JP7412111B2 - Laser processing equipment and semiconductor device manufacturing method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a laser processing apparatus and a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, and for example, to a laser processing apparatus and a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device that manufacture a semiconductor device by irradiating laser light.

BACKGROUND ART In the manufacturing process of high-definition panels for smartphones, televisions, and the like, it is known to perform heat treatment using laser light irradiation in order to form thin film transistors (TFTs) that control pixels of the panel.

Patent Document 1 discloses a laser irradiation device that performs an annealing process by irradiating a target object including an amorphous film formed on a glass substrate or the like with laser light. The laser irradiation apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1 performs the annealing process on a floating unit that levitates the object to be processed using jetted air.

JP2018-64048A

Laser processing apparatuses have room for improvement in terms of improving laser processing performance. For example, a decrease in laser processing performance may occur due to a malfunction during the transportation of a substrate for laser processing.

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

A laser processing apparatus according to an embodiment includes a laser beam irradiation unit that irradiates a laser beam for heat-treating an object to be processed, and a conveyor that makes it possible to transport the object to be processed by levitating the object to be processed. a stage, the transport stage includes a plurality of first members each having an injection port for injecting gas for levitating the object to be processed, and a plurality of first members on a surface facing the object to be processed. The base plate includes a base plate in which members are arranged in a matrix at intervals, and a spatial region is formed so as to be continuous with the gaps between the plurality of first members.

A laser processing apparatus according to an embodiment includes a laser beam irradiation unit that irradiates a laser beam for heat-treating an object to be processed, and a conveyor that makes it possible to transport the object to be processed by levitating the object to be processed. a stage, the transport stage includes a plurality of first members each having an injection port for injecting gas for levitating the object to be processed, and a plurality of first members on a surface facing the object to be processed. The base plate includes a plurality of second members arranged at intervals, the members being arranged in a matrix at intervals, and a plurality of second members arranged at intervals.

According to the embodiment, it is possible to provide a laser processing apparatus and a semiconductor device manufacturing method that can improve the performance of laser processing.

1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a laser processing apparatus according to Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 2 is a plan view illustrating a transport stage of the laser processing apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating one of a plurality of members 50a forming a laser beam irradiation area 50 provided on the transport stage of the laser processing apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a plan view illustrating one of a plurality of members 50a that constitute a laser beam irradiation area 50 provided on a transport stage of the laser processing apparatus according to the first embodiment. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a plurality of members 60a forming a substrate transfer area 60 and a plurality of members 12a forming a base plate 12, which are provided in the laser processing apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a plan view illustrating a plurality of members 60a forming a substrate transfer area 60 and a plurality of members 12a forming a base plate 12, which are provided in the laser processing apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a plurality of members 60a forming a substrate transfer area 60 and a plurality of members 12a forming a base plate 12, which are provided in the laser processing apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a laser processing apparatus according to a second embodiment. FIG. 3 is a process cross-sectional view showing a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device using the laser processing apparatus according to Embodiments 1 and 2. FIG. FIG. 3 is a process cross-sectional view showing a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device using the laser processing apparatus according to Embodiments 1 and 2. FIG. FIG. 3 is a process cross-sectional view showing a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device using the laser processing apparatus according to Embodiments 1 and 2. FIG. FIG. 3 is a process cross-sectional view showing a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device using the laser processing apparatus according to Embodiments 1 and 2. FIG. FIG. 3 is a process cross-sectional view showing a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device using the laser processing apparatus according to Embodiments 1 and 2. FIG. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a simplified configuration of an organic EL display. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which an object to be processed is placed on a transport stage of a laser processing apparatus according to a concept before reaching Embodiment 1; FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which an object to be processed is placed on a transport stage of a laser processing apparatus according to a concept before reaching Embodiment 1;

For clarity of explanation, the following description and drawings are omitted and simplified as appropriate. Further, in each drawing, the same elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanation will be omitted as necessary.

Before explaining the laser processing apparatus according to Embodiment 1, the contents of the preliminary study by the inventors will be explained.

<Laser processing device 501 at the conceptual stage>
First, the inventors studied a laser processing apparatus 501.
FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which the object to be processed 530 is placed on the transport stage 540 of the laser processing apparatus 501 according to the concept before reaching the embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 15, in the laser processing apparatus 501, the transport stage 540 includes at least a plate-shaped base plate 512 that is attached to a pedestal (not shown) and has a flat top surface, and a member 560 that extends over the entire top surface of the base plate 512. . The member 560 levitates the object to be processed 530, for example, by injecting gas from the upper surface (stage surface). Thereby, the transport stage 540 can float and transport the object 530 to be processed.

