processed, a floating unit for levitating the object to be processed, and a levitating unit A laser generator for irradiating the processed object with laser light.

  According to the one embodiment, an excellent laser irradiation apparatus, laser irradiation method, and semiconductor device manufacturing method can be provided.

1 is a plan view schematically showing a configuration of a laser irradiation apparatus according to a first embodiment. It is II-II sectional drawing of FIG. It is III-III sectional drawing of FIG. It is a top view which shows typically the holding mechanism of a conveyance unit. It is a side view which shows typically the holding mechanism of a conveyance unit. It is a figure which shows the state in which the holding mechanism hold | maintained the to-be-processed object. It is a side view which shows typically the holding mechanism concerning a modification. It is a side view which shows the state in which the holding mechanism concerning a modification hold | maintained the to-be-processed object. It is a figure for demonstrating inflow of the gas in the outer peripheral part of a porous body. It is a side view which shows the structure which adsorb | sucked the to-be-processed object smaller than a porous body in the holding mechanism which concerns on a modification. It is a top view for demonstrating the inflow part of the gas in the state in which the holding mechanism hold | maintained the to-be-processed object. It is a figure for demonstrating the control system of a holding mechanism. It is a flowchart which shows the process at the time of board | substrate adsorption | suction. It is a flowchart which shows the process at the time of board | substrate suction | release cancellation | release. It is a perspective view which shows the whole structure of the laser irradiation apparatus concerning Embodiment 2. FIG. FIG. 6 is a plan view schematically showing a configuration of a laser irradiation apparatus according to a second exemplary embodiment. FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a conveying operation of the laser irradiation apparatus according to the second exemplary embodiment. FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a conveying operation of the laser irradiation apparatus according to the second exemplary embodiment. FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a conveying operation of the laser irradiation apparatus according to the second exemplary embodiment. FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a conveying operation of the laser irradiation apparatus according to the second exemplary embodiment. FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a conveying operation of the laser irradiation apparatus according to the second exemplary embodiment. FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a conveying operation of the laser irradiation apparatus according to the second exemplary embodiment. FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a conveying operation of the laser irradiation apparatus according to the second exemplary embodiment. FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a conveying operation of the laser irradiation apparatus according to the second exemplary embodiment. FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a conveying operation of the laser irradiation apparatus according to the second exemplary embodiment. FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a conveying operation of the laser irradiation apparatus according to the second exemplary embodiment. FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a conveying operation of the laser irradiation apparatus according to the second exemplary embodiment. FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a conveying operation of the laser irradiation apparatus according to the second exemplary embodiment. It is a top view for demonstrating rotation operation in the 4th field. It is a flowchart which shows the alignment operation | movement in a 1st area | region. It is a top view which shows arrangement | positioning of the camera for performing alignment operation. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the change operation | movement of a to-be-processed object. It is a top view which shows the structure of a floating unit typically. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of a floating unit typically. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of a precision levitation unit typically. It is a top view which shows the structure of a precision levitation unit typically. It is a figure which shows typically conveyance of the to-be-processed object on a precision levitation unit. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of a rough levitation unit typically It is a top view which shows the structure of a rough levitation unit typically. It is a figure which shows typically conveyance of the to-be-processed object on a rough levitation unit. It is sectional drawing for demonstrating the state which has conveyed the to-be-processed object using the rough levitation | floating unit which has not formed the groove | channel. It is sectional drawing for demonstrating the other structural example of a rough levitation unit. It is sectional drawing for demonstrating the bending of the to-be-processed object conveyed on the floating unit. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of a floating unit typically. It is a side view which shows the structure provided in the monitor area | region. It is a top view which shows typically the structure provided in the monitor area | region. It is a top view which shows the structure of the semi-precision levitation unit of a monitor area | region. It is a top view which shows the structure of a 4th area | region. It is sectional drawing for demonstrating the carrying-in operation | movement in a 4th area | region. It is a perspective view for demonstrating the division | segmentation structure of a laser irradiation apparatus. It is a top view for demonstrating the division | segmentation structure of a laser irradiation apparatus. It is process sectional drawing which shows a TFT manufacturing method. It is sectional drawing of an organic electroluminescence display panel.

  Hereinafter, a laser irradiation apparatus, a laser irradiation method, and a semiconductor device manufacturing method according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the target object to be irradiated with laser is described as a glass substrate with an amorphous silicon film, but the target object is not particularly limited.

  An example of a laser irradiation apparatus is an excimer laser annealing apparatus that forms a polysilicon film by irradiating an amorphous silicon film formed on a substrate with laser light. Therefore, the laser irradiation apparatus is used for manufacturing a TFT (Thin Film Transistor) array substrate in a manufacturing process of a liquid crystal display panel or an organic EL (ElectroLuminescence) display panel. That is, the laser irradiation apparatus is used in a manufacturing process of a semiconductor device such as a TFT array substrate.

Embodiment 1 FIG.
(Basic configuration of laser irradiation device)
The laser irradiation apparatus according to the present embodiment is, for example, an excimer laser annealing (ELA) apparatus that forms a low temperature poly-silicon (LTPS) film. First, the basic configuration of the laser irradiation apparatus will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a plan view for explaining the basic configuration of the laser irradiation apparatus. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the laser irradiation apparatus shown in FIG. 1 taken along a cutting line II-II. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the laser irradiation apparatus shown in FIG. 1 taken along section line III-III.

  In addition, in the figure shown below, xyz three-dimensional orthogonal coordinate system is suitably shown for the simplification of description. The z direction is a vertical vertical direction, the y direction is a direction along a line-shaped laser spot, and the x direction is a transport direction. The substrate is irradiated with a linear laser beam along the y direction while being transported (scanned) in the x direction. Further, the x direction and the y direction are directions along the edge of the rectangular object 16.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the laser irradiation apparatus 1 includes a levitation unit 10, a transport unit 11, and a laser generator 14. As shown in FIG. 2, the levitation unit 10 is configured to eject gas from the surface of the levitation unit 10, and the gas ejected from the surface of the levitation unit 10 is sprayed on the lower surface of the workpiece 16. Thus, the workpiece 16 is lifted. For example, the workpiece 16 is a glass substrate. When the workpiece 16 is conveyed, the levitation unit 10 adjusts the flying height so that the workpiece 16 does not come into contact with another mechanism (not shown) disposed above the workpiece 16.

  The conveyance unit 11 conveys the workpiece 16 that is floating in the conveyance direction (x direction). As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the transport unit 11 includes a holding mechanism 12 and a moving mechanism 13. The holding mechanism 12 holds the workpiece 16. For example, the holding mechanism 12 can be configured using a vacuum suction mechanism including a porous body. The holding mechanism 12 (vacuum adsorption mechanism) is connected to an exhaust port (not shown), and the exhaust port is connected to an ejector, a vacuum pump, or the like. Therefore, since the negative pressure for sucking the gas acts on the holding mechanism 12, the workpiece 16 can be held using the holding mechanism 12.

  The holding mechanism 12 includes an elevating mechanism for performing an adsorption operation. The elevating mechanism includes, for example, an actuator such as an air cylinder or a motor. For example, the holding mechanism 12 sucks the workpiece 16 in a state where the holding mechanism 12 is raised to the suction position. Further, the holding mechanism 12 is lowered to the standby position in a state where the suction is released.

  In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the holding mechanism 12 has a surface (upper surface) opposite to the surface (upper surface) irradiated with the laser light of the object to be processed 16, that is, the surface of the object 16 to float. The workpiece 16 is held by sucking the surface facing the unit 10. Further, the holding mechanism 12 holds the end of the workpiece 16 in the + y direction (that is, the end in the direction perpendicular to the transport direction of the workpiece 16).

  The moving mechanism 13 included in the transport unit 11 is connected to the holding mechanism 12. The moving mechanism 13 is configured to be able to move the holding mechanism 12 in the transport direction (x direction). The transport unit 11 (the holding mechanism 12 and the moving mechanism 13) is provided on the + y-direction end side of the floating unit 10, and the moving mechanism 13 moves in the transport direction while holding the workpiece 16 by the holding mechanism 12. The to-be-processed object 16 is conveyed by moving.

  As shown in FIG. 1, for example, the moving mechanism 13 is configured to slide along the + x direction end of the floating unit 10 along the + x direction, and the moving mechanism 13 moves the end of the floating unit 10 in the + x direction. , The workpiece 16 is transported along the x direction. At this time, the conveyance speed of the workpiece 16 can be controlled by controlling the movement speed of the movement mechanism 13. The moving mechanism 13 includes, for example, an actuator such as a motor (not shown), a linear guide mechanism, an air bearing, and the like.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the object 16 is irradiated with a laser beam 15 (hereinafter, a laser beam irradiation position is also indicated by reference numeral 15). For example, the laser irradiation apparatus is a laser annealing apparatus. In this case, an excimer laser or the like can be used for the laser generation apparatus 14. The laser beam supplied from the laser generator 14 becomes a line shape in an optical system (not shown) having a cylindrical lens. The object 16 is irradiated with a laser beam 15 (line beam) having a line shape, specifically, a focal point extending in the y direction (see FIG. 1). In other words, the irradiation position of the laser beam 15 on the workpiece 16 extends in a direction (y direction) perpendicular to the conveyance direction (x direction) of the workpiece 16.

  The object 16 is, for example, a glass substrate on which an amorphous film (amorphous silicon film) is formed. The amorphous film can be crystallized by irradiating the amorphous film with laser light 15 and annealing. For example, an amorphous silicon film can be converted into a polycrystalline silicon film (polysilicon film).

  In the laser irradiation apparatus 1 shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the object 16 is held by using the transfer unit 11 while holding the lower surface of the object 16 while the object 16 is levitated by using the levitation unit 10. It is transported in the transport direction. At this time, the transport unit 11 included in the laser irradiation apparatus 1 holds a position where the transport unit 11 does not overlap the laser irradiation position 15 in plan view (that is, viewed from the z direction) when the workpiece 16 is transported. The workpiece 16 is conveyed. That is, as shown in FIG. 1, when the object 16 is conveyed in the conveyance direction, the position where the conveyance unit 11 holds the object 16 (corresponding to the position of the holding mechanism 12) is the laser irradiation position 15. I try not to overlap.

  For example, the planar shape of the workpiece 16 is a quadrangle (rectangular shape) having four sides, and the transport unit 11 (holding mechanism 12) holds only one of the four sides of the workpiece 16. The transport unit 11 (holding mechanism 12) holds a position where the laser beam is not irradiated during the period in which the workpiece 16 is transported.

  With such a configuration, the position where the transport unit 11 holds the workpiece 16 (corresponding to the position of the holding mechanism 12) and the laser irradiation position 15 can be separated. Therefore, the influence of the deflection of the object 16 during laser irradiation can be reduced.

(Holding mechanism 12 using porous body)
The holding mechanism 12 preferably uses a porous body to adsorb the object to be processed 16. Hereinafter, a suitable example of the holding mechanism 12 using a porous body will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 is a plan view schematically showing the configuration of the holding mechanism 12, and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VV of FIG. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the workpiece 16 is adsorbed. 5 and 6 also show a configuration for generating a negative pressure. The holding mechanism 12 includes a porous body 151, a pedestal 153, a joint 141, a valve 142, a regulator 143, a vacuum generation source 144, pipes 146 to 148, and a pressure gauge 149.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the porous body 151 is attached to the upper surface of the plate-like pedestal 153. The pedestal 153 is a plate member made of metal such as aluminum or stainless steel. The pedestal 153 has a recess 153 a for forming the negative pressure space 155. That is, only the outer peripheral edge portion of the porous body 151 is fixed to the pedestal 153. A space surrounded by the base 153 and the porous body 151 becomes a negative pressure space 155. Furthermore, a suction port 156 that reaches the negative pressure space 155 is formed at the bottom of the base 153.

  In FIG. 5, only the outer peripheral edge portion of the porous body 151 is held by the pedestal 153, but the location held by the pedestal 153 is not limited to the outer peripheral edge portion. When a groove serving as a flow path is provided in the pedestal 153, the pedestal 153 and the porous body 151 are fixed at a portion other than the flow path. In this case, the flow path becomes a negative pressure space.

  The porous body 151 is formed in a flat plate shape, and has an upper surface 151a and a lower surface 151b. The upper surface 151 a of the porous body 151 is an adsorption surface that adsorbs the object 16 to be processed. The lower surface 151 b of the porous body 151 is in contact with the negative pressure space 155. Inside the porous body 151, fine pores (that is, pores) are provided. Therefore, when the negative pressure space 155 becomes negative pressure, the target object 16 disposed on the upper surface 151a of the porous body 151 is adsorbed. Further, when the object 16 is not on the porous body 151, the gas (air) on the upper side of the porous body 151 passes through the pores and flows into the negative pressure space 155.

  Further, the porous body 151 includes a through hole 152. The through hole 152 reaches the lower surface 151b from the upper surface 151a. That is, the length of the through hole 152 in the z direction is the same as the thickness of the porous body 151. The through hole 152 reaches the negative pressure space 155. The reason for providing the through hole 152 will be described later. The porous body 151 is preferably a porous ceramic such as alumina ceramic. Alternatively, as the porous body 151, porous carbon or porous metal can be used.

  In the xy plane, the porous body 151 has a rectangular shape with a size in the x direction of 280 mm and a size in the y direction of 10 mm. Moreover, the thickness of the porous body 151 is about 5 mm. The porous body 151 is bonded to the base 153 with an adhesive. Alternatively, the porous body 151 may be fixed to the pedestal with a bolt or the like. In the xy plane, the through hole 152 has a circular shape with a diameter of 1.5 mm. Here, three through holes 152 are formed at a pitch of 70 mm in the x direction. Of course, the size of the porous body 151 and the size and number of the through holes 152 are not limited to the above values.

  A joint 141 is connected to the suction port 156 of the base 153. The joint 141 is a T-shaped joint such as a cheese union, for example. The joint 141 is further connected to a pressure gauge 149 and a pipe 146. The pipe 146 connects the valve 142 and the joint 141. The valve 142 is connected to the regulator 143 through the pipe 147. The regulator 143 is connected to the vacuum generation source 144 via the pipe 148.

  The vacuum generation source 144 is an exhaust mechanism such as a vacuum pump or an ejector. Here, as the vacuum generation source 144, the ultimate pressure is -90 kPa, and the suction flow rate is 100 l / min. Note that the pressure is a gauge pressure in which the atmospheric pressure is 0 Pa. The vacuum generation source 144 communicates with the negative pressure space 155 through the pipe 148, the regulator 143, the pipe 147, the valve 142, the pipe 146, the joint 141, and the suction port 156. Therefore, the vacuum generation source 144 exhausts the gas in the negative pressure space 155 in order to set the negative pressure space 155 to a negative pressure. The regulator 143 adjusts the pressure in the negative pressure space 155 by controlling the exhaust amount of the vacuum generation source 144. For example, the set pressure of the regulator 143 is set to −50 kPa.

  The valve 142 is, for example, an air operated valve that is controlled to open and close by a control signal. When the valve 142 is opened, the vacuum generation source 144 evacuates the negative pressure space 155, so that the workpiece 16 is adsorbed. When the valve 142 is closed, the exhaust of the negative pressure space 155 is stopped. Then, since the gas flows into the negative pressure space 155 through the porous body 151, the adsorption of the workpiece 16 is released.

  The pressure gauge 149 communicates with the negative pressure space 155 through the joint 141. Therefore, the pressure gauge 149 measures the pressure in the negative pressure space 155. The position where the pressure gauge 149 is attached is not particularly limited as long as the pressure gauge 149 can be measured at the position where the pressure in the negative pressure space 155 can be measured. For example, the pedestal 153 may be separately provided with a port for attaching the pressure gauge 149. The pressure of the pressure gauge 149 determines whether or not the workpiece 16 is adsorbed. Specifically, it is determined whether or not the adsorption is completed by comparing the pressure value measured by the pressure gauge 149 with a threshold value. This adsorption determination process will be described later.

  FIG. 6 shows the holding mechanism 12 in a state where the workpiece 16 is adsorbed. An object to be processed 16 is placed on the porous body 151. That is, the upper surface 151 a of the porous body 151 is in contact with the lower surface of the object 16 to be processed. As described above, the vacuum generation source 144 sets the negative pressure space 155 to a negative pressure. Therefore, the object 16 can be adsorbed through the porous body 151.

  Here, the through hole 152 is disposed immediately below the workpiece 16. In other words, the through hole 152 is formed at a position covered with the workpiece 16. Accordingly, during suction, the through hole 152 is blocked by the workpiece 16, so that air does not flow into the negative pressure space 155 through the through hole 152. Thereby, the holding mechanism 12 can adsorb | suck the to-be-processed object 16 reliably.

  Further, by forming the through hole 152 in the porous body 151, it is possible to reliably perform the adsorption determination. In order to explain the reason, FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 show Modification 1 using the porous body 151 in which the through hole 152 is not formed. 7 and FIG. 8 has the same configuration as the holding mechanism 12 shown in FIGS. 4 to 6 except that the through hole 152 is not formed in the porous body 151. 7 shows a state in which the object to be processed 16 is not arranged on the porous body 151, and FIG. 8 shows a state in which the object to be processed 16 is arranged on the porous body 151.

  When the workpiece 16 is not disposed on the porous body 151, air flows into the negative pressure space 155 from the entire upper surface of the porous body 151 as indicated by the arrow in FIG. 7. On the other hand, when the object 16 is disposed on the porous body 151, air flows into the negative pressure space 155 only from the outer peripheral portion of the porous body 151 as indicated by the arrow in FIG. 8.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 9, a gap is generated between the object to be processed 16 and the porous body 151 at the end of the object to be processed 16. Therefore, gas flows from the gap between the object 16 and the porous body 151.

  Here, by changing the porosity, pore diameter, thickness, and the like of the porous body 151, the resistance to gas inflow can be increased. When the resistance of the porous body 151 is increased, a sufficient adsorbing force can be obtained even when the object to be processed 16 is placed only on a part of the porous body 151 as shown in FIG. . When the resistance of the porous body 151 is large, the suction flow rate by the vacuum generation source 144 is sufficiently larger than the inflow flow rate from the porous body 151. Therefore, even if gas flows into the negative pressure space 155 through the porous body 151, the pressure in the negative pressure space 155 can be kept in vacuum.

