WO2011132559A1 - Laser annealing method, device, and microlens array - Google Patents

Laser annealing method, device, and microlens array Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2011132559A1
WO2011132559A1 PCT/JP2011/058990 JP2011058990W WO2011132559A1 WO 2011132559 A1 WO2011132559 A1 WO 2011132559A1 JP 2011058990 W JP2011058990 W JP 2011058990W WO 2011132559 A1 WO2011132559 A1 WO 2011132559A1
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microlenses
laser
rows
microlens
group
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PCT/JP2011/058990
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French (fr)
Japanese (ja)
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水村　通伸
渡辺　由雄
畑中　誠
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株式会社ブイ・テクノロジー
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Priority to CN201180020284.5A priority Critical patent/CN102844839B/en
Priority to KR1020127030599A priority patent/KR101773219B1/en
Publication of WO2011132559A1 publication Critical patent/WO2011132559A1/en

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    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
    • H01L21/02—Manufacture or treatment of semiconductor devices or of parts thereof
    • H01L21/04—Manufacture or treatment of semiconductor devices or of parts thereof the devices having at least one potential-jump barrier or surface barrier, e.g. PN junction, depletion layer or carrier concentration layer
    • H01L21/18—Manufacture or treatment of semiconductor devices or of parts thereof the devices having at least one potential-jump barrier or surface barrier, e.g. PN junction, depletion layer or carrier concentration layer the devices having semiconductor bodies comprising elements of Group IV of the Periodic System or AIIIBV compounds with or without impurities, e.g. doping materials
    • H01L21/26—Bombardment with radiation
    • H01L21/263—Bombardment with radiation with high-energy radiation
    • H01L21/268—Bombardment with radiation with high-energy radiation using electromagnetic radiation, e.g. laser radiation
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
    • H01L21/02—Manufacture or treatment of semiconductor devices or of parts thereof
    • H01L21/02041—Cleaning
    • H01L21/02057—Cleaning during device manufacture
    • H01L21/02068—Cleaning during device manufacture during, before or after processing of conductive layers, e.g. polysilicon or amorphous silicon layers
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
    • H01L21/02—Manufacture or treatment of semiconductor devices or of parts thereof
    • H01L21/02104—Forming layers
    • H01L21/02365—Forming inorganic semiconducting materials on a substrate
    • H01L21/02518—Deposited layers
    • H01L21/02521—Materials
    • H01L21/02524—Group 14 semiconducting materials
    • H01L21/02532—Silicon, silicon germanium, germanium
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
    • H01L21/02—Manufacture or treatment of semiconductor devices or of parts thereof
    • H01L21/02104—Forming layers
    • H01L21/02365—Forming inorganic semiconducting materials on a substrate
    • H01L21/02656—Special treatments
    • H01L21/02664—Aftertreatments
    • H01L21/02667—Crystallisation or recrystallisation of non-monocrystalline semiconductor materials, e.g. regrowth
    • H01L21/02675—Crystallisation or recrystallisation of non-monocrystalline semiconductor materials, e.g. regrowth using laser beams
    • H01L21/02678—Beam shaping, e.g. using a mask
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
    • H01L21/02—Manufacture or treatment of semiconductor devices or of parts thereof
    • H01L21/02104—Forming layers
    • H01L21/02365—Forming inorganic semiconducting materials on a substrate
    • H01L21/02656—Special treatments
    • H01L21/02664—Aftertreatments
    • H01L21/02667—Crystallisation or recrystallisation of non-monocrystalline semiconductor materials, e.g. regrowth
    • H01L21/02691—Scanning of a beam
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L27/00—Devices consisting of a plurality of semiconductor or other solid-state components formed in or on a common substrate
    • H01L27/02—Devices consisting of a plurality of semiconductor or other solid-state components formed in or on a common substrate including semiconductor components specially adapted for rectifying, oscillating, amplifying or switching and having at least one potential-jump barrier or surface barrier; including integrated passive circuit elements with at least one potential-jump barrier or surface barrier