However, in the structure of the laser processing apparatus 501, gas (blown air) remains between the central part of the object to be processed 530 and the transport stage 540, and the object to be processed 530 is deformed into a dome shape. . At this time, the center portion of the object to be processed 530 floats excessively and bends, and the edges 539 and corners of the object to be processed 530 sag accordingly. Therefore, the edges 539 and corners of the object to be processed 530 may come into contact with the transport stage 540 and be damaged. As a result, in the laser processing apparatus 501, uneven irradiation of laser light may occur due to the influence of dust generated from the damaged portion, and the performance of laser processing may deteriorate.

<Laser processing device 601 at the conceptual stage>
In order to solve such problems, the inventors next studied a laser processing device 601.
FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which the object to be processed 630 is placed on the transport stage 640 of the laser processing apparatus 601 according to the concept before reaching the embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 16, in the laser processing apparatus 601, a transport stage 640 includes a plate-shaped base plate 612 that is attached to a pedestal (not shown) and has a flat top surface, and a plurality of members 660a arranged on the entire top surface of the base plate 612. and at least the following. Each member 660a levitates the object to be processed 630 by injecting gas from the upper surface (stage surface). Thereby, the transport stage 640 can float and transport the object to be processed 630.

Here, the plurality of members 660a are arranged in a matrix pattern at intervals over the entire upper surface of the base plate 612. As a result, the gas (blown air) ejected between the object to be processed 630 and the transport stage 640 can be released into the gaps 660b between the plurality of members 660a, so that the As a result, it is possible to prevent the object to be processed 630 from deforming into a dome shape.

Although the deformation of the object to be processed 630 into the dome shape is suppressed, the contact of the object to be processed 630 with the transport stage 640 is reduced, but this is still not sufficient. For example, if there is a large level difference between the plurality of members 660a, the gas ejected from the upper surface (stage surface) of each member 660a and the size of the gap 660b between the members 660a may affect the object to be processed. There is a possibility that the edge 639 and the corner of 630 will collide with the stepped portion and be damaged. As a result, in the laser processing apparatus 601, uneven irradiation of laser light may occur due to the influence of dust generated from the damaged portion, and the performance of laser processing may deteriorate.

Therefore, the inventors created a structure between the object to be processed and the transport stage that allows the ejected gas to sufficiently escape, thereby suppressing the deformation of the object to be processed, thereby improving the performance of laser processing. We have found a laser processing apparatus according to Embodiment 1 that can be improved.

<Embodiment 1>
A laser processing apparatus according to Embodiment 1 will be described below. In the first embodiment, the object to be processed 30 is restrained from deforming into, for example, a dome shape.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a laser processing apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a plan view illustrating the transport stage of the laser processing apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment. In FIG. 2, a part of the transport stage is omitted.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the laser processing apparatus 1 includes a transport stage 40 and a laser beam irradiation section 20. The laser processing apparatus 1 may further include a light source (not shown), or the laser beam irradiation unit 20 may include a light source. The laser processing apparatus 1 is an apparatus that performs laser processing by irradiating the object to be processed 30 with a laser beam 21 .

The transport stage 40 is a stage that can float and transport the object 30 to be processed. The transport stage 40 transports the object to be processed 30 while floating it above the upper surface 40f of the transport stage 40. The upper surface 40f of the transport stage 40 is also referred to as a stage surface.

Here, for convenience of explanation of the laser processing apparatus 1, an XYZ orthogonal coordinate axis system will be introduced. The plane parallel to the stage surface is defined as the XY plane. The direction perpendicular to the stage surface is defined as the Z-axis direction. For example, the XY plane is a horizontal plane. The Z-axis direction is the vertical direction, and the +Z-axis direction is upward.

The object to be processed 30 is transported in the transport direction 16 while floating above the upper surface 40f of the transport stage 40. For example, the object to be processed 30 whose end portion is gripped by the gripping mechanism 15 is transported in the transport direction 16 . The transport direction 16 is, for example, the +X-axis direction. Note that the gripping mechanism 15 is not limited to the end portion of the object to be processed 30, and may grip the center portion of the object to be processed 30.

The object to be processed 30 includes, for example, a substrate 31 and a semiconductor film 32 formed on the substrate 31. The substrate 31 is transported while floating above the stage surface while keeping the main surface of the substrate 31 parallel to the stage surface. The substrate 31 is, for example, a glass substrate or a semiconductor substrate such as a silicon substrate. The semiconductor film 32 is, for example, amorphous silicon.