  However, when the porous body 151 having a small size is used, if the resistance of the porous body 151 is large, the difference in the pressure in the negative pressure space 155 before and after the adsorption becomes small. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 10, when the small object 16 is adsorbed to the porous body 151, if the resistance of the porous body 151 is large, the difference in the pressure of the negative pressure space 155 before and after the adsorption becomes small. End up.

  Hereinafter, the flow rate of the gas flowing into the negative pressure space 155 through the porous body 151 will be described. As shown in FIG. 7, when the object 16 is not placed on the porous body 151, air flows into the negative pressure space 155 from the entire upper surface 151 a of the porous body 151. On the other hand, when the object 16 is placed on the porous body 151, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the gas flows into the negative pressure space 155 from the outer periphery of the porous body 151. In the present embodiment, since the holding mechanism 12 adsorbs a part of the workpiece 16, the porous body 151 is small. In a specific example, a small porous body 151 having a size in the x direction of 280 mm and a size in the y direction of 10 mm is used. In this case, the difference in the flow rate of gas flowing into the negative pressure space 155 through the porous body 151 is reduced depending on the presence or absence of the object 16 to be processed.

  As a specific example, a case will be described in which the workpiece 16 having a size in the x direction of 1850 mm and a size in the y direction of 1500 mm is held. In this specific example, six holding mechanisms 12 having a porous body 151 having a size in the x direction of 280 mm and a size in the y direction of 10 mm are prepared. Then, the six holding mechanisms 12 are arranged in a line along one side of 1850 mm of the workpiece 16 to hold the end portion of the workpiece 16. Of course, the size and number of the porous bodies 151 can be changed according to the size of the object 16 to be processed.

  For example, in a state where the object to be processed 16 is placed on the porous body 151, the gas flows in from a rectangular frame-shaped inflow region 1511 extending from the outer peripheral edge of the porous body 151 to 3 mm as shown in FIG. (See also FIG. 9). In this case, gas does not flow in from the rectangular non-inflow region 1512 inside the rectangular frame-shaped inflow region 1511.

In the above specific example, the area of one porous body 151 in the xy plane is 2800 mm ² (280 mm × 10 mm). Since the area of the non-inflow region 1512 in one porous body 151 is a portion excluding a rectangular frame having a width of 3 mm, it is 1096 mm ² (= 274 mm × 4 mm). Therefore, the area of the inflow region 1511 in one of the porous body 151 ^{becomes 1704mm 2 (= 2800mm 2 -1096mm 2} ). In other words, even if the target object 16 is disposed on the porous body 151, gas flows from about 60% of the area of the porous body 151.

  Therefore, it becomes difficult to detect the pressure difference due to the presence or absence of the workpiece 16. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, in a state where the object 16 is not disposed on the porous body 151, the pressure in the negative pressure space 155 measured by the pressure gauge 149 is −25 kPa. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 8, in the state where the object 16 is disposed on the porous body 151, the pressure in the negative pressure space 155 measured by the pressure gauge 149 is −28 kPa. Therefore, the pressure difference in the negative pressure space 155 due to the presence or absence of the workpiece 16 is only 3 kPa.

  On the other hand, when the through hole 152 is provided in the porous body 151 as in the present embodiment, the negative pressure space 155 communicates with the outside through the through hole 152. Therefore, in the absence of the object 16 to be processed, the negative pressure space 155 becomes almost atmospheric pressure, that is, close to 0 kPa. On the other hand, the through hole 152 is not formed near the outer peripheral edge of the porous body 151. In other words, all the through holes 152 are provided in the non-inflow region 1512 illustrated in FIG. 11, and no through hole 152 is provided in the inflow region 1511. For this reason, in the state where the object to be processed 16 is disposed on the porous body 151, the through hole 152 is blocked by the object to be processed 16. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6, in the state where the object 16 is disposed on the porous body 151, the pressure in the negative pressure space 155 measured by the pressure gauge 149 is −28 kPa. Therefore, the pressure difference in the negative pressure space 155 depending on the presence or absence of the workpiece 16 is 28 kPa.

  By doing in this way, adsorption | suction determination can be performed reliably. That is, the adsorption detection can be appropriately performed according to the pressure value measured by the pressure gauge 149. For example, the pressure value measured by the pressure gauge 149 can be compared with a threshold value, and it can be determined whether the adsorption has been completed according to the comparison result. That is, the pressure in the negative pressure space 155 at the time of non-adsorption is almost atmospheric pressure, and the pressure of the negative pressure space 155 at the time of adsorption is a vacuum. Thus, since the pressure difference according to the presence / absence of the workpiece 16 is large, the determination of adsorption / non-adsorption becomes easy.

  From the above viewpoint, it is preferable that the through hole 152 is not formed in the vicinity of the outer peripheral edge of the porous body 151. In the present embodiment, all the through holes 152 are formed in the central part excluding the peripheral part of the porous body 151.

  And when it determines with adsorption | suction of the to-be-processed object 16 having been completed, the moving mechanism 13 moves the holding mechanism 12 (refer FIG. 1 etc.). That is, the adsorption detection of the workpiece 16 can be used as a trigger for starting the conveyance of the workpiece 16. Hereinafter, a control system for performing the suction determination of the workpiece 16 and the operation of the moving mechanism 13 will be described with reference to FIG.

  The laser irradiation apparatus 1 includes an A / D converter 52, a control unit 53, a motor driver 56, a motion controller 54, and a motor 57. The motor 57 is an actuator provided in the moving mechanism 13 and moves the holding mechanism 12 in the transport direction (+ x direction in FIG. 1). The motor driver 56 drives the motor 57. Further, the laser irradiation apparatus 1 includes the above-described transport unit 11, a holding mechanism 12, a moving mechanism 13, a floating unit 10, and the like.

  The pressure gauge 149 measures the pressure in the negative pressure space 155 and outputs a measurement signal corresponding to the measured pressure to the A / D converter 52. The A / D converter 52 A / D converts an analog measurement signal. Then, the A / D converter 52 outputs a digital measurement signal to the control unit 53. The control unit 53 is an arithmetic processing device that includes a CPU, a memory, and the like. The control unit 53 controls each device provided in the laser irradiation apparatus 1 (for example, various actuators such as a valve 142, a motor and a cylinder, the laser generator 14 and the like).

  The control unit 53 performs adsorption determination by comparing a preset threshold value with the value of the measurement signal (measurement pressure). That is, the control unit 53 determines that the adsorption has been completed when the measured pressure is lower than the threshold value. The control unit 53 determines that the adsorption has not been completed when the measured pressure is equal to or greater than the threshold value. In this way, the control unit 53 serves as a determination unit that performs adsorption determination.

  The controller 53 outputs an operation command corresponding to the result of the suction determination to the motion controller 54. That is, when it is determined that the suction has been completed, the control unit 53 outputs an operation command to the motion controller 54. Since the operation command is a trigger for starting movement, movement by the moving mechanism 13 starts.

  Specifically, the motion controller 54 outputs a control signal to the motor driver 56 by pulse or communication. As a result, the motor driver 56 outputs a drive signal corresponding to the control signal to the motor 57. Therefore, the motor 57 of the moving mechanism 13 moves the holding mechanism 12 in the + x direction. The workpiece 16 held by the holding mechanism 12 is conveyed in the + x direction.

  The encoder value of the motor 57 is output to the motor driver 56. The motor driver 56 outputs a feedback signal corresponding to the encoder value to the motion controller 54. The motion controller 54 performs feedback control according to the feedback signal. As a result, the workpiece 66 is transported in the + x direction by a predetermined transport distance at a predetermined transport speed.

  Next, a process for attracting and transporting the workpiece 16 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a process for attracting and transporting the workpiece 16.

  First, the holding mechanism 12 is raised (S11). That is, the holding mechanism 12 disposed below the object to be processed 16 moves in the + z direction to a position where the holding mechanism 12 contacts the object to be processed 16. Then, the suction by the holding mechanism 12 is turned on (S12). Specifically, the control unit 53 opens the valve 142 shown in FIG. Thereby, the negative pressure space 155 is exhausted and becomes a negative pressure. Next, the control part 53 determines whether adsorption | suction was completed (S13). That is, the control unit 53 compares the measured value of the pressure gauge 149 with a threshold value, and performs adsorption determination according to the comparison result. When it is determined that the adsorption is not completed (NO in S13), the adsorption determination in S13 is repeated until the adsorption is completed. That is, when the pressure in the negative pressure space 155 is equal to or higher than the threshold value, the conveyance is waited until the pressure in the negative pressure space 155 becomes less than the threshold value.

  When it is determined that the suction has been completed (YES in S13), the workpiece 16 is transported (S14). That is, when the pressure in the negative pressure space 155 becomes lower than the threshold value, the motor 57 of the moving mechanism 13 starts operating. Thereby, the workpiece 16 held by the holding mechanism 12 is conveyed in the + x direction.

  Next, a process for releasing the suction of the workpiece 16 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing the suction release processing.

  First, the suction of the workpiece 16 is turned off (released) (S21). Specifically, when the control unit 53 closes the valve 142 shown in FIG. 4 and the like, the pressure in the negative pressure space 155 increases. Next, the control part 53 determines whether the cancellation | release of adsorption | suction was completed (S22). That is, the control unit 53 compares the measurement value of the pressure gauge 149 with the threshold value, and determines whether to release the adsorption according to the comparison result. If it is determined that the suction release has not been completed (NO in S22), the suction determination in S22 is repeated until the suction release is completed. That is, when the pressure in the negative pressure space 155 is less than the threshold value, the process waits until the pressure in the negative pressure space 155 becomes equal to or higher than the threshold value.

  When it is determined that the suction release has been completed (YES in S22), the holding mechanism 12 is lowered (S23). That is, the holding mechanism 12 that has been in contact with the object to be processed 16 moves in the −z direction to a position away from the object to be processed 16. Thereby, the suction release processing is completed.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the adsorption determination and the adsorption release determination are performed according to the pressure measured by the pressure gauge 149. That is, it is determined whether the holding mechanism 12 is adsorbing the workpiece 16 by comparing the pressure measurement value with the threshold value. By doing in this way, it can be determined appropriately and rapidly whether it is adsorbed. In particular, in the holding mechanism 12 according to the present embodiment, the through hole 152 is provided in the porous body 151. For this reason, the pressure difference of the negative pressure space 155 increases depending on the presence or absence of the object 66. Therefore, pressure determination can be performed appropriately and quickly.

  After the control unit 53 determines that the holding mechanism 12 has sucked the workpiece 16, the moving mechanism 13 starts moving. After the control unit 53 determines that the holding mechanism 12 is not adsorbing the workpiece 16, the holding mechanism 12 moves up and down. Thereby, since operation | movement of the conveyance unit 11 can be performed rapidly, tact time can be shortened. Furthermore, it is possible to prevent the holding mechanism 12 from moving before the adsorption is completed.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
The laser irradiation apparatus 2 concerning this Embodiment 2 is demonstrated using FIG. 15, FIG. FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the main part of the laser irradiation apparatus 2. FIG. 16 is an xy plan view showing the configuration of the main part of the laser irradiation apparatus 2. Note that the description of the same components as those in Embodiment 1 is omitted as appropriate. For example, the basic configurations of the transport units 61_1 to 61_4, the holding mechanisms 62_1 to 62_4, and the moving mechanisms 63_1 to 63_4 are the same as those of the transport unit 11, the holding mechanism 12, and the moving mechanism 13 described in the first embodiment. The description will be omitted as appropriate. Furthermore, the processing shown in FIGS. 13 and 14 can be performed using the control system shown in FIG. Also in the present embodiment, the amorphous silicon film is converted into a polysilicon film by irradiating the object 66 with the laser beam 65 from the laser generator as in the first embodiment.

  The levitation unit 60 is configured to eject gas from the surface of the levitation unit 60. The gas ejected from the surface of the levitation unit 60 is blown onto the lower surface of the object to be processed 66, so that the object to be processed 66 is Surface. The levitation unit 60 is disposed on the gantry 400.

  Moreover, the rectangular floating unit 60 in the xy plan view is divided into six regions 60a to 60f. Specifically, the levitation unit 60 includes a first region 60a to a fourth region 60d, an irradiation region 60e, and a monitor region 60f. The first region 60a is a rectangular region including a −x side and + y side corner (upper left corner in FIG. 16). The second region 60b is a rectangular region including the + x side and + y side corners (upper right corner in FIG. 16). The third region 60c is a rectangular region including a + x side and −y side corner (lower right corner in FIG. 16). The fourth region 60d is a rectangular region including a corner on the −x side and a −y side (lower left corner in FIG. 16).

  The irradiation region 60e is disposed between the first region 60a and the second region 60b. The irradiation region 60e is a region irradiated with laser light. That is, the laser irradiation position 65 is included in the irradiation region 60e. The monitor area 60f is disposed between the third area 60c and the fourth area 60d. Therefore, the + y side half area (the upper half area in FIG. 16) of the levitating unit 60 is in order from the −x side (left side in FIG. 16), the first area 60a, the irradiation area 60e, and the second area 60b. It has become. A half region (lower half region in FIG. 16) on the −y side of the levitation unit 60 is a third region 60c, a monitor region 60f, and a fourth region 60d in order from the + x side.

  In the xy plan view, the first region 60a to the fourth region 60d may have substantially the same area. In the xy plan view, the irradiation region 60e and the monitor region 60f may have a rectangular shape with substantially the same area. In this case, the first region 60a and the fourth region 60d are arranged side by side in the y direction. The second region 60b and the fourth region 60d are arranged side by side in the y direction. An irradiation area 60e and a monitor area 60f are arranged side by side in the y direction.

  An alignment mechanism 69 is provided in the first region 60a. A rotation mechanism 68 is provided in the fourth region 60d. Further, an auxiliary levitation unit 67 is provided outside the fourth region 60d. The auxiliary levitation units 67 are respectively disposed on the −y side and the −x side of the fourth region 60d. The operations of the rotation mechanism 68, the alignment mechanism 69, and the auxiliary levitation unit 67 will be described later.

  The object 66 is sequentially conveyed through the first region 60a to the fourth region 60d. That is, when the object 66 is conveyed in the + x direction from the first area 60a, the object 66 passes through the irradiation area 60e and moves to the second area 60b. When passing through the irradiation region 60e, the workpiece 66 is irradiated with laser light. When the object 66 is conveyed in the −y direction from the second region 60b, the object 66 moves to the third region 60c.

  When the workpiece 66 is transported from the third region 60c in the −x direction, it passes through the monitor region 60f and moves to the fourth region 60d. In the monitor area 60f, the laser beam irradiation unevenness is monitored. The irradiation unevenness monitor will be described later. When the workpiece 66 is transported from the fourth region 60d in the + y direction, it moves to the first region 60a.

  As described above, the object to be processed 66 is transported while changing its direction from the + x direction, the −y direction, the −x direction, and the + y direction. In other words, the workpiece 66 is conveyed so as to circulate through the first region 60a to the fourth region 60d. Strictly speaking, since the fourth region 60d is the loading / unloading position of the object 66, the object 66 is divided into the fourth region 60d, the first region 60a, and the second region 60b. , And are conveyed in the order of the third region 60c. Of course, the loading / unloading position is not limited to the fourth area 60d.

  Furthermore, the workpiece 66 may be circulated in the opposite direction. For example, the object 66 may be transported in the order of the fourth region 60d, the third region 60c, the second region 60b, and the first region 60a. That is, in the plan view of FIG. 16, the conveyance direction may be clockwise or counterclockwise. Depending on the processing of the laser irradiation apparatus 2, the conveyance direction may be switched as appropriate.

  As described above, in order to circulate and convey the workpiece 66, the laser irradiation apparatus 2 includes the four conveyance units 61_1 to 61_4. The transport units 61_1 to 61_4 are provided outside the levitation unit 60 and in the vicinity of each side of the levitation unit 60.

  The floating unit 60 has a rectangular shape when viewed from the xy plane, and each of the transport units 61_1 to 61_4 is provided so as to transport the object 66 along each side of the floating unit 60. In addition, although each conveyance unit 61_1-61_4 is provided in the outer side of each side of the levitation unit 60, it may be provided in the levitation unit 60 inside.

  Specifically, the transport unit 61_1 is provided on the side of the floating unit 60 on the + y direction side, and includes a holding mechanism 62_1 and a moving mechanism 63_1. Then, the object 66 can be transported from the first area 60a to the second area 60b by moving the moving mechanism 63_1 in the + x direction while holding the object 66 by the holding mechanism 62_1. By the conveyance by the conveyance unit 61_1, the workpiece 66 passes through the irradiation region 60e. Therefore, when the workpiece 66 is transported from the first region 60a to the second region 60b, the laser beam 65 is irradiated to the workpiece 66.

  Further, the transport unit 61_1 includes a holding mechanism 62_11 and a moving mechanism 63_11. The holding mechanism 62_11 and the moving mechanism 63_11 operate in the same manner as the holding mechanism 62_1 and the moving mechanism 63_1. That is, when the moving mechanism 63_11 moves in the + x direction while the holding mechanism 62_11 holds the workpiece 66, the workpiece 66 can be transported from the first region 60a to the second region 60b. By the conveyance by the conveyance unit 61_1, the workpiece 66 passes through the irradiation region 60e. Therefore, when the workpiece 66 is transported from the first region 60a to the second region 60b, the laser beam 65 is irradiated to the workpiece 66.

  The holding mechanism 62_1 and the holding mechanism 62_11 have different positions in the y direction. More specifically, the holding mechanism 62_11 is disposed on the + y direction side of the holding mechanism 62_1. Therefore, the holding position of the object 66 is different between the holding mechanism 62_1 and the holding mechanism 62_11. The basic configuration and operation of the holding mechanism 62_11 and the moving mechanism 63_11 are the same as those of the holding mechanism 62_1 and the moving mechanism 63_1, and thus description thereof is omitted as appropriate. Further, in some drawings shown later, the holding mechanism 62_11 and the moving mechanism 63_11 are not shown.