    • H01L27/12—Devices consisting of a plurality of semiconductor or other solid-state components formed in or on a common substrate including semiconductor components specially adapted for rectifying, oscillating, amplifying or switching and having at least one potential-jump barrier or surface barrier; including integrated passive circuit elements with at least one potential-jump barrier or surface barrier the substrate being other than a semiconductor body, e.g. an insulating body
    • H01L27/1214—Devices consisting of a plurality of semiconductor or other solid-state components formed in or on a common substrate including semiconductor components specially adapted for rectifying, oscillating, amplifying or switching and having at least one potential-jump barrier or surface barrier; including integrated passive circuit elements with at least one potential-jump barrier or surface barrier the substrate being other than a semiconductor body, e.g. an insulating body comprising a plurality of TFTs formed on a non-semiconducting substrate, e.g. driving circuits for AMLCDs
    • H01L27/1259—Multistep manufacturing methods
    • H01L27/127—Multistep manufacturing methods with a particular formation, treatment or patterning of the active layer specially adapted to the circuit arrangement
    • H01L27/1274—Multistep manufacturing methods with a particular formation, treatment or patterning of the active layer specially adapted to the circuit arrangement using crystallisation of amorphous semiconductor or recrystallisation of crystalline semiconductor
    • H01L27/1285—Multistep manufacturing methods with a particular formation, treatment or patterning of the active layer specially adapted to the circuit arrangement using crystallisation of amorphous semiconductor or recrystallisation of crystalline semiconductor using control of the annealing or irradiation parameters, e.g. using different scanning direction or intensity for different transistors

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a laser annealing method and apparatus for forming a low-temperature polysilicon film by annealing an amorphous silicon film by irradiation with laser light in a thin film transistor liquid crystal panel or the like, and in particular, a microlens array used therefor.
  • the present invention relates to a laser annealing method and apparatus capable of annealing only a region where a thin film transistor is to be formed.
  • an amorphous silicon film is formed on a glass substrate, and laser light having a linear beam shape is applied to the amorphous silicon film from one end of the substrate in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the beam.
  • laser light having a linear beam shape is applied to the amorphous silicon film from one end of the substrate in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the beam.
  • a low-temperature polysilicon film is formed.
  • the linear laser beam the amorphous silicon film is heated and melted by the laser beam, and then the molten silicon is rapidly cooled by the passage of the laser beam and solidified to be crystallized to form a low-temperature polysilicon film.
  • the entire amorphous silicon film is heated to a high temperature upon irradiation with laser light, and the entire amorphous silicon film becomes a low-temperature polysilicon film by melting and solidifying. For this reason, since regions other than the region where a thin film transistor (hereinafter referred to as TFT) is to be formed are also annealed, there is a problem that processing efficiency is poor.
  • TFT thin film transistor
  • a microlens array is used, and each microlens condenses laser light onto a plurality of minute areas on the amorphous silicon film, and simultaneously individually applies laser light to the minute areas corresponding to each transistor.
  • a method of annealing by irradiation has been proposed (Patent Document 2). This method has an advantage that the use efficiency of the laser beam is increased because only the amorphous silicon film in a plurality of TFT formation regions is annealed.
  • the present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and the microlens array can be configured with a large pitch different from the pitch of the transistor formation scheduled region in the amorphous silicon film.
  • Another object of the present invention is to provide a laser annealing method, apparatus, and microlens array capable of forming a micro polysilicon film region by laser annealing on an amorphous silicon film with a small pitch.
  • a laser annealing method includes a microlens array in which a plurality of microlenses are arranged in m (m is a natural number), a mask having an opening corresponding to each microlens, and generation of laser light.
  • the m rows of microlenses form a group every n (n is a natural number, n ⁇ m) rows, and in each group, the microlenses are arranged at the same pitch P.
  • the lenses are separated by P + P / n.