The purpose of the laser processing is to polycrystallize, single crystallize, and modify the semiconductor film 32 in the object 30 to be processed, to inactivate impurities, and to stabilize impurities. For example, by irradiating the object to be processed 30 with the laser beam 21, at least a portion of the amorphous semiconductor film 32 is transformed into polycrystal. In this embodiment, a case will be described using as an example a case where at least a portion of the semiconductor film 32, which is an amorphous silicon film, is transformed into a polysilicon film by irradiating the object to be processed 30 with the laser beam 21 in a nitrogen atmosphere. do. Note that laser processing is not limited to processing for these purposes. It may include any process in which the object to be processed 30 is irradiated with the laser beam 21 and subjected to heat treatment. Further, the object to be processed 30 is not limited to include the substrate 31 and the semiconductor film 32 formed on the substrate 31 as long as it is subjected to laser processing.

The laser light irradiation unit 20 irradiates laser light 21. The laser light irradiation unit 20 irradiates the object to be processed 30 with, for example, excimer laser light. Note that the laser light 21 irradiated by the laser light irradiation section 20 is not limited to excimer laser light, and may be irradiated with laser light 21 according to the intended laser processing.

On the upper surface of the transport stage 40, an area for irradiating the substrate 31 with the laser beam 21 is referred to as a laser beam irradiation area 50. On the upper surface of the transport stage 40, an area for transporting the substrate 31 is referred to as a substrate transport area 60. The transport stage 40 includes a plurality of members 50a provided in a laser beam irradiation region 50 on the upper surface of the transport stage 40, and a plurality of members 60a provided in a substrate transport region 60 on the upper surface of the transport stage 40. Each of the plurality of members 50a and the plurality of members 60a has a mechanism for injecting gas to levitate the object 30 to be processed.

The transport stage 40 includes a base plate 11, a base plate 12, a pedestal 13, a height adjustment mechanism 14, and a gripping mechanism 15 in addition to the plurality of members 50a and the plurality of members 60a. The pedestal 13 is placed on the floor. Both base plates 11 and 12 are placed on a pedestal 13. Note that the base plates 11 and 12 may be placed on separate mounts 13. In order to make the drawings easier to read, some symbols are omitted in the drawings. Further, in some of the figures, hatching is omitted.

The base plate 11 supports a plurality of members 50a in the laser beam irradiation area 50. The base plate 11 is a so-called stone surface plate, and is mainly made of stone such as granite. The base plate 11 is a surface plate on which the flatness of the upper surface can be processed with high precision, and the flatness can be maintained with little bending during laser processing. However, there are almost no large stones that can be used to fabricate the base plate 11 that can support all of the multiple members 50a and multiple members 60a. Also, since such stones are expensive, it is desirable to minimize their use. Therefore, in this embodiment, the base plate 11 supports only the plurality of members 50a in the laser beam irradiation area 50 that require flatness. Note that the material of the base plate 11 is not limited to one containing granite, and as long as the flatness can be made more precise than the base plate 12, a stone other than granite may be used as the main component.

The base plate 12 supports a plurality of members 60a in the substrate transfer area 60. The base plate 12 is a so-called metal surface plate, and is mainly made of aluminum, for example. The material of the base plate 12 is not limited to one containing aluminum, and may be a metal such as stainless steel, for example. The base plate 12 may be enlarged so that it can support all of the plurality of members 50a and the plurality of members 60a. However, in the base plate 12, non-negligible deflection may occur in the laser beam irradiation area 50, which requires flatness, and the flatness is lower than that of the base plate 11. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the plurality of members 50a in the laser beam irradiation region 50 that require flatness are supported by the base plate 11, and the plurality of members 60a in the substrate transfer region 60 are supported by the base plate 12. . The shape of the base plate 12 will be described later.

The height adjustment mechanism 14 is provided between the pedestal 13 and the base plates 11 and 12. That is, the base plates 11 and 12 are placed on the pedestal 13 via the height adjustment mechanism 14. Note that the height adjustment mechanism 14 may be provided between the pedestal 13 and a floor surface (not shown). The height adjustment mechanism 14 adjusts the height in the Z-axis direction using, for example, a shim plate or a wedge mechanism. Here, the plurality of members 50a and the plurality of members 60a are arranged on the base plate 11 and the base plate 12, respectively. Therefore, by adjusting the height adjustment mechanism 14, the heights of the base plates 11 and 12 are adjusted, and accordingly, the height of the upper surface 40f of the transport stage 40 is adjusted. Note that the height adjustment mechanism 14 may be provided on the plurality of members 50a and the plurality of members 60a themselves.