  The holding mechanism 62_11 and the moving mechanism 63_11 operate independently of the holding mechanism 62_1 and the moving mechanism 63_1. The movement mechanisms 63_1 and 63_2 move the holding mechanism 62_1 and the holding mechanism 62_11 independently. As described above, the transport unit 61_1 includes the two holding mechanisms 62_1 and 62_11 and the two moving mechanisms 63_1 and 63_11, thereby reducing the throughput. This point will be described later.

  The transport unit 61_2 is provided on the side of the floating unit 60 on the + x direction side, and includes a holding mechanism 62_2 and a moving mechanism 63_2. Then, while the object 66 is held by the holding mechanism 62_2, the moving mechanism 63_2 moves to the −y direction side, so that the object 66 can be transferred from the second region 60b to the third region 60c. it can.

  The transport unit 61_3 is provided on the side of the floating unit 60 on the -y direction side, and includes a holding mechanism 62_3 and a moving mechanism 63_3. Then, while the workpiece 66 is held by the holding mechanism 62_3, the moving mechanism 63_3 moves in the −x direction, so that the workpiece 66 can be transferred from the third region 60c to the fourth region 60d. . The object 66 passes through the monitor region 60f by the conveyance by the conveyance unit 61_3.

  The transport unit 61_4 is provided on the side of the floating unit 60 on the −x direction side, and includes a holding mechanism 62_4 and a moving mechanism 63_4. And while the to-be-processed object 66 is hold | maintained with the holding mechanism 62_4, the to-be-processed object 66 can be conveyed from the 4th area | region 60d to the 1st area | region 60a because the moving mechanism 63_4 moves to + y direction.

  The holding mechanisms 62_1 to 62_4 have the same configuration as that of the first embodiment, and suck the workpiece 66. The holding mechanisms 62_2 and 62_4 are arranged in a different direction from the holding mechanisms 62_1, 62_11, and 62_3. More specifically, in the xy plan view, the holding mechanisms 62_1, 62_11, 62_3 have a rectangular shape with the x direction as the longitudinal direction, as shown in FIG. The holding mechanisms 62_2 and 62_4 have the rectangular shape shown in FIG. 4, but the installation directions are different by 90 °. That is, in the holding mechanisms 62_1, 62_11, and 62_3, the longitudinal direction is the x direction and the short direction is the y direction, whereas in the holding mechanisms 62_2 and 62_4, the long direction is the y direction and the short direction is the x direction. It has become. The holding mechanisms 62_1 to 62_4 are provided such that the moving direction is the longitudinal direction.

  Furthermore, the size of the holding mechanisms 62_1 to 62_4 may be changed depending on whether the short side or the long side of the rectangular object 66 is held. For example, in FIG. 16, the x direction is the long side direction of the workpiece 66, and the y direction is the short side direction. Specifically, the size of the workpiece 66 in the x direction is 1850 mm, and the size in the y direction is about 1500 mm. Therefore, the holding mechanisms 62_1, 62_11, and 62_3 hold the long side of the workpiece 66, and the holding mechanisms 62_2 and 62_4 hold the short side. In this case, the size in the y direction of the holding mechanisms 62_1, 62_11, and 62_3 is set to about 10 mm, and the size in the y direction of the holding mechanisms 62_2 and 62_4 is set to about 30 mm. The widths of the holding mechanisms 62_2 and 62_4 that hold the short sides are made wider than the widths of the holding mechanisms 62_1, 62_11, and 62_3 that hold the long sides. This is because when the short side is held, a larger moment is applied to the object 66 than when the long side is held, and thus the holding mechanisms 62_2 and 62_4 require a larger suction force. The holding mechanisms 62_1 to 62_4 hold the object 66 by adsorbing the end of the object 66 with a width of about 10 to 30 mm. Further, FIG. 16 shows a configuration in which each of the holding mechanisms 62_1 to 62_4 is provided on the entire one side of the object to be processed 66, but the holding mechanisms 62_1 to 62_4 may not be provided on the entire one side of the object to be processed 66. Good. That is, each of the holding mechanisms 62_1 to 62_4 may partially hold one side of the workpiece 66. Specifically, the holding mechanism for holding the adjacent side and the holding position of the object to be processed 66 are arranged so as not to overlap. Furthermore, as shown in Embodiment Mode 1, when a holding mechanism having a length of 280 mm is used, one side of the object 66 may be held using a plurality of holding mechanisms.

  Here, in the laser irradiation apparatus 2 according to the second exemplary embodiment, the length of the laser irradiation position 65 in the y direction is about half the length of the workpiece 66 in the y direction. Therefore, when the object to be processed 66 passes the laser irradiation position 65, the laser beam is irradiated to a half region in the y direction of the object to be processed 66. Therefore, the workpiece 66 is conveyed so as to circulate twice on the floating unit 60. By doing so, the laser beam is irradiated on almost the entire surface of the object 66.

  When the laser beam is irradiated on almost the entire surface of the object 66 as described above, as shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, the horizontal plane (xy plane) of the object 66 is placed in the fourth region 60 d of the levitation unit 60. A rotation mechanism 68 that rotates the object 66 while being held is rotated 180 degrees. That is, the object to be processed 66 is conveyed from the first region 60a to the second region 60b using the conveyance unit 61_1, and the object 66 is irradiated with the laser beam 65, and then the object to be processed is conveyed using the conveyance units 61_2 to 61_4. While the processing object 66 is being conveyed, the object to be processed is rotated 180 degrees using the rotation mechanism 68. Then, the object 66 is again conveyed from the region 60a to the region 60b using the conveyance unit 61_1, and the object 66 is irradiated with the laser beam 65, so that the entire surface of the object 66 is irradiated with the laser beam 65. can do.

(Transport operation)
Hereinafter, the conveyance operation by the conveyance units 61_1 to 61_4 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. In the description of FIGS. 17 to 28, a case where only the holding mechanism 62 </ b> _ <b> 1 and the moving mechanism 63 </ b> _ <b> 1 are used in the transport unit 61 </ b> _ <b> 1 will be described for simplification of description. Accordingly, in FIGS. 17 to 28, the holding mechanism 62_11 and the moving mechanism 63_11 are not shown.

  In the case of irradiating the object 66 with the laser beam 65 using the laser irradiation apparatus 2, the object 66 is first carried into the fourth region 60d as shown in FIG. For example, a transfer robot (not shown) carries the workpiece 66 into the fourth area 60d. The carrying-in process of the workpiece 66 will be described later.

  Next, the lower surface of the end on the −x direction side of the workpiece 66 is held using the holding mechanism 62_4 of the transport unit 61_4. Thereafter, with the holding mechanism 62_4 holding the object to be processed 66, the moving mechanism 63_4 of the transfer unit 61_4 is moved to the + y direction side, and the object to be processed 66 is transferred to the + y direction side. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 18, the to-be-processed object 66 moves to the 1st area | region 60a.

  When the object to be processed 66 moves to the first region 60a, the object to be processed 66 is placed on the alignment mechanism 69. Then, the alignment mechanism 69 aligns the workpiece 66. The alignment operation by the alignment mechanism 69 will be described later.

  After the alignment, the lower surface of the + y-direction end of the workpiece 66 is held using the holding mechanism 62_1 of the transport unit 61_1. After that, as shown in FIG. 19, with the holding mechanism 62_1 holding the object to be processed 66, the moving mechanism 63_1 of the transfer unit 61_1 is moved to the + x direction side, and the object to be processed 66 is transferred to the + x direction side. . Thereby, the to-be-processed object 66 passes the irradiation area | region 60e. Therefore, the laser beam 65 is irradiated to the half region on one side of the object 66 (the region irradiated with the laser beam is shown as a crystallization region 71). In the crystallization region 71, an amorphous film (amorphous silicon film) is crystallized to form a polycrystalline film (polysilicon film).

  As shown in FIG. 20, when the object to be processed 66 reaches the second region 60b of the levitation unit 60, the holding mechanism for holding the object to be processed 66 is changed from the holding mechanism 62_1 to the holding mechanism 62_2. Specifically, the holding mechanism 62_1 sucks the workpiece 66, and the holding mechanism 62_4 releases the suction of the workpiece 66. That is, the holding mechanism 62_1 and the holding mechanism 62_2 perform the operation of changing the object 66. The operation of changing the object 66 will be described later. In addition, the transport unit 61_1 is returned to the original position (first region 60a). In FIG. 20, since the object 66 passes through the irradiation region 60 e once, almost half of the object 66 on the −y side is the crystallization region 71. In FIG. 20, the entire half surface of the object to be processed 66 is irradiated with laser light, but only a part of the half surface of the object to be processed 66 may be irradiated with laser light.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 21, with the holding mechanism 62_2 holding the object to be processed 66, the moving mechanism 63_2 of the transport unit 61_2 is moved to the -y direction side, and the object to be processed 66 is moved to the -y direction side. Transport.

  As shown in FIG. 22, when the object to be processed 66 reaches the third region 60c of the levitation unit 60, the holding mechanism for holding the object to be processed 66 is changed from the holding mechanism 62_2 to the holding mechanism 62_3. That is, the holding mechanism 62_2 and the holding mechanism 62_3 perform the operation of changing the object 66. Further, the transport unit 61_2 is returned to the original position (second region 60b). Thereafter, with the holding mechanism 62_3 holding the object to be processed 66, the moving mechanism 63_3 of the transfer unit 61_3 is moved to the −x direction side, and the object to be processed 66 is transferred to the −x direction side.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 23, after the workpiece 66 is transported to the fourth region 60d of the levitation unit 60 and reaches the rotation mechanism 68, the holding mechanism 62_3 is switched to the rotation mechanism 68. Done. Specifically, the rotating mechanism 68 holds the workpiece 66 held by the holding mechanism 62_3 via the adsorbent. Then, the holding state of the holding mechanism 62_3 is released, and the holding mechanism 62_3 does not hold the workpiece 66. After the holding mechanism 62_3 releases the workpiece 66, the transport unit 61_3 returns to the original position (fourth region 60d).

  Then, the rotating mechanism 68 is rotated 180 degrees in a state where the workpiece 66 is placed on the rotating mechanism 68. As a result, the object to be processed 66 is rotated by 180 degrees, and the crystallization region 71 of the object to be processed 66 is changed from the −y direction side to the + y direction side as shown in FIG. Thereafter, the holding mechanism 62_4 holds the workpiece 66. That is, the object 66 is transferred from the rotation mechanism 68 to the holding mechanism 62_4. Then, with the holding mechanism 62_4 holding the workpiece 66, the moving mechanism 63_4 of the transport unit 61_4 is moved to the + y direction side, and the workpiece 66 is transported to the + y direction side.

  As shown in FIG. 25, when the object 66 reaches the first region 60a of the levitation unit 60, the holding mechanism for holding the object 66 is changed from the holding mechanism 62_4 to the holding mechanism 62_1. Further, the transport unit 61_4 is returned to the original position (fourth region 60d). At the position shown in FIG. 25, the alignment mechanism 69 may perform an alignment operation before the holding mechanism 62_1 holds the workpiece 66.

  Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 26, in a state where the holding mechanism 62_1 holds the object to be processed 66, the moving mechanism 63_1 of the transfer unit 61_1 is moved to the + x direction side, and the object to be processed 66 is transferred to the + x direction side. . Thereby, the to-be-processed object 66 passes the irradiation area | region 60e. The laser beam 65 is irradiated to the other half region of the workpiece 66. Therefore, the remaining half of the amorphous film of the object 66 is crystallized and becomes a crystallized region 71.

  And as shown in FIG. 27, the to-be-processed object 66 is conveyed to the 2nd area | region 60b, and a laser beam can be irradiated to the to-be-processed object 66 almost the whole surface. Then, when a transport operation similar to the transport operation illustrated in FIGS. 20 to 23 is performed, the workpiece 66 moves to the fourth region 60d.

  Thus, in this Embodiment, the to-be-processed object 66 is conveyed so that it may circulate on the floating unit 60 in multiple times. Here, a transport operation that returns from the fourth region 60d to the fourth region 60d via the first region 60a, the second region 60b, and the third region 60c is defined as one circulation transport. By repeating the above-described circulation conveyance operation a plurality of times, the object 66 can pass through the laser irradiation position 65 a plurality of times. By performing the circulating conveyance twice, the laser beam is irradiated on almost the entire surface of the workpiece 66. Further, by circulating and transporting three or more times, it is possible to irradiate the same portion of the workpiece 66 with laser light a plurality of times. Then, after circulating and conveying a predetermined number of times, the object 66 is unloaded from the fourth region 60d.

When the workpiece 66 is circulated and transported twice on the floating unit 60, for example, the following operation is performed on the workpiece 66.
(1) Loading operation to the fourth region 60d (2) + y direction transfer operation from the fourth region 60d to the first region 60a (3) Alignment operation in the first region 60a (4) First + X direction conveyance operation from the region 60a to the second region 60b (including laser irradiation in the irradiation region 60e)
(5) -y direction transport operation from the second region 60b to the third region 60c (6) -x direction transport operation from the third region 60c to the fourth region 60d (7) fourth region 60d (8) + y direction transfer operation from the fourth region 60d to the first region 60a (9) Alignment operation in the first region 60a (10) From the first region 60a to the second region 60b + X direction transport operation (including laser irradiation in irradiation region 60e)
(11) -y direction transport operation from second region 60b to third region 60c (12) -x direction transport operation from third region 60c to fourth region 60d (13) fourth region 60d Unloading operation from

  Furthermore, in the operations (6) and (11), the object 66 passes through the monitor region 60f. In at least one of (6) and (11), the unevenness of the polysilicon film can be monitored in the monitor region 60f. The operation in the monitor area 60f will be described later.

  In the laser irradiation apparatus 2 described above, the case where the rotation mechanism 68 is provided in the region 60d of the levitation unit 60 has been described. However, in the present embodiment, the place where the rotation mechanism 68 is provided is the fourth position of the levitation unit 60. It may be other than the region 60d. That is, after passing through the laser irradiation position 65 and before passing through the laser irradiation position 65 again, the workpiece 66 has only to be rotated 180 degrees, so the place where the rotation mechanism 68 is provided is the first region 60a of the levitation unit. To any of the fourth region 60d.

  In the laser irradiation apparatus 2 according to the present embodiment, the object to be processed 66 is conveyed in the order of the fourth region 60d, the first region 60a, the second region 60b, and the third region 60c. Since 66 is irradiated with the laser beam 65, a plurality of workpieces 66 can be simultaneously circulated and conveyed.

  That is, in the laser irradiation apparatus 2 according to the present exemplary embodiment, another object to be processed 66 is transported or rotated by the rotation mechanism 68 while the object 66 is irradiated with the laser beam 65, The processing body 66 can be carried in and out. Therefore, after the object 66 is irradiated with the laser beam 65, the other object to be processed can be irradiated with the laser beam 65 immediately, so that the time during which the object 65 is not irradiated with the laser beam 65 can be reduced. it can. That is, in this embodiment, the throughput of the laser irradiation apparatus 2 can be improved. In this case, the rotation mechanism 68 is preferably provided in a region other than the first region 60a and the second region 60b. For example, the rotation mechanism 68 is preferably provided in the fourth region 60d.

(Continuous processing of two workpieces 66)
In the present embodiment, the transport unit 61_1 includes two holding mechanisms 62_1 and 62_11 and two moving mechanisms 63_1 and 63_11. Thereby, it is possible to continuously irradiate the two workpieces 66 with laser light. Thus, throughput can be improved. This point will be described in detail below.

  In the laser irradiation apparatus 2 according to this embodiment, the object to be processed 66 is irradiated with the laser beam 65 when the object to be processed 66 is transported using the holding mechanism 62_1 and the moving mechanism 63_1. Therefore, after the holding mechanism 62_1 and the moving mechanism 63_1 move to the second region 60b and before returning to the first region 60a again, the object 66 cannot be irradiated with the laser beam 65. However, for example, separately from the holding mechanism 62_1 and the moving mechanism 63_1, a holding mechanism 62_11 and a moving mechanism 63_11 for transporting the object to be processed 66 from the first area 60a to the second area 60b are provided, and alternately covered. By conveying the processing body 66, another holding mechanism 62_11 and moving mechanism 63_11 can be moved in the time until the holding mechanism 62_1 and the moving mechanism 63_1 return from the first area 60a to the second area 60b. The laser beam 65 can be irradiated to the object to be processed. Therefore, the throughput of the laser irradiation apparatus 2 can be further improved.

  This point will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 28 is an xy plan view of the laser irradiation apparatus 2 as in FIG. Further, in FIG. 28, the first object 66a and the second object 66b are levitated simultaneously in the levitation unit 60. Of course, the levitating unit 60 may levitate three or more workpieces 66 simultaneously.

  As shown in FIG. 28, after the moving mechanism 63_1 transports the first object 66a to the second area 60b, the holding mechanism 62_1 has two sheets before the holding mechanism 62_1 returns to the first area 60a. The target object 66b is held. For example, the transport unit 61_4 transports the second target object 66b to the first region 60a while the first target object 66a is transporting to the second region 60b. Then, a holding operation from the holding mechanism 62_4 of the transport unit 61_4 to the holding mechanism 62_11 of the transport unit 61_1, an alignment operation of the second object 66b, and a transport operation are performed. By doing in this way, before the holding mechanism 62_1 returns to the first region 60a, it is possible to perform a holding change operation, an alignment operation, and a next transfer operation of the workpiece 66b.

  Accordingly, the object 66b is conveyed by the holding mechanism 62_11 and the moving mechanism 63_11 while the object 66a held by the holding mechanism 62_1 is being conveyed. Therefore, it is possible to continuously irradiate the two processing objects 66a and 66b with the laser beam. More specifically, the object to be processed 66b held by the holding mechanism 62_11 after the laser is irradiated to the object to be processed 66a held by the holding mechanism 62_1 and before being conveyed to the second region 60b. Can move to the irradiation region 60e. After the laser irradiation of the first object 66a is completed, the laser irradiation of the second object 66b can be performed promptly. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the useless laser beam. In addition, useless laser light means that the laser light is shielded by a light shielding shutter or the like when the object 66 is not in the irradiation region 60e. That is, the laser irradiation apparatus 2 shields the laser light by a light shielding shutter or the like so that the laser beam is not irradiated to the floating unit 60 or the like when the object 66 is not in the irradiation region 60e. In the present embodiment, since the object 66 can be continuously conveyed to the irradiation region 60e, the first object 66a and the second object 66b pass through the laser irradiation position 65. The time interval can be shortened. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the useless laser beam. By reducing wastefulness, the number of processable objects 66 that can be processed can be increased within the lifetime of one laser generator. Therefore, the performance of the laser irradiation apparatus 2 can be improved.

  Generally, the throughput can be shortened by increasing the transport speed of the transport units 61_1 to 61_4. However, the conveyance speed in the conveyance unit 61_1 is limited by the laser irradiation conditions. In other words, the transport speed in the transport unit 61_1 is determined so that the characteristics of the polysilicon film are improved. On the other hand, the transport unit 61_2, the transport unit 61_3, and the transport unit 61_4 are not limited by the transport speed due to the laser irradiation conditions. The transport speed of the transport unit 61_2, the transport unit 61_3, and the transport unit 61_4 can be higher than the transport speed of the transport unit 61_1.

  In other words, the transport speed of the transport unit 61_1 is slower than the other transport units 61_2 to 61_4. Therefore, in this embodiment, the transport unit 61_1 includes two holding mechanisms 62_1 and 62_11 and two moving mechanisms 63_1 and 63_11 in order to efficiently process the plurality of objects to be processed 66. By doing so, the plurality of objects to be processed 66 can pass through the irradiation region 60e in succession, so that the throughput can be shortened.

  Note that in the case of using the two holding mechanisms 62_1 and 62_11, the two holding mechanisms 62_1 and 62_11 can be arranged to be shifted in the y direction. Here, the holding position of the target object 66 by the holding mechanism 62_11 is on the + y side of the holding position of the target object 66 by the holding mechanism 62_1.

(Rotation operation in the fourth region 60d)
As described above, the object to be processed 66 is rotated in the fourth region 60d while the object to be processed 66 is kept horizontal. A rotation mechanism 68 is provided. Similar to the holding mechanism 12 of the first embodiment, the rotating mechanism 68 adsorbs and holds the object 66 through the porous body. Then, the rotation mechanism 68 rotates the workpiece 66 around a rotation axis (hereinafter, z axis) parallel to the z direction. The rotation mechanism 68 includes an actuator such as a motor that rotates the workpiece 66 around the z-axis.

  During the rotation of the object to be processed 66 by the rotation mechanism 68, a part of the object to be processed 66 protrudes outside the floating unit 60 as shown in FIG. FIG. 29 shows a state in which the object 66 is rotated by 45 ° from the state shown in FIG.

  In the portion of the workpiece 66 that protrudes outside the levitation unit 60, the levitation force by the levitation unit 60 is not generated, and the amount of deflection of the workpiece 66 may increase. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the auxiliary levitation unit 67 is provided outside the levitation unit 60. For example, when the amount of deflection increases at the corner of the object to be processed 66, the corner of the object to be processed 66 returns from the outside of the levitation unit 60 to the surface of the levitation unit 60. There is a risk of contact with 60 and damage. An auxiliary levitation unit 67 is provided to prevent damage to the object 66 due to the rotation operation.

  Similar to the levitation unit 60, the auxiliary levitation unit 67 includes a porous body that ejects gas. As the gas ejected from the surface of the auxiliary levitation unit 67 is blown onto the lower surface of the object to be processed 66, a levitation force is generated at the portion of the object 66 that protrudes from the levitation unit 60. By doing so, the rotation mechanism 68 can rotate the object 66 without damaging the object 66.

  The auxiliary levitation unit 67 is disposed on the −y side and the −x side of the fourth region 60 d where the rotation mechanism 68 is provided. The auxiliary levitation unit 67 is arranged with a gap G between the auxiliary levitation unit 67 and the levitation unit 60 in the xy plan view. The transport units 61_3 and 61_4 pass through the gap G. Specifically, the position of the holding mechanism 62_4 in the x direction is between the levitation unit 60 and the auxiliary levitation unit 67. The holding mechanism 62_4 moves in the y direction between the levitation unit 60 and the auxiliary levitation unit 67. Further, the position of the holding mechanism 62_3 in the y direction is between the levitation unit 60 and the auxiliary levitation unit 67. The holding mechanism 62_3 moves in the x direction between the levitation unit 60 and the auxiliary levitation unit 67. By doing in this way, conveyance unit 61_3, 61_4 can convey the to-be-processed object 66, without interfering with the auxiliary levitation unit 67. FIG.

  Further, when the rotation mechanism 68 holds the vicinity of the center of the object 66 in the xy plan view, the amount of the object 66 protruding from the floating unit 60 during rotation can be reduced. Therefore, the area of the auxiliary levitation unit 67 can be reduced. For example, the floating unit 60 can be provided with a through hole at a position corresponding to the center of the workpiece 66, and the rotation mechanism 68 can be disposed in the through hole. In this case, it is preferable that the planar shape of the rotation mechanism 68 in the xy plane is circular.

  A rotation mechanism 68 is provided in the fourth region 60d. Therefore, even if the length of the laser irradiation position 65 in the y direction is about half that of the object to be processed 66, it is possible to irradiate the entire object 66 with the laser beam. That is, in the first circulation conveyance, after the laser beam is irradiated, the rotation mechanism 68 rotates the workpiece 66 by 180 degrees. After the object 66 is rotated, the second circulation is performed and the object 66 is irradiated with laser light. Thereby, it is possible to irradiate the laser beam to almost the entire workpiece 66.

  Furthermore, in the y direction, the laser irradiation position 65 is disposed on the center side (−y side) of the irradiation region 60e. That is, the holding mechanism 62_1 holds one end (the end on the + y direction side) of the target object 66 in the y direction, and the laser is almost half including the other end (the end part on the −y direction side) of the target object 66. Light is irradiated.

  In the xy plan view, the conveyance unit 61_1 conveys the object to be processed in a state where the holding mechanism 62_1 holds a position that does not overlap with the laser irradiation position 65. Heat can be transferred through the holding portion of the holding mechanism 62_1, and uneven temperature distribution at the laser irradiation position 65 can be prevented. Thereby, irradiation unevenness of the laser beam can be suppressed, and uniform crystallization can be achieved.

  Further, an auxiliary levitation unit 67 is provided outside the fourth region 60d where the rotation mechanism 68 is disposed. Thereby, damage to the to-be-processed object 66 at the time of rotation of the to-be-processed object 66 can be prevented.

(Alignment operation in the first region 60a)
As described above, the alignment mechanism 69 for aligning the object to be processed 66 is provided in the first region 60a. Similar to the holding mechanism 12 of the first embodiment, the alignment mechanism 69 adsorbs and holds the workpiece 66 through the porous body. The alignment mechanism 69 adjusts the position and rotation angle of the object 66. For example, the position and rotation angle of the object to be processed 66 may be slightly shifted due to the carry-in operation, the conveyance operation, and the rotation operation of the object to be processed 66. The alignment mechanism 69 corrects the shift in position and rotation angle. Thereby, the irradiation position of the laser beam in the to-be-processed object 66 can be controlled accurately.

  Here, an example of performing an alignment operation of a position in the x direction (hereinafter referred to as x coordinate), a position in the y direction (hereinafter referred to as y coordinate), and a rotation angle around the z axis (hereinafter referred to as angle θ) will be described. In the present embodiment, the alignment mechanism 69 provided in the first region 60a aligns the y coordinate and the angle θ, and the transport unit 61_1 aligns the x coordinate. That is, the alignment mechanism 69 can move in the y direction and can rotate about the z axis. Further, the alignment mechanism 69 is movable in the z direction. For example, the alignment mechanism 69 includes an actuator such as a motor and is controlled by the control unit 53.

  Further, the shift amount of the x coordinate, the y coordinate, and the angle θ is calculated from the camera image. For example, by detecting the edge of the processing object 66 at a plurality of locations from the camera image, the shift amount of the x coordinate, the y coordinate, and the angle θ can be obtained.

  FIG. 30 is a flowchart showing the alignment operation. FIG. 31 is a plan view schematically showing a camera arrangement for performing the alignment operation.

  A transfer operation from the transport unit 61_4 to the alignment mechanism 69 is performed (S31). That is, the holding mechanism 62_4 of the transport unit 61_4 releases the object 66 and the alignment mechanism 69 holds the object 66.

  Next, the alignment mechanism 69 refers to the alignment amount data obtained by the control unit 53 (S32). For example, as shown in FIG. 31, three cameras 81 a to 81 c are installed on the floating unit 60. The three cameras 81 a to 81 c each capture an edge (end side) of the object 66. The cameras 81a and 81b image the -y side edge, and the camera 81c images the -x side edge. The control unit 53 obtains the edge position in each camera image. Then, based on the three edge positions, the control unit 53 calculates the deviation amounts of the x coordinate, the y coordinate, and the angle θ as alignment amounts. If the three cameras 81a to 81c are not on the same straight line on the xy plane, the control unit 53 can calculate the alignment amount of the x coordinate, the y coordinate, and the angle θ.

  Then, the alignment mechanism 69 that holds the workpiece 66 moves by the alignment amount (S33). Thereby, alignment of the y coordinate and the rotation angle is performed. That is, the workpiece 66 is moved in the y direction so that the alignment mechanism 69 cancels out the y-coordinate shift amount. In addition, the alignment mechanism 69 rotates the workpiece 66 around the z-axis so as to cancel out the shift amount of the angle θ.

  Next, the transport unit 61_1 moves by the alignment amount (S34). Thereby, alignment of the x coordinate is performed. That is, the moving mechanism 63_1 of the transport unit 61_1 moves in the x direction so as to cancel out the deviation amount of the x coordinate, and adjusts the holding position of the holding mechanism 62_1.

  Then, the control unit 53 determines whether or not the positioning of the x coordinate, the y coordinate, and the angle θ is completed (S35). That is, it is determined whether or not the object 66 is positioned at a predetermined position. If the alignment is not completed (NO in S35), the determination in S35 is repeated until the alignment is completed.

  When the alignment is completed (YES in S35), a transfer operation from the alignment mechanism 69 to the transport unit 61_1 is performed (S36). That is, the alignment mechanism 69 releases the holding, and the holding mechanism 62_1 of the transport unit 61_1 holds the workpiece 66. At this time, since the position of the transport unit 61_1 in the x direction is adjusted, the holding mechanism 62_1 can hold an appropriate position. Then, the process ends.

  As described above, the floating unit 60 is provided with the alignment mechanism 69. The alignment mechanism 69 aligns the object 66 to be processed, so that the irradiation position of the laser beam on the object 66 can be accurately positioned.

  The position where the alignment mechanism 69 is provided in the levitation unit 60 is not limited to the first region 60a. For example, the alignment mechanism 69 may be provided in any one of the second region 60b to the fourth region 60d. Further, by providing the alignment mechanism 69 immediately before the irradiation region 60e, the position accuracy can be further improved. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the alignment mechanism 69 is disposed in the first region 60a. In addition, it is preferable that the alignment mechanism 69 performs alignment after the workpiece 66 is carried onto the levitation unit 60 and before the laser light irradiation. Therefore, the alignment mechanism 69 is preferably provided in the first region 60a or the fourth region 60d.

  As with the rotation mechanism 68, the alignment mechanism 69 is preferably disposed in a through hole provided in the floating unit 60. That is, a through hole is provided in the levitation unit 60, and the alignment mechanism 69 can be disposed in the through hole. Since the alignment mechanism 69 performs alignment in the y direction, the through hole is preferably a long hole extending in the y direction. In this case, the planar shape of the porous body of the alignment mechanism 69 in the xy plane is preferably circular.

(Operation for changing the object 66)
As described above, at the timing of changing the conveyance direction of the object to be processed 66, the holding operation for changing the object to be processed 66 between the conveyance units 61_1 to 61_4 is performed. For example, when the transport unit 61_2 transports the workpiece 66 to the second region 60b, a holding operation from the transport unit 61_2 to the transport unit 61_3 is performed. Specifically, when the transport unit 61_2 transports the target object 66 to the third region 60c, the holding mechanism 62_2 of the transport unit 61_2 releases the suction, and the holding mechanism 62_3 of the transport unit 61_3 holds the target object 66. Adsorb. As described above, the transporting units 61_1 to 61_4 sequentially change the objects 66 to be processed, whereby the above-described circulation transport can be performed.

  Further, the alignment mechanism 69 performs a holding operation with the transport units 61_4 and 61_1. For example, the object to be processed 66 conveyed to the first region 60a by the conveyance unit 61_4 is transferred from the conveyance unit 61_4 to the alignment mechanism 69. In addition, the workpiece 66 aligned by the alignment mechanism 69 is transferred from the alignment mechanism 69 to the transport unit 61_1.

  Further, the rotation mechanism 68 performs a holding operation with the transport units 61_3 and 61_4. For example, the workpiece 66 transported from the transport unit 61_3 to the fourth region 60d is transferred from the transport unit 61_3 to the rotation mechanism 68. The workpiece 66 rotated by the rotation mechanism 68 is transferred from the rotation mechanism 68 to the transport unit 61_4.

  Here, it is preferable that the conveyance units 61_1 to 61_4 adsorb and hold the workpiece 66 through the porous body. Similarly, it is preferable that the alignment mechanism 69 and the rotation mechanism 68 adsorb and hold the object to be processed 66 through a porous body. Of course, the structure which hold | maintains the to-be-processed object 66 without using a porous body may be sufficient. For example, the workpiece 66 may be held by suction using a suction cup type vacuum suction mechanism.

  Hereinafter, the details of the operation of changing the object 66 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 32 is a schematic side view for explaining the holding operation. The changeover operation is performed in the order of A to E in FIG.

  In the following description, the transfer operation from the transfer unit 61_2 to the transfer unit 61_3 will be described. However, the transfer operation of the other transfer units 61_1 to 61_4, the rotation mechanism 68, and the alignment mechanism 69 is the same, and thus the description is omitted. To do. In FIG. 32, for the sake of explanation, the holding mechanism 62_2 of the transport unit 61_2 and the holding mechanism 62_3 of the transport unit 61_3 are shown in a simplified manner. 5 is appropriately referred to for the detailed configuration of the holding mechanisms 62_2 and 62_3. For example, the porous bodies 151_2 and 151_3 and the bases 153_2 and 153_3 have the same configuration as the porous body 151 and the base 153 in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 32A, the holding mechanism 62_2 includes a porous body 151_2 and a base 153_2. Further, the holding mechanism 62_2 is connected to the lifting mechanism 137_2. The elevating mechanism 137_2 includes an actuator such as a motor or a cylinder, and elevates and lowers the porous body 151_2 and the base 153_2. That is, the elevating mechanism 137_2 moves the porous body 151_2 and the base 153_2 in the z direction. As a result, the holding mechanism 62_2 moves up and down between a raised position (hereinafter referred to as a raised position) and a lowered position (hereinafter referred to as a lowered position). The raised position is a position where the porous body 151_2 contacts the lower surface of the object 66. The lowered position is a position where the porous body 151_2 is separated from the lower surface of the object 66.

  As shown in A of FIG. 32, the holding mechanism 62_3 includes a porous body 151_3 and a base 153_3. Further, the holding mechanism 62_3 is connected to the lifting mechanism 137_3. The lifting mechanism 137_3 includes an actuator such as a motor or a cylinder, and lifts and lowers the porous body 151_3 and the base 153_3. That is, the lifting mechanism 137_2 moves the porous body 151_3 and the base 153_3 in the z direction. As a result, the holding mechanism 62_3 moves up and down between a raised position (hereinafter referred to as a raised position) and a lowered position (hereinafter referred to as a lowered position). The raised position is a position where the porous body 151_3 is in contact with the lower surface of the object 66. The lowered position is a position where the porous body 151_3 is separated from the lower surface of the object 66. The elevating mechanisms 137_2 and 137_3 are independently controlled by the control unit 53 (see FIG. 12).

  As the lifting mechanism 137_2 and the lifting mechanism 137_3, for example, a lifting table having a servo motor and a wedge mechanism can be used. Alternatively, an air cylinder or the like may be used. 32B to 32E, reference numerals of the porous body 151_3, the base 153_3, and the elevating mechanism 137_3 are appropriately omitted because of space.

  Immediately after the transport unit 61_2 transports the workpiece 66 to the third region 60c, as shown in FIG. 32A, the holding mechanism 62_2 is adsorbed. Specifically, the holding mechanism 62_2 is in the raised position, and the holding mechanism 62_3 is in the lowered position. Therefore, in FIG. 32A, the porous body 151_3 is not in contact with the object 66.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 32B, the elevating mechanism 137_3 raises the holding mechanism 62_3 to the raised position. That is, since both the holding mechanism 62_2 and the holding mechanism 62_3 are in the ascending position, both the porous body 151_2 and the porous body 151_3 are in contact with the target object 66.

  And as shown to C of FIG. 32, the holding mechanism 62_3 adsorb | sucks the to-be-processed object 66. FIG. Specifically, as described in Embodiment 1, the valve of the holding mechanism 62_3 (that is, the valve 142 in FIG. 5) is opened. Thereby, the negative pressure space of the holding mechanism 62_3 (that is, the negative pressure space 155 in FIG. 5) is exhausted. The object 66 is adsorbed by the holding mechanism 62_3 through the porous body 151_3. That is, both the holding mechanism 62_3 and the holding mechanism 62_2 adsorb the workpiece 66.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 32D, the holding mechanism 62_2 releases the suction. Here, the valve of the holding mechanism 62_2 (that is, the valve 142 in FIG. 5) is closed. As a result, the pressure in the negative pressure space of the holding mechanism 62_2 (that is, the negative pressure space 155 in FIG. 5) increases. The adsorption of the object 66 through the porous body 151_2 is released. In order to cancel the adsorption, gas may be supplied to the negative pressure space to perform adsorption destruction.

  Then, as shown in E of FIG. 32, the elevating mechanism 137_2 is lowered to the lowered position by the holding mechanism 62_2. Thereby, the porous body 151_2 of the holding mechanism 62_2 is separated from the object to be processed 66. Therefore, the to-be-processed object 66 can be conveyed in the −x direction by the conveyance unit 61_3.