The transfer stage 40 has a laser beam irradiation area 50 and a substrate transfer area 60 when the upper surface 40f is viewed from above, that is, from the Z-axis direction. In FIG. 2, a part of the substrate transfer area 60 is shown. is omitted.

<Details of the laser beam irradiation area 50>
In the laser beam irradiation area 50, a plurality of members 50a are arranged on the base plate 11. Therefore, the laser beam irradiation area 50 can also be said to be an area on the base plate 11. The laser beam irradiation area 50 is an area where the object to be processed 30 is irradiated with the laser beam 21 emitted from the laser beam irradiation section 20 . In other words, the laser beam irradiation area 50 is an area in which the object to be processed 30 is levitated with high precision in order to be irradiated with the laser beam 21.

In the laser beam irradiation area 50, a plurality of members 50a are arranged apart from each other in the X-axis direction (conveyance direction) when viewed from the Z-axis direction. The gaps between the plurality of members 50a extend in the Y-axis direction. The laser beam 21 is irradiated toward the gaps between the plurality of members 50a. The focal point 22 of the laser beam 21 has a linear shape extending in the Y-axis direction when viewed from the Z-axis direction. The focal point 22 of the laser beam 21 is located in the gap between the plurality of members 50a. Note that the laser beam irradiation area 50 may be configured by a single member 50a in which a groove extending in the Y-axis direction is formed instead of being configured by the plurality of members 50a. In this case, the groove extending in the Y-axis direction formed in the single member 50a plays the same role as the gaps between the plurality of members 50a. That is, in this case, the focal point 22 of the laser beam 21 is adjusted to be located in the groove formed in the single member 50a.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating one of the plurality of members 50a constituting the laser beam irradiation area 50. FIG. 4 is a plan view illustrating one of the plurality of members 50a constituting the laser beam irradiation area 50 of the laser processing apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, each member 50a provided in the laser beam irradiation area 50 is configured to be able to eject a predetermined gas 17 from its upper surface 50f to levitate the object 30 to be processed. ing. The predetermined gas 17 is, for example, nitrogen, air, inert gas, or the like. In the present embodiment, an example will be described in which the predetermined gas 17 is clean dry air (CDA).

Each member 50a includes a porous body 58 and a pedestal 59. A porous body 58 is placed on the pedestal 59. The porous body 58 is, for example, carbon (C), ceramics, chromium (Cr), or the like. The pedestal 59 is made of metal, for example.

An exhaust pipe 70 is connected to each member 50a. The exhaust pipe 70 penetrates the pedestal 59 and is connected to the porous body 58. A predetermined gas 17 is supplied to the porous body 58 through the exhaust pipe 70. In each member 50a, a predetermined gas 17 can be ejected from a porous body 58. The predetermined gas 17 is discharged so as to seep out from minute pores in the porous body 58. Each member 50a blows out a predetermined gas 17 to the object to be processed 30 via the porous body 58. Thereby, the object to be processed 30 can be floated above the upper surface 50f of each member 50a. The surface of the laser beam irradiation region 50 that faces the object to be processed 30 includes the upper surface 50f of each member 50a.

The flow rate or pressure of the predetermined gas 17 passing through the exhaust pipe 70 can be controlled. For example, a flow meter 91, a pressure gauge 92, and a throttle valve 93 are connected to the exhaust pipe 70. The exhaust pipe 70 can adjust the flow rate or pressure of a predetermined gas 17 using a throttle valve 93.

Further, an intake pipe 80 is connected to each member 50a. Unlike the exhaust pipe 70, the intake pipe 80 penetrates the porous body 58 and the pedestal 59. Each member 50a can suck a predetermined gas 17 ejected between the upper surface 50f and the object to be processed 30 through the suction pipe 80.

The flow rate or pressure of the predetermined gas 17 passing through the intake pipe 80 can be controlled. For example, a flow meter 91, a pressure gauge 92, and a throttle valve 93 are connected to the intake pipe 80. The intake pipe 80 can adjust the flow rate or pressure of a predetermined gas 17 using a throttle valve 93. Note that the flow rate or pressure of the predetermined gas 17 in the intake pipe 80 may be adjusted by the vacuum regulator 94.