  The transport units 61_1 to 61_4, the alignment mechanism 69, and the rotation mechanism 68 preferably use the porous body 151 provided with the through hole 152 described in the first embodiment. By doing in this way, a change-over operation can be performed quickly.

  Specifically, the suction by the holding mechanism 62_3 shown in FIG. 32C is performed according to the flowchart shown in FIG. Further, the suction release shown in D of FIG. 32 is performed according to the flowchart shown in FIG. Therefore, the adsorption determination and the adsorption release determination can be performed promptly. Therefore, the throughput can be further improved.

  In the present embodiment, the workpiece 66 is circulated and conveyed. In the circulating transfer, a holding operation is performed between the operations (2) to (12). That is, the number of holding operations increases. Therefore, the use of the porous body 151 with the through hole 152 has a great effect of improving the throughput. Of course, the porous body 151 without the through-hole 152 may be used, and the workpiece 66 may be sucked and held using a suction cup type vacuum suction mechanism.

(Floating unit 60)
Next, details of the levitation unit 60 that levitates the workpiece 66 will be described with reference to FIG. It is a top view which shows typically the structure of the floating unit 60 of FIG. As shown in FIG. 33, the levitation unit 60 includes a precision levitation unit (precision levitation area) 111, a semi-precision levitation unit (semi-precision levitation area) 112, and a rough levitation unit (rough levitation area) 113. In FIG. 33, the auxiliary levitation unit 67, the rotation mechanism 68, and the alignment mechanism 69 are omitted. The precision levitation unit 111 has a higher flying height accuracy than the semi-precise levitation unit 112 and the rough levitation unit 113. The semi-precision levitation unit 112 has a higher flying height accuracy than the rough levitation unit 113.

  The first region 60 a, the second region 60 b, the third region 60 c, and the fourth region 60 d are configured by the rough levitation unit 113. The monitor region 60f is configured by the semi-precise levitation unit 112. Note that a colored portion 195 is formed in the monitor region 60f. That is, the colored portion 195 is formed by performing black processing on a part of the surface of the semi-precise floating unit 112. The coloring portion 195 is a rectangular region whose longitudinal direction is the y direction. The coloring part 195 will be described later.

  The irradiation area 60e is configured by the precision levitation unit 111 and the semi-precision levitation unit 112. More specifically, in the irradiation region 60e, the semi-precise levitation unit 112, the precise levitation unit 111, and the semi-precision levitation unit 112 are arranged in this order toward the + x side. That is, the semi-precise levitation units 112 are arranged on both sides of the precision levitation unit 111 in the x direction. The laser irradiation position 65 is disposed on the precision levitation unit 111.

  A schematic xz cross section of the levitation unit 60 in the first region 60a, the irradiation region 60e, and the second region 60b is shown in FIG. As described above, the transport unit 61_1 (not shown in FIG. 34) transports the workpiece 66 while the flying unit 60 floats the workpiece 66. Then, in the irradiation region 60e, the laser beam 65 generated by the laser generator 64 is irradiated to the object 66.

  As shown in FIG. 34, the levitation unit 60 is configured using precision levitation units 111a and 111b, semi-precise levitation units 112a to 112d, and rough levitation units 113a to 113f. In the following description, the areas that are configured using the precision levitation units 111a and 111b are the precise levitation areas 111a and 111b, and the areas that are configured using the quasi-precise levitation units 112a to 112d are 112d and the area formed by using the rough levitation units 113a to 113f are also referred to as rough levitation areas 113a to 113f.

  The precision levitation units 111a and 111b are arranged in a region (precision levitation region) including the irradiation position 65 of the laser beam. The semi-precision levitation units 112a and 112b are disposed adjacent to the precision levitation units 111a and 111b, and are disposed on the −x direction side with respect to the precision levitation units 111a and 111b. The rough levitation units 113a to 113c are disposed adjacent to the semi-precise levitation units 112a and 112b, and are disposed on the −x direction side with respect to the semi-precise levitation units 112a and 112b.

  The semi-precise levitation units 112c and 112d are disposed adjacent to the precision levitation units 111a and 111b, and are disposed on the + x direction side with respect to the precise levitation units 111a and 111b. The rough levitation units 113d to 113f are disposed adjacent to the semi-precise levitation units 112c and 112d, and are disposed on the + x direction side with respect to the semi-precise levitation units 112c and 112d.

  Therefore, the rough levitation unit 113a, the rough levitation unit 113b, the rough levitation unit 113c, the semi-precision levitation unit 112a, the semi-precision levitation unit 112b, the precision levitation unit 111a, the precision levitation unit 111b, The precision levitation unit 112c, the semi-precision levitation unit 112d, the rough levitation unit 113d, the rough levitation unit 113e, and the rough levitation unit 113f are arranged in this order. Hereinafter, the precision levitation units 111a and 111b are collectively referred to as the precision levitation unit 111. Similarly, the semi-precision levitation units 112a to 112d are collectively referred to as the semi-precision levitation unit 112, and the rough levitation units 113a to 113f are collectively referred to as the rough levitation unit 113.

  In the xy plan view, the irradiation position 65 of the laser beam 65 and the precision levitation units 111a and 111b overlap (see also FIG. 33). The rough levitation units 113 a to 113 f and the semi-precise levitation units 112 a to 112 d do not overlap with the irradiation position 65 of the laser beam 65. Here, the case of xy plan view means the case where the levitation unit 60 is viewed from the z-axis direction side as shown in FIG. The semi-precision levitation units 112a and 112b are disposed between the precision levitation unit 111a and the rough levitation unit 113c. The semi-precise levitation units 112c and 112d are disposed between the precision levitation unit 111b and the rough levitation unit 113d.

  As shown in FIG. 34, the precision levitation units 111a and 111b and the semi-precise levitation units 112a to 112d are configured to levitate the workpiece 66 using gas ejection and suction. Further, the rough levitation units 113a to 113f are configured to levitate the object 66 by using gas ejection. The surface of each rough levitation unit 113a to 113f facing the object 66 (that is, the upper surface of each rough levitation unit 113a to 113f) is between the object 66 and the rough levitation unit 113a to 113f. A groove 117 is formed for discharging the gas present in the. The groove 117 reaches the outer peripheral surface of the levitation unit 60. In FIG. 33, the grooves 117 formed in different directions are identified as the grooves 117_1 and 117_2. That is, the groove 117_1 and the groove 117_2 are collectively referred to as the groove 117. By forming the plurality of grooves 117_1 and the plurality of grooves 117_2, the grooves 117 have a mesh shape in the xy plan view.

  As shown in FIGS. 33 and 34, each of the precision levitation units 111a and 111b, the semi-precise levitation units 112a to 112d, and the rough levitation units 113a to 113f are, for example, rectangular units extending in the y direction. The floating units are arranged so as to be aligned along the transport direction (x direction). The object 66 is transported through the rough levitation units 113a to 113c, semi-precision levitation units 112a and 112b, precision levitation units 111a and 111b, semi-precision levitation units 112c and 112d, and rough levitation units 113d to 113f in this order. . Note that the shape of each floating unit is not limited to a rectangular shape. For example, each floating unit may have a square shape. Each of the precision levitation units 111a and 111b, the semi-precision levitation units 112a to 112d, and the rough levitation units 113a to 113f each include a porous body.

[Precise levitation unit 111]
The precision levitation units 111a and 111b are units that precisely float and transport the object 66, and are configured to be transported while reducing the amount of deflection of the object 66 during transport. The precision levitation units 111a and 111b precisely control the amount of gas ejected to levitate the workpiece 66. The precision levitation regions (precision levitation units) 111a and 111b are configured to levitate the workpiece 66 using gas ejection and suction. The detailed configuration of the precision levitation units 111a and 111b will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIGS. 35 and 36 are a cross-sectional view and a plan view, respectively, for explaining a configuration example of the precision levitation units 111a and 111b. As shown in FIG. 35, the precision levitation unit 111 includes a pedestal 121 and a porous body 122. The porous body 122 is provided on the upper side of the pedestal 121 and functions as a gas ejection part.

  As shown in the plan view of FIG. 36, the porous body 122 is connected to the air supply ports 124_1 and 124_2, and the compressed gas is supplied to the porous body 122 through the air supply ports 124_1 and 124_2. For example, the air supply ports 124_1 and 124_2 are provided at the lower part of the precision levitation unit 111. In the cross-sectional view shown in FIG. 35, the arrangement of the air supply ports 124_1 and 124_2 and the arrangement of the exhaust ports 125_1 and 125_2 overlap with each other, and thus the illustration of the air supply ports 124_1 and 124_2 is omitted. The compressed gas supplied to the porous body 122 is jetted upward from the upper surface of the porous body 122 after passing through the inside of the porous body 122. Thereby, the to-be-processed object 66 floats.

  The porous body 122 has a plurality of intake holes 127 formed therein. The intake hole 127 can be formed by making a through hole in the porous body 122. As shown in FIG. 36, the intake holes 127 are uniformly arranged on the upper surface of the porous body 122 (that is, the surface facing the object to be processed 66). In the x direction and the y direction, the intake holes 127 are arranged at regular intervals. The intake hole 127 sucks a gas (a gas reservoir (see reference numeral 135 in FIG. 41)) existing between the workpiece 66 and the precision levitation unit 111. As shown in FIG. 35, the intake hole 127 is connected to the exhaust ports 125_1 and 125_2 via the flow path 126. For example, the exhaust ports 125_1 and 125_2 are provided below the precision levitation unit 111. An ejector, a vacuum pump, or the like is connected to the exhaust ports 125_1, 125_2, and the exhaust port 125_1, 125_2 is sucked (that is, made negative pressure) by using the ejector, the vacuum pump, etc. Can be sucked from the intake hole 127.

  FIG. 37 is a cross-sectional view for explaining a state in which the workpiece 66 is conveyed using the precision levitation unit 111. As shown in FIG. 37, in the precision levitation unit 111, gas is ejected upward from the porous body 122. Therefore, when the object 66 is conveyed onto the precision levitation unit 111, the gas is covered. By being sprayed on the lower surface of the processing body 66, the processing object 66 floats. Therefore, the precision levitation unit 111 and the workpiece 66 are not in contact with each other. At this time, the clearance between the object to be processed 66 and the precision levitation unit 111, that is, the flying height of the object to be processed 66, is the amount of gas supplied to the air supply ports 124_1 and 124_2, in other words, ejected from the porous body 122. It can be controlled by adjusting the amount of gas.

  In the precision levitation unit 111, a space (a space including the intake hole 127 and the flow path 125) that becomes negative pressure by intake air through the exhaust ports 125_1 and 125_2 is a space that becomes positive pressure by supply air from the supply ports 124_1 and 124_2. Has been separated from. That is, the airtightness between the space that becomes negative pressure and the space that becomes positive pressure is maintained.

  Moreover, the gas (gas reservoir (refer to reference numeral 135 in FIG. 41)) existing between the object to be processed 66 and the precision levitation unit 111 is sucked from the intake hole 127, thereby reducing the deflection of the object to be processed 66. Can do. In other words, the object 66 can be flattened. The amount of deflection of the workpiece 66 can be controlled by adjusting the balance between the amount of gas supplied to the air supply ports 124_1 and 124_2 and the amount of gas exhausted from the exhaust ports 125_1 and 125_2.

[Rough levitation unit 113]
Next, configuration examples of the rough levitation units 113a to 113f will be described. The rough levitation units 113a to 113f are units that levitate and convey the object 66, and the object 66 does not need to come into contact with the rough levitation units 113a to 113f during conveyance, so the object 66 is levitated. The amount of gas ejected is not controlled as precisely as the precision levitation units 111a and 111b. For this reason, the amount of deflection of the object 66 when passing through the rough levitation units 113a to 113f is larger than the amount of deflection of the object 66 when passing through the precision levitation units 111a and 111b. The rough levitation regions (rough levitation units) 113a to 113f are configured to levitate the object 66 using gas ejection without using gas suction.

  38 and 39 are a cross-sectional view and a plan view, respectively, for explaining a configuration example of the rough levitation unit 113. As shown in FIG. 38, the rough levitation unit 113 includes a pedestal 131 and a porous body 132. The porous body 132 is provided on the upper side of the base 131 and functions as a gas ejection part. The porous body 132 is connected to the air supply ports 134_1 and 134_2 (see FIG. 39), and the compressed gas is supplied to the porous body 132 through the air supply ports 134_1 and 134_2. For example, the air supply ports 134_1 and 134_2 are provided in the lower part of the rough levitation unit 113. The compressed gas supplied to the porous body 132 passes through the inside of the porous body 132 and then jets upward from the upper surface of the porous body 132. Thereby, the to-be-processed object 66 floats.

  Also, as shown in FIGS. 38 and 39, grooves 117 (that is, grooves 117_1 and 117_2) are formed on the upper surface of the rough levitation unit 113. In the example shown in FIG. 39, when the rough levitation unit 113 is viewed in the xy plane, the groove 117 is formed so as to be inclined with respect to the conveyance direction (x direction) of the workpiece 66.

  As shown in FIG. 40, the groove 117 discharges the gas existing between the workpiece 66 and the upper surface of the rough levitation unit 113. That is, the gas existing between the rough levitation unit 113 and the workpiece 66 can be discharged. The rough levitation unit 113 has a plurality of grooves 117_1 and a plurality of grooves 117_2. The grooves 117_1 and 117_2 are formed so as to intersect with each other. With such a configuration, the amount of gas passing through the groove 117 can be increased, and the discharge of the gas existing between the rough levitation unit 113 and the workpiece 66 can be promoted.

  That is, as shown in the comparative example of FIG. 41, when the groove 117 is not formed on the upper surface of the rough levitation unit 113, the gas ejected from the porous body 132 of the rough levitation unit 113 is blown to the lower surface of the object 66. Thus, when the object 66 floats, a gas reservoir 135 is formed between the object 66 and the rough levitation unit 113. The gas reservoir 135 causes the workpiece 66 to bend.

  On the other hand, when the groove 117 is formed on the upper surface of the rough levitation unit 113 as shown in FIGS. 38 to 40, the gas (gas) existing between the workpiece 66 and the rough levitation unit 113 through the groove 117. Can be discharged. Therefore, the to-be-processed object 66 can be prevented from being bent when the to-be-processed object 66 passes over the rough levitation unit 113.

  In the example shown in FIG. 38, the groove 117 is formed by cutting a part of the surface of the porous body 132. The effect of discharging the gas by forming the groove 117 is improved as the depth of the groove 117 is increased. However, as the depth of the groove 117 formed in the porous body 132 becomes deeper, the strength of the porous body 132 becomes weaker. Therefore, it is preferable to form the groove 117 so that the depth of the groove 117 is deep while maintaining the strength of the porous body 132.

  In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 42, when a plurality of porous bodies 132_1 and 132_2 are provided on a pedestal 131 and the plurality of porous bodies 132_1 and 132_2 are arranged, a gap is formed between the porous bodies. The groove 117 may be formed using a gap. In this case, the thickness of the porous bodies 132_1 and 132_2 is the depth of the groove 117.

  Here, the amount of gas passing through the groove 117 increases as the interval between the grooves 117 is narrow, the width of the groove 117 is wide, and the depth of the groove 117 is deep. However, if the distance between the grooves 117 becomes too small, the ratio of the grooves 117 to the upper surface of the rough levitation unit 113 increases, and the object 66 is less likely to float. Therefore, it is preferable to widen the interval between the grooves 117 as long as the gas discharge amount of the grooves 117 is not hindered. Further, if the width of the groove 117 is too wide, the object 66 may not be able to exceed the groove 117. Therefore, it is preferable to narrow the width of the groove 117 as long as the gas discharge amount of the groove 117 is not hindered. The amount of gas accumulation between the object to be processed 66 and the rough levitation unit 113 varies depending on the thickness, type, and amount of levitation of the object to be processed 66. Therefore, in consideration of this point, it is preferable to determine an optimum dimension of the groove 117 necessary for suppressing the deflection of the object to be processed.

  As described above, the precision levitation unit 111 is configured so that it can be conveyed while reducing the amount of deflection of the object 66 during conveyance. Specifically, the precision levitation unit 111 ejects gas to levitate the object to be processed 66 and sucks a gas reservoir existing between the object to be processed 66 and the precision levitation unit 111 from the intake hole 127. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the amount of deflection of the object 66 during conveyance.

  However, since the precision levitation unit 111 performs both gas ejection and gas suction, the internal structure is complicated. Further, since gas is also sucked, devices such as a vacuum pump and an ejector are required. Therefore, the precision levitation unit 111 is an expensive unit as compared with the rough levitation unit 113 configured to simply eject gas and transport the workpiece 66. Therefore, in the laser irradiation apparatus 2 according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 33, the precise levitation units 111a and 111b are arranged only in the region including the laser beam irradiation position 65. By doing in this way, the floating unit 60 can be manufactured at low cost.

  Here, the rough levitation unit 113 is not required to have as high a levitation accuracy as the precision levitation unit 111, but the rough levitation unit 113 also needs to suppress the deflection of the workpiece 66. That is, if the workpiece 66 bends while the workpiece 66 is being transported using the rough levitation unit 113, the workpiece 66 collides with the rough levitation units 113a to 113f and the workpiece 66 is damaged. There is a fear.

  That is, in the rough levitation units 113a to 113f, gas is blown to the object to be processed 66 so that the object to be processed 66 is levitated. At this time, a gas reservoir 135 (between the object to be processed 66 and the rough levitation units 113a to 113f) 41) occurs. Due to the influence of the gas reservoir 135, a phenomenon occurs in which only the central portion of the object 66 is levitated and the corners of the object 66 are largely bent, and the corners of the object 66 collide with the rough levitation units 113a to 113f. There is a case. Such a phenomenon becomes more conspicuous as the area of the object to be processed 66 becomes larger and as the thickness of the object 66 becomes thinner.

  Therefore, in the rough levitation units 113a to 113f, it is necessary to suppress the generation of the gas reservoir 135 (see FIG. 41) and to prevent the workpiece 66 from being bent. However, when the rough levitation units 113a to 113f are provided with a mechanism for sucking a gas like the precision levitation units 111a and 111b, the rough levitation units 113a to 113f have a larger area than the precision levitation units 111a and 111b. For this reason, the cost for constructing the levitation unit increases.