Each member 50a is a member that performs exhaustion and intake. In the laser beam irradiation region 50, the flying height of the object to be processed 30 from the upper surface 50f of each member 50a is set to, for example, 10 to 30 [μm]. In the laser beam irradiation region 50, each member 50a can improve the accuracy of controlling the flying height of the object to be processed 30 by adjusting the exhaust and intake air using the throttle valve 93 and the like.

Here, in the laser beam irradiation area 50, the object to be processed 30 is irradiated with the laser beam 21 emitted from the laser beam irradiation section 20. At this time, the portion of the object 30 to be laser processed needs to fall within the depth of focus (DOF) of the laser beam 21 . The depth of focus is, for example, in a range of 50 to 150 [μm] along the optical axis centered on the focal point of the laser beam 21. The portion of the object to be processed 30 to be processed is, for example, a semiconductor film 32 formed on a substrate 31.

In the laser beam irradiation area 50, it is necessary to restrain the object to be processed 30 that has been irradiated with the laser so that the object to be processed 30 is not deformed or displaced due to the influence of heat or the like. Therefore, it is important to improve the flying precision and flying rigidity of the object to be processed 30 in the laser beam irradiation region 50. Therefore, in the laser beam irradiation area 50, the predetermined gas 17 is ejected to the object to be processed 30, and the predetermined gas 17 ejected between the object to be processed 30 and the member 50a is sucked. The processing body 30 is in a non-contact adsorption state.

In addition, in the laser beam irradiation area 50, control accuracy is required so that the object to be processed 30 is within the depth of focus of the laser beam 21, so each member 50a is placed on the base plate 11 whose main component is stone. It is located. The base plate 11 can be machined to have an upper surface with high precision and has little deflection. Therefore, the flatness of the upper surface 50f of each member 50a arranged on the base plate 11 can be improved.

≪Details of substrate transfer area 60≫
In the substrate transfer area 60, a plurality of members 60a are arranged on the base plate 12. Therefore, the substrate transfer area 60 can be said to be an area on the base plate 12. The substrate transfer area 60 is an area spaced apart from the laser beam irradiation area 50. For example, the laser beam irradiation area 50 and the substrate transfer area 60 are lined up in the X-axis direction on the upper surface 40f of the transfer stage 40. The laser beam irradiation area 50 is sandwiched between substrate transport areas 60 from both sides in the X-axis direction.

In the substrate transfer area 60, a plurality of members 60a are arranged on the base plate 12, for example, in a matrix shape when viewed from the Z-axis direction. The plurality of members 60a are arranged apart from each other. The lengths of each member 60a in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction are, for example, 1000 [mm] and 200 [mm]. Note that the lengths of the member 60a in the X-axis direction and Y-axis direction are not limited to these, and may be, for example, 200 [mm] and 1000 [mm], or may be other than these.

The width of the gap 60b between adjacent members 60a in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction is, for example, 10 [mm]. Note that the width of the gap may vary depending on the length of each side of the member 60a, but for example, the gap in the Y-axis direction is 2 to 60 [mm]. The length of the member 60a in the Y-axis direction is L, the minimum width of the gap 60b in the Y-axis direction is Lmin, and the maximum width of the gap 60b in the Y-axis direction is Lmax. Then, the following equations (1) and (2) hold true.

Lmin=n1×L...(1)
Lmax=n2×L...(2)

Here, the relationship between n1 and n2 is, for example, 0<n1, n2<1, where n1 is, for example, 0.01, and n2 is, for example, 0.3. The relationship between the length of the member 60a in the X-axis direction and the width of the gap 60b may also be such that equations (1) and (2) hold.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a plurality of members 60a that constitute the substrate transfer area 60 and a plurality of members 12a that constitute the base plate 12. As shown in FIG. 5, each member 60a provided in the substrate transfer area 60 is configured to be able to eject a predetermined gas 17 for floating the object 30 to be processed.

Each member 60a has a plurality of through holes (injection ports) 90 capable of ejecting a predetermined gas 17 from its upper surface 60f. In the figure, only a few through holes 90 are shown for ease of viewing, but each member 60a may have a large number of through holes 90. Each member 60a is made of a metal whose main component is, for example, aluminum (Al).