  Therefore, in the laser irradiation apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the grooves 117 are formed on the upper surfaces of the rough levitation units 113a to 113f as shown in FIGS. The gas (gas reservoir) existing between the levitation units 113a to 113f is discharged (see FIG. 40). Therefore, the to-be-processed object 66 can be suppressed from being bent when the to-be-processed object 66 passes over the rough levitation units 113a to 113f. In addition, a mechanism for suppressing the object 66 from being bent can be formed at a low cost.

  In addition, when the groove 117 is formed on the upper surface as in the rough levitation units 113a to 113f, the deflection of the workpiece 66 is greater than in the case where a mechanism for sucking gas is provided as in the precise levitation units 111a and 111b. The effect of suppressing is low. However, when the workpiece 66 is transported using the rough levitation units 113a to 113f, it is required that the workpiece 66 does not contact the rough levitation units 113a to 113f. The suppression of the deflection of the processing body 66 is not required. Therefore, in the rough levitation units 113a to 113f, a method of forming the groove 117 that can realize the deflection of the object 66 at low cost is most suitable.

[Semi-precision levitation unit 112]
The semi-precision levitation units 112a and 112b are processed so that the amount of deflection of the object 66 changes smoothly when the object 66 is transported from the rough levitation units 113a to 113c to the precision levitation units 111a and 111b. The body 66 is configured to be transportable. Further, the semi-precise levitation units 112c and 112d are configured so that the amount of deflection of the object to be processed 66 smoothly changes when the object to be processed 66 is transported from the precision levitation units 111a and 111b to the rough levitation units 113d to 113f. The workpiece 66 is configured to be transportable. For example, the semi-precise levitation units 112a to 112d are between the accuracy when the precision levitation units 111a and 111b levitate the object 66 and the accuracy when the rough levitation units 113a to 113f levitate the object 66. The workpiece 66 is configured to float with accuracy. The semi-precise levitation areas (quasi-precise levitation units) 112a to 112d are configured to levitate the object 66 using gas ejection and suction. Note that the detailed configuration of the semi-precise levitation units 112a to 112d is basically the same as the configuration of the precision levitation units 111a and 111b described in the first embodiment (see FIGS. 35 to 37), and therefore, overlapping. Description is omitted.

  For example, the amount of deflection of the object 66 when the object 66 passes over the precise levitation units 111a and 111b is the object when the object 66 passes over the rough levitation units 113a to 113c. The amount of deflection of 66 is 1/10 to 1/20. The semi-precision levitation units 112a and 112b are arranged so that the amount of deflection of the object 66 changes smoothly when the object 66 is transported from the rough levitation units 113a to 113c to the precision levitation units 111a and 111b. Then, the workpiece 66 is transported so as to absorb the difference between the deflection amount of the workpiece 66 in the rough levitation units 113a to 113c and the deflection amount of the workpiece 66 in the precision levitation units 111a and 111b.

  Similarly, for example, the amount of deflection of the object 66 when the object 66 passes over the precision levitation units 111a and 111b is the amount of deflection when the object 66 passes over the rough levitation units 113d to 113f. This is 1/10 to 1/20 of the deflection amount of the workpiece 66. The semi-precision levitation units 112c and 112d are arranged so that the amount of deflection of the object 66 changes smoothly when the object 66 is transported from the precision levitation units 111a and 111b to the rough levitation units 113d to 113f. Then, the workpiece 66 is transported so as to absorb the difference between the deflection amount of the workpiece 66 in the precision levitation units 111a and 111b and the deflection amount of the workpiece 66 in the rough levitation units 113d to 113f.

  The laser irradiation apparatus according to the present embodiment is configured such that the gas supply amount supplied to the precision levitation units 111a and 111b and the gas supply amount supplied to the semi-precise levitation units 112a to 112d can be independently controlled. . That is, the amount of gas ejected from the precision levitation units 111a and 111b and the amount of gas ejected from the semi-precise levitation units 112a to 112d can be independently controlled. In addition, the gas suction amount (exhaust amount at the exhaust port) of the precision levitation units 111a and 111b and the gas suction amount (exhaust amount at the exhaust port) of the intake ports of the semi-precise levitation units 112a to 112d can be controlled independently. It is configured.

  For example, the amount of gas ejected from each of the precision levitation units 111a and 112b is made larger than the amount of gas ejected from each of the semi-precise levitation units 112a to 112d, and the precision levitation units 111a and 112b The gas suction amount in each intake hole is set to be larger than the gas suction amount in each of the semi-precise levitation units 112a to 112d. By doing in this way, the precision of the flying height in the precision levitation units 111a and 111b can be made higher than the precision of the flying height in the semi-precision levitation units 112a to 112d. The gas ejection amount and the suction amount may be appropriately set according to the area of each unit, the porosity of the porous body, the arrangement of the intake holes 127, and the like.

  Further, the precision levitation units 111a and 111b are manufactured so that the processing accuracy of the planes of the precision levitation units 111a and 111b is higher than the processing accuracy of the planes of the semi-precision levitation units 112a to 112d. That is, the flatness on the upper surfaces (floating surfaces) of the precision levitation units 111a and 112b is higher than the flatness on the upper surfaces (floating surfaces) of the semi-precise levitation units 112a to 112d. Normally, when processing a porous body with high flatness, it becomes expensive, but in this embodiment, only the laser irradiation position 65 is constituted by the high levitation precision levitation units 111a and 111b. By doing so, the apparatus cost can be reduced while the flying accuracy at the laser irradiation position 65 satisfies the requirement.

[Deflection during transport]
FIG. 43 is a cross-sectional view for explaining how the workpiece 66 is transported from the first region 60a through the irradiation region 60e to the second region 60b. As shown in FIG. 43A, when the object 66 passes over the rough levitation units 113a to 113c, the object 66 is bent. However, in this embodiment, since the grooves 117 are formed on the upper surfaces of the rough levitation units 113a to 113c, the deflection amount of the object 66 is suppressed for the reason described above.

  Thereafter, the workpiece 66 is transported, and when the workpiece 66 passes over the semi-precise levitation units 112a and 112b, as shown in FIG. This is smaller than the amount of deflection when the processing body 66 passes over the rough levitation units 113a to 113c. In other words, the semi-precise levitation units 112a and 112b eject gas and cause the object 66 to float, and also suck the gas reservoir existing between the object 66 and the semi-precise levitation units 112a and 112b. Further, it is possible to reduce the amount of deflection of the object 66 during conveyance.

  Thereafter, the workpiece 66 is further transported, and as shown in FIG. 43 (c), when the workpiece 66 passes over the precision levitation units 111a and 111b, the deflection amount of the workpiece 66 is as follows. This is smaller than the amount of deflection when the processing body 66 passes over the semi-precise floating units 112a and 112b. In other words, the precision levitation units 111a and 111b jet gas to float the object 66 and suck a gas reservoir existing between the object 66 and the precision levitation units 111a and 111b. The amount of deflection of the object 66 at the time can be reduced. In addition, by providing the semi-precise levitation units 112a and 112b, when the workpiece 66 is transported from the rough levitation units 113a to 113c to the precision levitation units 111a and 111b, the amount of deflection of the workpiece 66 changes smoothly. To be able to. When passing over the precision levitation units 111a and 111b, the laser beam 65 is irradiated to the object 66.

  Thereafter, the workpiece 66 is further conveyed, and when the workpiece 66 passes over the semi-precise floating units 112c and 112d and the rough floating units 113d to 113f as shown in FIG. 43 (d). The amount of deflection of the object 66 is as follows. That is, when the object 66 passes over the rough levitation units 113d to 113f, the object 66 is bent. In the present embodiment, the grooves 117 are formed on the upper surfaces of the rough levitation units 113d to 113f. Since it is formed, the amount of deflection of the workpiece 66 is suppressed for the reason described above.

  Further, when the object 66 passes over the semi-precise floating units 112c and 112d, the amount of deflection of the object 66 is such that the object 66 passes over the rough levitation units 113d to 113f. It becomes smaller than the amount of deflection when it is. In other words, the semi-precise levitation units 112c and 112d jet gas to float the object 66 and suck the gas reservoir existing between the object 66 and the semi-precise levitation units 112c and 112d. Further, it is possible to reduce the amount of deflection of the object 66 during conveyance. Also in this case, by providing the semi-precise levitation units 112c and 112d, when the object 66 is transported from the precise levitation units 111a and 111b to the rough levitation units 113d to 113f, the deflection amount of the object 66 is processed. Can be changed smoothly.

  Thus, in the laser irradiation apparatus 2 according to the present embodiment, the semi-precision levitation units 112a and 112b are provided between the rough levitation units 113a to 113c and the precision levitation units 111a and 111b. Therefore, when the workpiece 66 is transported from the rough levitation units 113a to 113c to the precision levitation units 111a and 111b, the amount of deflection of the workpiece 66 can be changed smoothly.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 43 (c), when the object to be processed 66 is conveyed from the rough levitation unit 113c to the semi-precise levitation unit 112a, the amount of deflection of the object 66 changes abruptly at the position 119a. However, in the laser irradiation apparatus 2 according to the present embodiment, the object to be processed 66 is conveyed using the semi-precise levitation units 112a and 112b so that the amount of deflection of the object to be processed 66 changes smoothly. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the deflection of the object 66 at the position 119a from affecting the object 66 passing through the laser irradiation position 65. In other words, by providing the semi-precise levitation units 112a and 112b, the distance d1 between the position 119a where the workpiece 66 is largely deflected and the laser irradiation position 65 can be separated, so that the quasi-precise levitation units 112a and 112b are not provided. Compared with the configuration, the deflection of the object 66 at the laser irradiation position 65 can be reduced.

  In the laser irradiation apparatus 2 according to the present embodiment, the semi-precise levitation units 112c and 112d are provided between the precise levitation units 111a and 111b and the rough levitation units 113d to 113f. Therefore, when the workpiece 66 is transported from the precision levitation units 111a and 111b to the rough levitation units 113d to 113f, the amount of deflection of the workpiece 66 can be changed smoothly.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 43 (d), when the object to be processed 66 is transported from the semi-precise levitation unit 112d to the rough levitation unit 113d, the amount of deflection of the object to be processed 66 changes rapidly at the position 119b. However, in the laser irradiation apparatus 2 according to the present embodiment, the object to be processed 66 is conveyed using the semi-precise levitation units 112c and 112d so that the amount of deflection of the object to be processed 66 changes smoothly. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the deflection of the processing object 66 at the position 119b from affecting the processing object 66 passing through the laser irradiation position 65. In other words, by providing the semi-precise levitation units 112c and 112d, the distance d2 between the position 119b where the deflection of the workpiece 66 is large and the laser irradiation position 65 can be separated, so there is no quasi-precise levitation units 112c and 112d. Compared with the configuration, the deflection of the object 66 at the laser irradiation position 65 can be reduced.

  Further, the flying height can be controlled by adjusting the pressure and flow rate of the precision flying units 111a and 111b, the rough flying units 113d to 113f, and the semi-precise flying units 112a to 112d, respectively. By doing in this way, the stress added to the to-be-processed object 66 can be reduced. For example, the flying height can be increased in stages by setting the flying height of the precision flying units 111a and 111b to 30 μm, the flying height of the semi-precise flying units 112c and 112d to 100 μm, and the flying height of the rough flying units 113d to 113f to 300 μm.

  As described above, in the laser irradiation apparatus 2 according to the present embodiment, the deflection of the workpiece 66 at the laser irradiation position 65 can be reduced, so that the laser irradiation position 65 deviates from the focal depth (DOF) of the laser beam. Can be suppressed. Therefore, irradiation unevenness of laser light can be suppressed, and a uniform polysilicon film can be formed.

  Further, in the laser irradiation apparatus 2 according to the present embodiment, since the grooves 117 are formed on the upper surfaces of the rough levitation units 113a to 113f, the amount of deflection when the object 66 passes through the rough levitation units 113a to 113f. Can be suppressed. Therefore, when the workpiece 66 is transported from the rough levitation units 113a to 113c to the semi-precise levitation units 112a and 112b, the deflection of the workpiece 66 on the rough levitation units 113a to 113c is changed to the semi-precise levitation units 112a, It is possible to suppress the influence of the deflection of the workpiece 66 on the 112b. Similarly, when the workpiece 66 is transported from the semi-precision levitation units 112c and 112d to the rough levitation units 113d to 113f, the deflection of the workpiece 66 on the rough levitation units 113d to 113f is changed to the semi-precision levitation unit 112c. , 112d can be prevented from affecting the deflection of the object 66 to be processed. Therefore, as a result, it is possible to suppress the deflection of the workpiece 66 on the rough levitation units 113a to 113f from affecting the deflection of the workpiece 66 on the precision levitation units 111a and 111b.

  34 and 43, two precision levitation units 111a and 111b are used to form a precision levitation region, and four quasi-precision levitation units 112a to 112d are used to form quasi-precision levitation regions. The case where the rough levitation region is formed using the individual rough levitation units 113a to 113f is shown. However, in the laser irradiation apparatus 2 according to the present embodiment, the number of the precision levitation units 111 constituting the precise levitation region, the number of the quasi-precise levitation units 112 constituting the quasi-precision levitation region, and the rough levitation regions constituting the rough levitation region. The number of levitation units 113 can be determined arbitrarily. Further, the configurations of the precision levitation unit 111, the semi-precise levitation unit 112, and the rough levitation unit 113 described above are examples, and in the present embodiment, each levitation unit may have a configuration other than that described above. Good. For example, the rough levitation unit 113 is not required to have ascending precision as the precision levitation unit 111, so that the area per unit of the rough levitation unit may be larger than the area per unit of the precision levitation unit. Good.

  In the configuration described above, the configuration in which the semi-precise levitation units 112a and 112b and the semi-precise levitation units 112c and 112d are provided on both sides of the precise levitation units 111a and 111b, respectively. However, in the laser irradiation apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the quasi-precise levitation is performed on at least one of the upstream side (−x side) and the downstream side (+ x side) of the workpiece 66 with respect to the precision levitation units 111a and 111b. A unit 112 may be provided.

[Floating unit 60 in third region 60c to fourth region 60d]
Next, the configuration of the levitation unit 60 in the third region 60c, the monitor region 60f, and the fourth region 60d will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 44 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the configuration of the levitation unit 60 in the third region 60c, the monitor region 60f, and the fourth region 60d.

  As shown in FIGS. 34 and 44, the third region 60c and the fourth region 60d are configured by rough levitation units 113a to 113f, similarly to the first region 60a and the second region 60b. The monitor area 60f is composed of semi-precision levitation units 112a to 112f. Since the rough levitation units 113a to 113f and the semi-precise levitation units 112a to 112f have the same configuration as described above, detailed description thereof is omitted.

  Rough levitation units 113a to 113c are arranged on the -x side of the semi-precision levitation units 112a to 112f. Rough levitation units 113d to 113f are arranged on the + x side of the semi-precision levitation units 112a to 112f. That is, from the −x side toward the + x side, the rough levitation unit 113a, the rough levitation unit 113b, the rough levitation unit 113c, the semi-precision levitation unit 112a, the semi-precision levitation unit 112b, the semi-precision levitation unit 112c, and the semi-precision levitation unit 112d. The semi-precise levitation unit 112e, the semi-precise levitation unit 112f, the rough levitation unit 113d, the rough levitation unit 113e, and the rough levitation unit 113f are arranged in this order. In other words, the two precision levitation units 111 in FIG. 34 are replaced with semi-precision levitation units 112.

  In the monitor region 60f, a line sensor 191 and an illumination light source 192 are provided to monitor the unevenness of the polysilicon film. The illumination light source 192 generates illumination light L2. In the illumination light source 192, the illumination light source 192 illuminates the object 66 being conveyed in the -x direction. The line sensor 191 captures an image of the illumination location of the object 66 illuminated by the illumination light source 192.

  Therefore, in the monitor region 60f, a certain degree of accuracy is required for the flying height of the workpiece 66. For example, when the amount of deflection of the object to be processed 66 increases, the object to be processed 66 deviates from the focus of the line sensor 191. In this case, the object 66 cannot be imaged appropriately. On the other hand, in the monitor region 60f, the flying height accuracy as high as the laser irradiation position 65 is not required. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the monitor region 60f is composed of semi-precision levitation units 112a to 112f. By doing in this way, the to-be-processed object 66 can be imaged appropriately.

  The auxiliary levitation unit 67 does not require levitation accuracy, and thus the same configuration as the rough levitation unit 113 can be used. Further, when the auxiliary levitation unit 67 is small, a configuration without the groove 117 is also possible. Thereby, the processing cost of a porous body can be reduced.

(Monitor area 60f)
Next, the line sensor 191 and the illumination light source 192 provided in the monitor region 60f will be described with reference to FIGS. 45 and 46 are a side view and a plan view schematically showing the configuration of the line sensor 191 and the illumination light source 192 provided above the monitor region 60f.

  The illumination light source 192 illuminates a linear region extending in the y direction. The illumination light source 192 illuminates the workpiece 66 from obliquely above. More specifically, the illumination light source 192 generates the illumination light L2 in the −x direction and the −z direction. As the illumination light source 192, for example, a laser light source that generates monochromatic light, an LED (Light Emitting Diode) light source, or the like can be used. Moreover, in order to illuminate the line-shaped region, a plurality of point light sources may be arranged along the y direction. For example, as the illumination light source 192, a continuous wave (CW: Continuous Wave) semiconductor laser light source or the like can be used.

  As shown in FIG. 45, the illumination light source 192 is attached to a holder 192 b disposed on the floating unit 60. Thereby, the illumination light source 192 is held on the floating unit 60. Further, the holder 192b is provided with a knob 192a for adjusting the angle and position of the illumination light source 192.

  The line sensor 191 detects the illumination light reflected by the object 66. The line sensor 191 is a photodetector that includes a plurality of light receiving pixels arranged in the y direction. That is, the plurality of light receiving pixels of the line sensor 191 are arranged in a line along the y direction. As the line sensor 191, a CCD (Charge-Coupled Device) camera, a CMOS (Complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor) image sensor, or a photodiode array can be used.