An exhaust pipe 70 is connected to each member 60a. The exhaust pipe 70 is arranged on the lower surface of each member 60a so as to be continuous with the plurality of through holes 90. A predetermined gas 17 is supplied to the plurality of through holes 90 through the exhaust pipe 70 . In each member 60a, the predetermined gas 17 supplied to the plurality of through holes 90 can be ejected from the upper surface 60f of each member 60a. Each member 60a spouts a predetermined gas 17 supplied from the exhaust pipe 70 to the plurality of through holes 90 toward the object to be processed 30 from its upper surface 60f. Thereby, the object to be processed 30 can be floated above the upper surface 60f of each member 60a. The surface of the substrate transfer region 60 that faces the object to be processed 30 includes the upper surface 60f of each member 60a.

The flow rate or pressure of the predetermined gas 17 passing through the exhaust pipe 70 can be controlled. For example, a flow meter 91, a pressure gauge 92, and a throttle valve 93 are connected to the exhaust pipe 70. The exhaust pipe 70 can adjust the flow rate or pressure of a predetermined gas 17 using a throttle valve 93.

Each member 60a is a member that performs only exhaustion. In the substrate transfer area 60, each member 60a controls the flying height of the object to be processed 30 by adjusting exhaust gas using a throttle valve or the like.

That is, the control precision of the flying height of the processing object 30 in the substrate transport region 60 may be lower than the control precision of the flying height of the processing object 30 in the laser beam irradiation region 50. For example, in the laser beam irradiation area 50, if the flying height of the object to be processed 30 from the upper surface 50f of each member 50a is set to 10 to 30 [μm], the required control accuracy is 20±10 [μm]. It is. On the other hand, in the substrate transfer area 60, when the flying height of the object to be processed 30 from the upper surface 60f of each member 60a is set to 300 to 500 [μm], the required control accuracy is 400±100 [μm]. It is.

Here, in the substrate transfer area 60, a plurality of members 60a are arranged at intervals. Further, the base plate 12 on which the plurality of members 60a are arranged is constituted by a plurality of members 12a arranged at intervals, although the details will be described later. The plurality of members 12a constituting the base plate 12 are arranged such that a spatial region (gap) 12b between the plurality of members 12a is continuous with a gap 60b between the plurality of members 60a constituting the substrate transfer area 60.

Thereby, the laser processing apparatus 1 supplies the predetermined gas 17 ejected between each member 60a and the object to be processed 30 to the pedestal 13 (or the object to be processed 30) through the gap 60b and the space area 12b. The predetermined gas 17 can be sufficiently prevented from staying between the object to be processed 30 and the transport stage 40 because it can be released to another gap 60b) which is not covered by the gas. As a result, the laser processing apparatus 1 can prevent the object to be processed 30 from deforming into a dome shape, thereby preventing the edges 639 and corners of the object to be processed 630 from coming into contact with the transport stage 640 and being damaged. It can be prevented. As a result, the laser processing apparatus 1 can suppress uneven irradiation of laser light due to damaged objects and improve the performance of laser processing.

≪Details of base plate 12≫
Next, details of the base plate 12 will be explained together with the substrate transfer area 60.
FIG. 6 is a plan view illustrating a plurality of members 60a that constitute the substrate transfer area 60 and a plurality of members 12a that constitute the base plate 12. FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating a plurality of members 60a that constitute the substrate transfer area 60 and a plurality of members 12a that constitute the base plate 12.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, for example, when viewed from the Z-axis direction, the plurality of members 60a constituting the substrate transfer area 60 have their longitudinal directions set in the X-axis direction and their transversal directions set in the Y-axis direction. , are arranged in a matrix at intervals. Further, the plurality of members 12a constituting the base plate 12 are arranged at intervals when viewed from the Z-axis direction, with the longitudinal direction being the Y-axis direction and the lateral direction being the X-axis direction.

More specifically, the plurality of members 12a constituting the base plate 12 are all prismatic members, for example, and are arranged so as to extend in the Y-axis direction and lined up in the X-axis direction. ing.

Here, the plurality of members 12a constituting the base plate 12 are arranged such that a spatial region (gap) 12b between them is continuous with a gap 60b between the plurality of members 60a constituting the substrate transfer area 60. . These spatial regions 12b and gaps 60b are defined by the area between the upper surface 40f of the transport stage 40 (the surface on which the object to be processed 30 floats) and the object to be processed 630, and the surface of the transport stage 40 on the pedestal 13 side. A gas flow path is formed between them. That is, it can also be said that the space area 12b allows the gaps 60b between the plurality of members 60a to communicate with each other via the space area of the pedestal 13. Note that the spatial region 12b may be formed so as to communicate the gaps 60b between the plurality of members 60a without passing through the spatial region of the pedestal 13.