  The line sensor 191 captures an image of the object 66 being conveyed in the −x direction. The area illuminated by the illumination light source 192 is imaged. Since the line sensor 191 includes a plurality of light receiving pixels arranged along the y direction, the field of view of the line sensor 191 has a rectangular shape with the y direction as the longitudinal direction and the x direction as the short direction. Since the line sensor 191 having a plurality of pixels provided along the y direction images the workpiece 66 being conveyed in the −x direction, a two-dimensional image of the workpiece 66 can be acquired.

  As shown in FIG. 45, the line sensor 191 is attached to a holder 191b disposed on the floating unit 60. Thereby, the line sensor 191 is held on the levitation unit 60. Further, the holder 191b is provided with a knob 191a for adjusting the angle and position of the line sensor 191.

  Since the laser irradiation position 65 is formed in a line shape along the y direction, bright and dark stripes (also referred to as shot unevenness) along the line may be formed in the polysilicon film. That is, unevenness may occur in the crystallized polysilicon film. The light reflectance changes according to the crystalline state of the polysilicon film. The amount of light received by the line sensor 191 changes according to the light reflectance. Therefore, if there is unevenness in the crystalline state of the polysilicon film, unevenness in luminance also occurs in the image acquired by the line sensor 191. Therefore, the non-uniformity of the polysilicon film can be evaluated by imaging the object 66 in the monitor region 60f.

  Note that it is preferable that the field of view of the line sensor 191 in the y direction, that is, the imaging range, corresponds to the size of the object to be processed 66. By doing in this way, the to-be-processed object 66 passes the monitor area | region 60f once, and the two-dimensional image of the to-be-processed object 66 whole can be acquired. Alternatively, the field of view of the line sensor 191 in the y direction, that is, the imaging range, may correspond to the size of the laser irradiation position 65. In this case, the line sensor 191 captures an image of the crystallization region 71 formed by laser irradiation (see also FIGS. 22 and 23). When the object 66 passes through the monitor region 60f twice, a two-dimensional image of the entire object 66 can be acquired.

  Further, a colored portion 195 is provided on the surface of the floating unit 60. As shown in FIG. 47, the coloring portion 195 is a rectangular region extending in the y direction, and is arranged in the field of view of the line sensor 191. In the coloring unit 195, the floating unit 60 is colored black. In the coloring portion 195, the surface of the floating unit 60 is uniformly colored. For example, the colored portion 195 can be formed by performing a colored alumite treatment or the like.

  As described above, the monitor region 60f includes the semi-precise levitation unit 112. The semi-precision levitation unit 112 is formed with an intake hole 127 as in the case of the precision levitation unit 111. As shown in FIG. 47, a colored portion 195 extending in the y direction is formed. The coloring portion 195 is not formed with the intake holes 127.

  By doing so, it is possible to prevent the semi-precise flying unit 112 from being reflected in an image acquired by the line sensor 191. For example, when the object 66 is translucent, the line sensor 191 detects the light reflected by the flying unit 60 via the object 66. However, by forming the colored portion 195 in the semi-precision levitation unit 112 in the field of view of the line sensor 191, it is possible to prevent the quasi-precision levitation unit 112 from being reflected. Note that the gas for floating the workpiece 66 may not be ejected from the coloring portion 195.

  Further, when the unevenness is large in the two-dimensional image of the target object 66 acquired by the line sensor 191, the target object 66 may be irradiated with laser light again. That is, when the unevenness is large, the circulation conveyance may be increased once and the laser light may be re-irradiated. The re-irradiation with the laser light may be performed on the entire workpiece 66 or may be performed partially. Thereby, unevenness of the polysilicon film can be reduced, and a polysilicon film having more uniform characteristics can be formed. Note that the control unit 53 may determine whether or not the irradiation unevenness is large based on the image of the workpiece 66.

(Transfer operation of the object 66)
Next, a carrying-in operation for carrying the object 66 onto the levitation unit 60 will be described with reference to FIGS. 48 and 49. FIG. 48 is a plan view schematically showing the configuration of the fourth region 60 d of the levitation unit 60. FIG. 49 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the carry-in operation of the workpiece 66.

  The fourth region 60d is configured by the rough levitation unit 113 having the groove 117 as described above. Further, the rough levitation unit 113 is formed with a through hole 618 and a plurality of through holes 611. The rotation mechanism 68 described above is disposed in the through hole 618. Note that the rotation mechanism 68 is disposed so as to be movable up and down in the through hole 618 in order to perform the above-described change-over operation.

  Lift pins 612 are disposed in the plurality of through holes 611, respectively. The elevating pins 612 are disposed so as to be able to move up and down in the through holes 611. That is, the lifting pins 612 are moved in the z direction by an actuator such as a motor or a cylinder. The raising / lowering pins 612 perform a loading operation and an unloading operation of the workpiece 66 with the transfer robot 620.

  When performing the carry-in operation, first, as shown in FIG. 49A, the transfer robot 620 on which the object 66 is placed moves the object 66 onto the fourth region 60d. At this time, the elevating pins 612 are retracted below the upper surface of the levitation unit 60.

  And if the to-be-processed object 66 moves above the 4th area | region 60d, as shown to B of FIG. 49, the raising / lowering pin 612 will raise. Note that the lifting pins are arranged at positions that do not interfere with the transfer robot 620 in the xy plan view. The raising / lowering pins come into contact with the lower surface of the object to be processed 66 to lift the object 66 from the transfer robot 620.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 49C, the transfer robot 620 moves from the fourth region 60d. At this time, the target object 66 is supported by the elevating pins 612, so the target object 66 is on the fourth region 60d.

  And as shown to D of FIG. 49, the raising / lowering pin 612 is dropped. 49D, the elevating pins 612 are retracted to the lower side of the levitation unit 60. Accordingly, the object 66 is levitated above the levitating unit 60 by the gas ejected from the upper surface of the levitating unit 60. By doing in this way, the to-be-processed object 66 can be carried in on the 4th area | region 60d. Furthermore, at this time, as described above, the holding mechanism 62_4 of the transport unit 61_4 may hold the workpiece 66. Alternatively, the rotation mechanism 68 may hold the object to be processed 66. That is, in D of FIG. 49, the target object 66 has moved to a height at which the holding mechanism 62_4 or the rotation mechanism 68 can hold the target object 66. In addition, when the levitation unit 60 is damaged, the elevating pins 612 can be lowered below the lower surface of the levitation unit 60, so that the levitation unit 60 can be easily replaced.

  Thus, the through hole 611 is provided in the levitation unit 60, and the elevating pins 612 are arranged in the through hole 611. By doing in this way, the to-be-processed object 66 can be carried in on the floating unit 60. FIG. In addition, when carrying out the to-be-processed object 66, what is necessary is just to perform carrying-out operation | movement in order of D of FIG. 49 to A of FIG.

  Note that the carry-in position and the carry-out position are not limited to the fourth region 60d. That is, any one or more of the first region 60a to the fourth region 60d can be set as the carry-in position and the carry-out position. Of course, the carry-in position and the carry-out position may be different areas. In this case, lifting pins 612 are provided in two regions. Further, when the carry-in position and the carry-out position are the same area, the lifting pins 612 may be provided only in the first area 60a to the fourth area 60d.

(Device division at the time of shipment)
Next, the division | segmentation structure at the time of shipment of the laser irradiation apparatus 2 is demonstrated. In addition, shipment of the laser irradiation apparatus 2 means transporting from the manufacturing factory of the laser irradiation apparatus 2 to the site where the laser irradiation apparatus 2 is used. For example, when the laser irradiation apparatus 2 is an excimer laser annealing apparatus used in a manufacturing process of a TFT array substrate for a display panel, the laser irradiation apparatus 2 is used in a display panel manufacturing factory. Accordingly, the laser irradiation apparatus 2 is shipped from the laser irradiation apparatus manufacturing factory that assembles the laser irradiation apparatus 2 to the display panel manufacturing factory.

  Here, in order to improve the productivity of the display panel, the glass substrate which is the object to be processed 66 is enlarged. For example, the size of the object 66 is about 1850 mm × 1500 mm. Therefore, the laser irradiation apparatus 2 is also increased in size. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the object to be processed 66 is conveyed so as to circulate on the floating unit 60, so that the apparatus configuration becomes very large. When such a large laser irradiation apparatus 2 is transported, depending on the truck and the road width, it may not be transported as a unit. Therefore, the laser irradiation apparatus 2 according to this embodiment can be divided and transported.

  Such a split configuration of the laser irradiation apparatus 2 will be described with reference to FIGS. 50 is a perspective view showing a divided configuration of the laser irradiation apparatus 2, and FIG. 51 is a plan view. As shown in FIGS. 50 and 51, the laser irradiation apparatus 2 is divided into a first division unit 501 and a second division unit 502. The first division unit 501 is provided with an optical system 511 including a laser generator.

  As shown in FIG. 50, the first division unit 501 includes a part of the first area 60a, the whole irradiation area 60e, the whole second area 60b, a part of the monitor area 60f, 3 region 60c. The second division unit 502 includes a part of the first area 60a, a part of the monitor area 60f, a part of the third area 60c, and the whole of the fourth area 60d. Thus, the first area 60a, the third area 60c, and the monitor area 60f are divided into the first division unit 501 and the second division unit 502.

  At the time of shipment, the laser irradiation apparatus 2 is divided into a first division unit 501 and a second division unit 502 so that the entire irradiation region 60e is included in the first division unit 501. As described above, the irradiation region 60e includes the precise levitation region 111 that requires the highest levitation accuracy. The laser irradiation apparatus 2 is divided so that all the precision levitation units 111 are included in the first division unit 501.

  In this way, by shipping so as not to divide the irradiation region 60e, it is possible to efficiently perform assembly work and adjustment work at the time of shipment. That is, since the irradiation area 60e is shipped together, it is easy to perform assembly work and adjustment work of the irradiation area 60e that requires high accuracy. Therefore, the laser irradiation apparatus 2 can be shipped efficiently. Furthermore, an optical system 511 including a laser generator is attached to the first division unit 501 including the irradiation region 60e. Therefore, the optical system 511 can be adjusted efficiently after shipment.

  In addition, the shape which divides | segments the 1st division | segmentation unit 501 and the 2nd division | segmentation unit is not restricted to the structure shown in FIG. As long as the irradiation area 60e is not divided, the first division unit 501 and the second division unit 502 may be divided in any shape. For example, the laser irradiation apparatus 2 may be divided along a straight line (B1 in FIG. 51) extending in the x direction parallel to the boundary line between the irradiation region 60e and the monitor region 60f in the xy plan view. Alternatively, the laser irradiation device 2 may be divided along a straight line (B2 in FIG. 51) extending in the y direction parallel to the boundary line between the irradiation region 60e and the first region 60a in the xy plan view. Thus, the division shape of the first division unit 501 and the second division unit can be an arbitrary shape.

<Other embodiments>
Note that Embodiment 1 and Embodiment 2 may be combined as appropriate. That is, the holding mechanism 12 used in the first embodiment may be used as the holding mechanisms 62_1 to 62_1 of the second embodiment. Further, the rotating mechanism 68 and the alignment mechanism 69 may also hold the object to be processed 66 through a porous body.

  The to-be-processed object 66 can be hold | maintained because the holding | maintenance mechanism 62_1-62_4 adsorbs the to-be-processed object 66 through a porous body. By using a porous body having a large resistance, the pressure in the negative pressure space 155 can be maintained in a vacuum.

  As described in Embodiment 1, the porous body 151 is provided with the through hole 152. By doing in this way, adsorption | suction determination and adsorption | suction cancellation | release determination can be performed reliably and rapidly. Therefore, the throughput can be further shortened. In particular, the transfer operation of the workpiece 66 is performed a plurality of times among the plurality of transport units 61_1 to 61_4, the rotation mechanism 68, and the alignment mechanism 69. In such a configuration in which the holding operation is performed a plurality of times, the throughput can be further improved.

  Of course, one or more of the holding mechanisms 62_1 to 62_1, the rotation mechanism 68, and the alignment mechanism 69 of the second embodiment may be different from the holding mechanism 12 of the first embodiment.

  Further, in the second embodiment, (conveying operation), (rotating operation in the fourth region 60d), (continuous processing of the two objects to be processed 66), (alignment operation in the first region 60a), ( All configurations and operations of (moving operation of object 66), (floating unit 60), (monitor area 60f), (loading operation of object 66), (anti-vibration measures), and (device division at the time of shipment) Has been described as being applied to the laser irradiation apparatus 2, but only a part of the configuration and operation may be applied to the laser irradiation apparatus 2. That is, (conveying operation), (rotating operation in the fourth region 60d), (continuous processing of two objects to be processed 66), (alignment operation in the first region 60a), (removal of the object 66 to be processed) At least one of (operation), (levitation unit 60), (monitor region 60f), (loading operation of object 66), (anti-vibration measures), and (device division at shipment) is applied to the laser irradiation apparatus. It only has to be.

  Next, as another embodiment, a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device using the laser irradiation apparatus described above will be described. In this embodiment mode, by using a laser annealing apparatus as the laser irradiation apparatus, the amorphous film formed over the substrate can be irradiated with laser light to crystallize the amorphous film. For example, the semiconductor device is a semiconductor device including a TFT (Thin Film Transistor). In this case, the amorphous silicon film can be irradiated with laser light to be crystallized to form a polysilicon film.

(Method for manufacturing semiconductor device)
FIG. 52 is a cross-sectional view for explaining an example of the semiconductor device manufacturing method. The laser irradiation apparatus according to the present embodiment described above is suitable for manufacturing a TFT array substrate. Hereinafter, a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device having a TFT will be described.

  First, as illustrated in FIG. 52A, the gate electrode 202 is formed on the glass substrate 201. For the gate electrode 202, for example, a metal thin film containing aluminum or the like can be used. Next, as shown in FIG. 52B, a gate insulating film 203 is formed on the gate electrode 202. The gate insulating film 203 is formed so as to cover the gate electrode 202. Thereafter, an amorphous silicon film 204 is formed on the gate insulating film 203 as shown in FIG. The amorphous silicon film 204 is disposed so as to overlap the gate electrode 202 with the gate insulating film 203 interposed therebetween.

The gate insulating film 203 is a silicon nitride film (SiN _x ), a silicon oxide film (SiO ₂ film), or a laminated film thereof. Specifically, the gate insulating film 203 and the amorphous silicon film 204 are continuously formed by a CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) method. The glass substrate 201 with the amorphous silicon film 204 becomes the workpieces 16 and 66 in the laser irradiation apparatuses 1 and 2.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 52D, the amorphous silicon film 204 is crystallized by irradiating the amorphous silicon film 204 with laser light using the laser irradiation apparatus described above, thereby forming a polysilicon film 205. . Thereby, a polysilicon film 205 in which silicon is crystallized is formed on the gate insulating film 203.

  At this time, by using the laser irradiation apparatus according to this embodiment described above, the influence of the deflection of the glass substrate 201 at the time of laser irradiation can be reduced, and the laser beam irradiated to the amorphous silicon film 204 can be reduced. It is possible to suppress the deviation from the depth of focus (DOF). Accordingly, a uniformly crystallized polysilicon film 205 can be formed.

  Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 52E, an interlayer insulating film 206, a source electrode 207a, and a drain electrode 207b are formed on the polysilicon film 205. The interlayer insulating film 206, the source electrode 207a, and the drain electrode 207b can be formed using a general photolithography method or a film formation method.

  By using the semiconductor device manufacturing method described above, a semiconductor device including a TFT can be manufactured. In addition, since it changes with the devices finally manufactured about the manufacturing process after this, description is abbreviate | omitted.

(Organic EL display)
Next, an organic EL display will be described as an example of a device using a semiconductor device including a TFT. FIG. 53 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the outline of the organic EL display, and shows a simplified pixel circuit of the organic EL display. An organic EL display 300 shown in FIG. 53 is an active matrix display device in which a TFT is disposed in each pixel Px.

  The organic EL display 300 includes a substrate 310, a TFT layer 311, an organic layer 312, a color filter layer 313, and a sealing substrate 314. FIG. 53 shows a top emission type organic EL display in which the sealing substrate 314 side is the viewing side. The following description shows one configuration example of the organic EL display, and the present embodiment is not limited to the configuration described below. For example, the semiconductor device according to the present embodiment may be used in a bottom emission type organic EL display.

  The substrate 310 is a glass substrate or a metal substrate. A TFT layer 311 is provided on the substrate 310. The TFT layer 311 has a TFT 311a disposed in each pixel Px. Further, the TFT layer 311 includes a wiring connected to the TFT 311a. The TFT 311a, wiring, and the like constitute a pixel circuit. Note that the TFT layer 311 corresponds to the TFT described with reference to FIG. 53, and includes a gate electrode 202, a gate insulating film 203, a polysilicon film 205, an interlayer insulating film 206, a source electrode 207a, and a drain electrode 207b.

  An organic layer 312 is provided on the TFT layer 311. The organic layer 312 has an organic EL light emitting element 312a arranged for each pixel Px. The organic EL light emitting element 312a has, for example, a stacked structure in which an anode, a hole injection layer, a hole transport layer, a light emitting layer, an electron transport layer, an electron injection layer, and a cathode are stacked. In the case of the top emission method, the anode is a metal electrode, and the cathode is a transparent conductive film such as ITO (Indium Tin Oxide). Further, the organic layer 312 is provided with a partition 312b for separating the organic EL light emitting element 312a between the pixels Px.

  A color filter layer 313 is provided on the organic layer 312. The color filter layer 313 is provided with a color filter 313a for performing color display. That is, each pixel Px is provided with a resin layer colored as R (red), G (green), or B (blue) as a color filter 313a. When the white light emitted from the organic layer 312 passes through the color filter 313a, it is converted into light of RGB color. Note that the color filter layer 313 may be omitted in the case of a three-color system in which the organic layer 312 is provided with organic EL light-emitting elements that emit RGB colors.

  A sealing substrate 314 is provided on the color filter layer 313. The sealing substrate 314 is a transparent substrate such as a glass substrate, and is provided to prevent deterioration of the organic EL light emitting element of the organic layer 312.

  The current flowing through the organic EL light emitting element 312a of the organic layer 312 varies depending on the display signal supplied to the pixel circuit. Therefore, the amount of light emitted from each pixel Px can be controlled by supplying a display signal corresponding to the display image to each pixel Px. Thereby, a desired image can be displayed.