With such a configuration, the laser processing apparatus 1 directs the predetermined gas 17 ejected between each member 60a and the object to be processed 30 to, for example, the pedestal 13 (or the object to be processed) through the gap 60b and the space area 12b. Since the gas can escape to another gap 60b) that is not covered by the object to be processed 30, it is possible to sufficiently prevent the predetermined gas 17 from staying between the object to be processed 30 and the transport stage 40. As a result, the laser processing apparatus 1 can prevent the object to be processed 30 from deforming into a dome shape, thereby preventing the edges 639 and corners of the object to be processed 630 from coming into contact with the transport stage 640 and being damaged. It can be prevented. As a result, the laser processing apparatus 1 can suppress uneven irradiation of laser light due to damaged objects and improve the performance of laser processing.

In this embodiment, a case has been described in which the base plate 12 is constituted by a plurality of prismatic members 12a, but the base plate 12 is not limited to this, and can be appropriately changed to other shapes that can realize the same function. For example, the base plate 12 may be composed of a plurality of cylindrical or polygonal members 12a. Alternatively, the base plate 12 may be integrally formed with a plurality of prismatic members 12a and a member connecting them. Alternatively, the base plate 12 may be formed into a pincushion shape by a plurality of needle-like members 12a extending in the Z-axis direction and a plate-like member on which they are arranged.

<Embodiment 2>
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the laser processing apparatus 2 according to the second embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 8, compared to the laser processing apparatus 1, the laser processing apparatus 2 further includes a housing 100, a cover member 101, and a fixing member 102.

The housing 100 is arranged together with the upper surface 40f of the transport stage 40 so as to surround the area where the object to be processed 30 is transported. In the example of FIG. 8, the housing 100 is fixed to the pedestal 13 by a fixing member 102. The cover member 101 is arranged so as to cover the gap between the gantry 13 and the gap leading to the outside of the laser processing apparatus 2 . In other words, the cover member 101 is arranged to block a flow path between the gas flow path formed by the spatial region 12b of the base plate 12 and the gap 60b and the outside of the laser processing apparatus 2. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the object to be processed 30 from being rolled up due to external factors and to prevent, for example, nitrogen filled in the laser beam irradiation area 50 from leaking to the outside.

The rest of the structure of the laser processing device 2 is the same as that of the laser processing device 1, so a description thereof will be omitted.

<Other embodiments>
Next, as another embodiment, a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device using the laser processing apparatus described above will be described. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to the present embodiment includes a step of preparing a laser processing apparatus, and a step of transporting a substrate 31 on which an amorphous semiconductor film 32 is formed as an object to be processed 30 on a transport stage 40. and a step of irradiating the object to be processed 30 with laser light to polycrystallize the amorphous semiconductor film 32. In the step of polycrystallizing the amorphous semiconductor film 32, a laser processing method using a laser processing device is implemented. A semiconductor device includes, for example, a thin film transistor (TFT). The polycrystalline semiconductor film 32 constitutes at least a portion of a thin film transistor. Thin film transistors are used, for example, to control displays.

≪Method for manufacturing semiconductor devices≫
9 to 13 are process cross-sectional views showing a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device. The laser processing apparatus according to the first and second embodiments described above is suitable for manufacturing a TFT array substrate. Note that in the figures, some hatching is omitted to avoid complication. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device having a TFT will be described below.

First, as shown in FIG. 9, a gate electrode 202 is formed on a 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. 10, a gate insulating film 203 is formed on the gate electrode 202. Gate insulating film 203 is formed to cover gate electrode 202 . Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 11, an amorphous silicon film 204 is formed on the gate insulating film 203. The amorphous silicon film 204 is arranged to overlap the gate electrode 202 with the gate insulating film 203 in between.

The gate insulating film 203 is a silicon nitride film (SiN _x ), a silicon oxide film (SiO ₂ film), a laminated film of these, or the like. Specifically, the gate insulating film 203 and the amorphous silicon film 204 are successively formed by a CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) method. The glass substrate 201 with the amorphous silicon film 204 becomes the object to be processed 30 in the laser processing apparatus 1 .

Then, as shown in FIG. 12, the amorphous silicon film 204 is irradiated with laser light using the laser processing apparatus described above to crystallize the amorphous silicon film 204, thereby forming a polysilicon film 205. As a result, a polysilicon film 205 in which silicon is crystallized is formed on the gate insulating film 203.

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

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 13, 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 method for manufacturing a semiconductor device described above, a semiconductor device including a TFT can be manufactured. Note that the subsequent manufacturing steps differ depending on the device to be finally manufactured, so a description thereof will be omitted.

≪Organic EL display≫
Next, an organic EL display will be described as an example of a device using a semiconductor device having a TFT. FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the outline of an organic EL display, and shows a simplified pixel circuit of the organic EL display. The organic EL display 300 shown in FIG. 14 is an active matrix display device in which a TFT is arranged 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. 14 shows a top emission type organic EL display in which the sealing substrate 314 side is the viewing side. Note that the following description shows an example of the configuration of an organic EL display, and the present embodiment is not limited to the configuration described below. For example, the semiconductor device according to this 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 includes a TFT 311a arranged at each pixel Px. Furthermore, the TFT layer 311 has wiring and the like connected to the TFT 311a. The TFT 311a, wiring, etc. constitute a pixel circuit. Note that the TFT layer 311 corresponds to a TFT, 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 partition walls 312b for separating the organic EL light emitting elements 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 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 RGB color light. Note that in the case of a three-color system in which the organic layer 312 is provided with organic EL light emitting elements that emit light of each color of RGB, the color filter layer 313 may be omitted.

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 the organic EL light emitting elements of the organic layer 312 from deteriorating.

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

Note that although an organic EL display has been described above as an example of a device using a semiconductor device including a TFT, the semiconductor device including a TFT may be, for example, a liquid crystal display. Moreover, the case where the laser processing apparatus according to this embodiment is applied to a laser annealing apparatus has been described above. However, the laser processing apparatus according to this embodiment can also be applied to apparatuses other than laser annealing apparatuses.

Although the invention made by the present inventor has been specifically explained based on the embodiments above, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various changes can be made without departing from the gist thereof. Needless to say.

1 Laser processing device 2 Laser processing device 11 Base plate (stone surface plate)
12 Base plate (metal surface plate)
12a Member 12b Gap 13 Mount 14 Height adjustment mechanism 15 Gripping mechanism 16 Conveyance direction 17 Predetermined gas 20 Laser beam irradiation section 21 Laser beam 22 Focus 30 Processed object 31 Substrate 32 Semiconductor film 39 Edge 40 Conveyance stage 40f Top surface 50 Laser Light irradiation area 50a Member 50f Top surface 58 Porous body 59 Pedestal 60 Substrate transfer area 60a Member 60b Space area 60f Top surface 70 Exhaust pipe 80 Intake pipe 90 Through hole 91 Flow meter 92 Pressure gauge 93 Throttle valve 94 Vacuum regulator 100 Housing 101 Cover member 102 Fixing member 120 Base plate (metal surface plate)
201 Glass substrate 202 Gate electrode 203 Gate insulating film 204 Amorphous silicon film 205 Polysilicon film 206 Interlayer insulating film 207a Source electrode 207b Drain electrode 300 Organic EL display 310 Substrate 311 TFT layer 312 Organic layer 312a Organic EL light emitting element 312b Partition wall 313 Color filter Layer 313a Color filter 314 Sealing substrate 501 Laser processing device 512 Base plate 530 Object to be processed 539 Edge 540 Transport stage 560 Member 601 Laser processing device 612 Base plate 630 Object to be processed 639 Edge 640 Transport stage 660a Member 660b Gap Px Pixel

Claims (5)

Laser processing equipment including:
a laser beam irradiation unit that irradiates the object to be processed with a laser beam for performing heat treatment; and a transport stage that can transport the object by levitating the object to be processed;
Here, the transport stage includes:
A plurality of first members each having an injection port that injects a gas for floating the object to be processed over the entire surface of the object to be processed facing the transfer stage among the objects to be processed on the transport stage ; and A base plate in which the plurality of first members are arranged in a matrix at intervals on a surface facing the object to be processed, and a spatial region is formed so as to be connected to each of the gaps between the plurality of first members. . The laser processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the spatial region is formed so as to communicate gaps between the plurality of first members. The spatial region is formed from one main surface of the base plate on which the plurality of first members are arranged to the opposite main surface so as to be continuous with the gaps between the plurality of first members.
A laser processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2. a casing that surrounds a region including the object to be processed together with a surface of the transport stage that faces the object to be processed;
a cover member that blocks a gas flow path between the spatial region formed in the base plate and the outside of the laser processing device;
Further equipped with
The laser processing apparatus according to claim 3. forming a semiconductor film on the substrate;
The semiconductor film formed on the substrate is irradiated with laser light while the substrate is transported on a transport stage using the laser processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4. a step of heat-treating the semiconductor film;
A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, comprising:

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