  In the above description, an organic EL display has been described as an example of a device using a semiconductor device including a TFT. However, the semiconductor device including a TFT may be a liquid crystal display, for example. Moreover, the case where the laser irradiation apparatus concerning this Embodiment was applied to the laser annealing apparatus was demonstrated above. However, the laser irradiation apparatus according to this embodiment can be applied to apparatuses other than the laser annealing apparatus.

  As mentioned above, the invention made by the present inventor has been specifically described based on the embodiment. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. Needless to say.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Laser irradiation apparatus 10 Levitation unit 11 Conveyance unit 12 Holding mechanism 13 Movement mechanism 14 Laser generator 15 Laser beam, laser irradiation position 16 To-be-processed object 2 Laser irradiation apparatus 60 Levitation unit 61_1-61_4 Conveyance unit 62_1-62_4 Holding mechanism 63_1 63_4 Moving mechanism 60a 1st area 60b 2nd area 60c 3rd area 60d 4th area 60e Irradiation area 60f Monitor area 65 Laser beam, laser irradiation position 66 To-be-processed object 67 Auxiliary levitation unit 68 Rotation mechanism 69 Alignment mechanism DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 111 Precision levitation unit 112 Semi-precision levitation unit 113 Rough levitation unit 121 Pedestal 122 Porous body 117 Groove 131 Pedestal 132 Porous body 151 Porous body 151b Lower surface 151a Upper surface 152 Through-hole 153 Base 155 Negative pressure Between 191 Line sensor 192 Illumination light source 195 Colored portion 401 First mount 402 Second mount 403 Anti-vibration rubber 405 Floor 410 Connection portion 411 Anti-vibration rubber 412 Bracket 501 First divided unit 502 Second divided unit 611 Through hole 612 Lifting pin

Claims (50)

A laser generator for generating laser light;
A levitating unit for levitating the object to be processed that is irradiated with the laser beam;
A laser irradiation apparatus comprising: a transport unit that transports the object to be levitated;
The transport unit is
A holding mechanism for holding the object to be processed by adsorbing the object to be processed through a porous body;
A moving mechanism that moves the holding mechanism in the transport direction,
Laser irradiation device. The holding mechanism is
A pedestal for holding the porous body;
An exhaust mechanism for exhausting the negative pressure space in order to set the negative pressure space to a negative pressure, the porous body includes:
A first surface serving as an adsorption surface for adsorbing the workpiece;
A second surface in contact with the negative pressure space;
The laser irradiation apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a through hole that reaches the second surface from the first surface. The holding mechanism is
A pressure gauge for measuring the pressure in the negative pressure space;
The laser irradiation apparatus of Claim 2 provided with the control part which determines whether the said to-be-processed object is adsorbed according to the pressure measured with the said pressure gauge.   The laser irradiation apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the moving mechanism starts moving after the control unit determines that the object to be processed is adsorbed.   The laser irradiation apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the holding mechanism is lowered after the control unit determines that the object to be processed is not sucked. The transport unit is
A first transport unit for transporting the object to be processed in a first direction;
A second transport unit for transporting the object to be processed in a second direction,
The operation of moving the object to be processed from the first transport unit to the second transport unit is performed,
In the holding operation,
When the first holding mechanism of the first transfer unit holds the object to be processed, the second holding mechanism of the second transfer unit holds the object to be processed;
The first holding mechanism releases the holding of the object to be processed after the second holding mechanism of the second transport unit completes the holding of the object to be processed. The laser irradiation apparatus described in 1. The first transport unit and the second transport unit are arranged outside the floating unit,
The first holding mechanism of the first transport unit holds one end of the object to be processed in the second direction;
The laser irradiation apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the second holding mechanism of the second transport unit holds one end of the object to be processed in the first direction. A laser generator for generating laser light;
A levitating unit for levitating the object to be processed that is irradiated with the laser beam;
A laser irradiation apparatus comprising: a transport unit that transports the object to be levitated;
The floating unit is provided with a rotation mechanism that rotates the object to be processed while holding the horizontal surface of the object to be processed.
Outside the region where the rotation mechanism of the levitation unit is provided, an auxiliary levitation unit that ejects gas to a portion of the rotating object to be processed that protrudes from the levitation unit is provided.
The laser irradiation apparatus conveys the object to be processed using the conveyance unit and irradiates the object to be processed with the laser light, and then rotates the object to be processed using the rotation mechanism, and again, the Conveying the object to be processed and irradiating the object with the laser beam;
Laser irradiation device. The levitation unit includes first to fourth regions in which the object to be processed is conveyed,
The transport unit is
A first transport unit for transporting the object to be processed from the first region to the second region;
A second transport unit for transporting the object to be processed from the second region to the third region;
A third transport unit for transporting the object to be processed from the third region to the fourth region;
A fourth transport unit that transports the object to be processed from the fourth region to the first region;
When the object to be processed is transported from the first area to the second area, the laser beam is irradiated to the object to be processed;
The rotation mechanism is provided in the fourth region;
The auxiliary levitation unit is disposed outside the fourth region;
The laser irradiation apparatus according to claim 8. In plan view, the levitation unit is rectangular,
The first transport direction of the first transport unit and the second transport direction of the second transport unit are orthogonal to each other,
A third transport direction of the third transport unit is parallel and opposite to the first transport direction;
A fourth transport direction of the fourth transport unit is parallel and opposite to the second transport direction;
The laser irradiation apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the first to fourth transport units transport the object to be processed so as to circulate a plurality of times on the floating unit.   The laser irradiation apparatus according to claim 9, wherein an alignment mechanism that aligns the object to be processed is provided in the first region.   The alignment mechanism aligns the object to be processed in a rotation direction having a vertical vertical direction as a rotation axis and in a direction orthogonal to a conveyance direction from the first region to the second region in plan view. Item 12. A laser irradiation apparatus according to Item 11.   The monitor area for imaging the object to be processed being conveyed by the third conveyance unit is provided between the third area and the fourth area. The laser irradiation apparatus according to item.   The laser irradiation apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the object to be processed is imaged by a line sensor provided along a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the third conveyance unit in a plan view.   The laser irradiation apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the surface of the levitation unit is colored in the field of view of the line sensor.   The laser irradiation apparatus according to claim 14 or 15, wherein an illumination light source that illuminates a visual field of the line sensor is provided on the floating unit. The first transport unit is
A plurality of holding mechanisms;
The laser irradiation apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising a moving mechanism that moves the plurality of holding mechanisms independently. A laser generator for generating laser light;
A levitating unit for levitating the object to be processed that is irradiated with the laser beam;
A laser irradiation apparatus comprising: a transport unit that transports the object to be levitated;
The levitation unit includes first to fourth regions in which the object to be processed is conveyed,
The transport unit is
A first transport unit for transporting the object to be processed from the first region to the second region;
A second transport unit for transporting the object to be processed from the second region to the third region;
A third transport unit for transporting the object to be processed from the third region to the fourth region;
A fourth transport unit that transports the object to be processed from the fourth region to the first region;
When the object to be processed is transported from the first area to the second area, the laser beam is irradiated to the object to be processed;
The laser irradiation apparatus provided with the alignment mechanism which aligns the said to-be-processed object in a said 1st area | region.   The alignment mechanism aligns the object to be processed in a rotation direction having a vertical vertical direction as a rotation axis and in a direction orthogonal to a conveyance direction from the first region to the second region in plan view. Item 19. A laser irradiation apparatus according to Item 18. A laser generator for generating laser light;
A levitating unit for levitating the object to be processed that is irradiated with the laser beam;
A laser irradiation apparatus comprising: a transport unit that transports the object to be levitated;
The levitation unit includes first to fourth regions in which the object to be processed is conveyed,
The transport unit is
A first transport unit for transporting the object to be processed from the first region to the second region;
A second transport unit for transporting the object to be processed from the second region to the third region;
A third transport unit for transporting the object to be processed from the third region to the fourth region;
A fourth transport unit that transports the object to be processed from the fourth region to the first region;
When the object to be processed is transported from the first area to the second area, the laser beam is irradiated to the object to be processed;
The laser irradiation apparatus provided with the monitor area | region which images the said to-be-processed object currently conveyed by the said 3rd conveyance unit between the said 3rd area | region and the said 4th area | region.   The laser irradiation apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the object to be processed is imaged by a line sensor provided along a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the third conveyance unit in a plan view.   The laser irradiation apparatus according to claim 21, wherein a coloring process is performed on a surface of the floating unit in a visual field of the line sensor.   23. The laser irradiation apparatus according to claim 21, wherein an illumination light source that illuminates the visual field of the line sensor is provided on the floating unit. A laser irradiation method of conveying the object to be processed using a conveyance unit while levitation of the object to be processed using a levitation unit and irradiating the object to be processed with laser light,
(A) The holding mechanism holds the object to be processed by adsorbing the object to be processed through the porous body,
(B) The moving mechanism moves the holding mechanism that holds the object to be processed, thereby conveying the object to be processed;
(C) A laser irradiation method of irradiating the object to be processed with the laser light while the moving mechanism moves the holding mechanism. The holding mechanism is
A pedestal for holding the porous body;
An exhaust mechanism for exhausting the negative pressure space in order to set the negative pressure space to a negative pressure, the porous body includes:
A first surface serving as an adsorption surface for adsorbing the workpiece;
A second surface in contact with the negative pressure space;
The laser irradiation method according to claim 24, further comprising: a through hole that reaches the second surface from the first surface.   The laser irradiation method according to claim 25, wherein it is determined whether or not the object to be processed is adsorbed according to a pressure in the negative pressure space.   27. The laser irradiation method according to claim 26, wherein the moving mechanism starts moving after determining that the object to be processed is adsorbed.   The laser irradiation method according to claim 26 or 27, wherein after determining that the object to be processed is not adsorbed, the holding mechanism is lowered. The transport unit is
A first transport unit for transporting the object to be processed in a first direction;
A second transport unit for transporting the object to be processed in a second direction,
The operation of moving the object to be processed from the first transport unit to the second transport unit is performed,
In the holding operation,
When the first holding mechanism of the first transfer unit holds the object to be processed, the second holding mechanism of the second transfer unit holds the object to be processed;
The first holding mechanism releases the holding of the object to be processed after the second holding mechanism of the second transport unit completes the holding of the object to be processed. The laser irradiation method described in 1. The first transport unit and the second transport unit are arranged outside the floating unit,
The first holding mechanism of the first transport unit holds one end of the object to be processed in the second direction;
30. The laser irradiation method according to claim 29, wherein the second holding mechanism of the second transport unit holds one end of the object to be processed in the first direction. A laser irradiation method of conveying the object to be processed using a conveyance unit while levitation of the object to be processed using a levitation unit and irradiating the object to be processed with laser light,
The floating unit is provided with a rotation mechanism that rotates the object to be processed while holding the horizontal surface of the object to be processed.
Outside the region where the rotation mechanism of the levitation unit is provided, an auxiliary levitation unit that ejects gas to a portion of the rotating object to be processed that protrudes from the levitation unit is provided.
(D) transporting the object to be processed using the transport unit and irradiating the object with the laser beam; (e) using the rotating mechanism while the auxiliary levitation unit is ejecting gas. To rotate the object to be processed,
(F) After rotating the object to be processed, the object to be processed is conveyed again and irradiated with the laser light.
Laser irradiation method. The levitation unit includes first to fourth regions in which the object to be processed is conveyed,
The transport unit is
A first transport unit for transporting the object to be processed from the first region to the second region;
A second transport unit for transporting the object to be processed from the second region to the third region;
A third transport unit for transporting the object to be processed from the third region to the fourth region;
A fourth transport unit that transports the object to be processed from the fourth region to the first region;
When the object to be processed is transported from the first area to the second area, the laser beam is irradiated to the object to be processed;
The rotation mechanism is provided in the fourth region;
The auxiliary levitation unit is disposed outside the fourth region;
The laser irradiation method according to claim 31. In plan view, the levitation unit is rectangular,
The first transport direction of the first transport unit and the second transport direction of the second transport unit are orthogonal to each other,
A third transport direction of the third transport unit is parallel and opposite to the first transport direction;
A fourth transport direction of the fourth transport unit is parallel and opposite to the second transport direction;
The laser irradiation method according to claim 32, wherein the first to fourth transport units transport the object to be processed so as to circulate a plurality of times on the floating unit. The first region is provided with an alignment mechanism for aligning the object to be processed.
After the object to be processed is aligned by the alignment mechanism, the laser beam is irradiated to the object to be processed.
The laser irradiation method according to claim 32 or 33.   The alignment mechanism aligns the object to be processed in a rotation direction having a vertical vertical direction as a rotation axis and in a direction orthogonal to a conveyance direction from the first region to the second region in plan view. Item 35. The laser irradiation method according to Item 34.   The laser irradiation according to any one of claims 32 to 35, wherein the object to be processed being transported by the third transport unit is imaged between the third region and the fourth region. Method.   The laser irradiation method according to claim 36, wherein the object to be processed is imaged by a line sensor provided along a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the third conveyance unit in plan view.   The laser irradiation method according to claim 37, wherein a coloring process is performed on a surface of the floating unit in a visual field of the line sensor.   The laser irradiation method according to claim 37 or 38, wherein the visual field of the line sensor is illuminated by an illumination light source provided on the floating unit. The first transport unit is provided with a plurality of holding mechanisms,
The laser irradiation method according to any one of claims 32 to 39, wherein the plurality of holding mechanisms are moved independently. A laser irradiation method of conveying the object to be processed using first to fourth transport units while levitation of the object to be processed using a levitation unit and irradiating the object to be processed with laser light,
The levitation unit includes first to fourth regions in which the object to be processed is conveyed,
Transporting the object to be processed from the first region to the second region using the first transport unit;
Transporting the object to be processed from the second region to the third region using the second transport unit;
Transporting the object to be processed from the third region to the fourth region using the third transport unit;
Transporting the object to be processed from the fourth region to the first region using the fourth transport unit;
In the first region, the object to be processed is aligned,
When the aligned object to be processed is transported from the first region to the second region, the laser beam is irradiated to the object to be processed.
Laser irradiation method.   In the first region, the object to be processed is aligned in a rotation direction with the vertical vertical direction as a rotation axis and a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction from the first region to the second region in plan view. The laser irradiation method according to claim 41. A laser irradiation method of conveying the object to be processed using first to fourth transport units while levitation of the object to be processed using a levitation unit and irradiating the object to be processed with laser light,
The levitation unit includes first to fourth regions in which the object to be processed is conveyed,
Transporting the object to be processed from the first region to the second region using the first transport unit;
Transporting the object to be processed from the second region to the third region using the second transport unit;
Transporting the object to be processed from the third region to the fourth region using the third transport unit;
Transporting the object to be processed from the fourth region to the first region using the fourth transport unit;
When the object to be processed is transported from the first area to the second area, the laser beam is irradiated to the object to be processed;
A laser irradiation method for imaging the object to be processed being transported by the third transport unit in a monitor region provided between the third region and the fourth region.   44. The laser irradiation method according to claim 43, wherein the object to be processed is imaged by a line sensor provided along a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the third conveyance unit in plan view.   The laser irradiation method according to claim 44, wherein a coloring process is performed on a surface of the floating unit in a visual field of the line sensor.   46. The laser irradiation method according to claim 44, wherein an illumination light source that illuminates the visual field of the line sensor is provided on the floating unit. (A) forming an amorphous film on the substrate;
(B) irradiating the amorphous film with laser light to crystallize the amorphous film, and a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device,
The step (B) is a step of irradiating the amorphous film with laser light by transporting the substrate using a transport unit while levitating the substrate using a levitation unit,
The holding mechanism holds the substrate by adsorbing the substrate through the porous body,
(B) The moving mechanism moves the holding mechanism that holds the substrate to convey the substrate,
(C) A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device in which the laser beam is irradiated onto the substrate while the moving mechanism moves the holding mechanism. (A) forming an amorphous film on the substrate;
(B) irradiating the amorphous film with laser light to crystallize the amorphous film, and a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device,
The step (B) is a step of irradiating the amorphous film with laser light by transporting the substrate using a transport unit while levitating the substrate using a levitation unit,
The levitation unit is provided with a rotation mechanism that rotates the substrate while holding the horizontal surface of the substrate,
An auxiliary levitation unit is provided outside the region of the levitation unit where the rotation mechanism is provided to eject gas to a portion of the rotating substrate that protrudes from the levitation unit.
The substrate is transported using the transport unit, the substrate is irradiated with the laser light, and the substrate is rotated using the rotating mechanism while the auxiliary levitation unit is ejecting gas,
After rotating the substrate, transport the substrate again and irradiate the substrate with the laser beam.
Laser irradiation method. (A) forming an amorphous film on the substrate;
(B) irradiating the amorphous film with laser light to crystallize the amorphous film, and a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device,
In the step (B), the substrate is transported using the first to fourth transport units while the substrate is levitated using the levitating unit, and the amorphous film is irradiated with laser light. ,
The levitation unit includes first to fourth regions where the substrate is transported,
Transporting the substrate from the first region to the second region using the first transport unit;
Transporting the substrate from the second region to a third region using the second transport unit;
Transporting the substrate from the third region to a fourth region using the third transport unit;
Transporting the substrate from the fourth region to the first region using the fourth transport unit;
Aligning the substrate in the first region;
When the aligned substrate is transported from the first region to the second region, the laser light is applied to the substrate.
A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device. (A) forming an amorphous film on the substrate;
(B) irradiating the amorphous film with laser light to crystallize the amorphous film, and a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device,
The step (B) is a step of irradiating the amorphous film with laser light by transporting the substrate using the first to fourth transport units while floating the substrate using the levitation unit. ,
The levitation unit includes first to fourth regions where the substrate is transported,
Transporting the substrate from the first region to the second region using the first transport unit;
Transporting the substrate from the second region to a third region using the second transport unit;
Transporting the substrate from the third region to a fourth region using the third transport unit;
Transporting the substrate from the fourth region to the first region using the fourth transport unit;
When the front substrate is transported from the first region to the second region, the laser beam is applied to the substrate,
A laser irradiation method for imaging the substrate being transported by the third transport unit in a monitor region provided between the third region and the fourth region.

Images