  • the first step laser annealing is performed by irradiating the amorphous silicon film on the substrate with the first laser beam from the microlens for n rows
  • the second step When the laser beam irradiation system and the substrate move relatively by n ⁇ P, the amorphous silicon film on the substrate is irradiated with a second laser beam from the microlens for 2 ⁇ n rows to perform laser processing.
  • Annealing is performed, and thereafter, laser irradiation is performed a plurality of times in the same manner to form laser annealing regions with a P / n pitch.
  • the laser annealing apparatus includes a microlens array in which a plurality of microlenses are arranged in m (m is a natural number), a mask having an opening corresponding to each microlens, and laser light.
  • a light guide unit for guiding laser light from the generation source to the mask and the microlens, a laser light irradiation system including the mask and the microlens, and a substrate in a row of the microlenses.
  • the m rows of microlenses form a group every n (n is a natural number, n ⁇ m) rows, and in each group, the microlenses are arranged at the same pitch P.
  • the lenses are separated by P + P / n,
  • the control device performs laser annealing by irradiating the amorphous silicon film on the substrate with the first laser beam from n rows of microlenses, and in the second step, the laser beam irradiation system.
  • laser annealing is performed by irradiating the amorphous silicon film on the substrate with a second laser beam from microlenses for 2 ⁇ n rows, and so on.
  • the driving means and the generation source are controlled so that laser annealing is performed a plurality of times and laser annealing regions are formed at a P / n pitch.
  • the microlens array according to the present invention is used in a laser beam irradiation apparatus, and in the microlens array in which a plurality of microlenses are arranged in m (m is a natural number), the m rows of microlenses are arranged. Is a group for every n (n is a natural number, n ⁇ m) column, and in each group, the microlenses are arranged at the same pitch P, and between each group, the microlens is P + P / n It is characterized by being separated.
  • the laser light irradiation system and the substrate are relatively moved.
  • n rows of laser light irradiation regions can be provided between the pitches P of the microlens array. That is, n rows of irradiation areas can be provided in the arrangement pitch of each group of microlenses within P, and the arrangement pitch of the irradiation areas can be made fine.
  • the microlens array can be formed with a large pitch different from the pitch of the transistor formation planned region in the amorphous silicon film, and the microcrystalline array by laser annealing is applied to the amorphous silicon film at a pitch smaller than the arrangement pitch of the microlens array.
  • a silicon film region can be formed.
  • FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a step subsequent to FIG. 3. It is a figure which shows the next process of FIG. It is a figure which shows the next process of FIG. It is a figure which shows the next process of FIG. It is a figure which shows the next process of FIG. It is a figure which shows the next process of FIG. It is a figure which shows the next process of FIG. It is a figure which shows the next process of FIG. It is a figure which shows the next process of FIG.
  • FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a laser irradiation apparatus using a microlens 5.
  • the laser irradiation apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is annealed by irradiating only the channel region formation scheduled region with laser light, for example. This is an apparatus for polycrystallizing and forming a polysilicon film.
  • the laser light emitted from the light source 1 is shaped into a parallel beam by the lens group 2 and applied to the irradiated object 6 through a microlens array including a large number of microlenses 5. Irradiate.
  • the laser light source 1 is, for example, an excimer laser that emits laser light having a wavelength of 308 nm or 353 nm at a repetition period of, for example, 50 Hz.
  • a large number of microlenses 5 are arranged on a transparent substrate 4, and the laser light is focused on a thin film transistor formation scheduled area set on a thin film transistor substrate as an irradiated body 6.
  • the transparent substrate 4 is arranged in parallel to the irradiated body 6, and the microlenses 5 are arranged at a pitch of an integer multiple (for example, 2) of 2 or more of the arrangement pitch of the transistor formation scheduled regions.
  • the irradiated body 6 of the present embodiment is, for example, a thin film transistor, and a polysilicon channel region is formed by irradiating a laser beam to the channel region formation scheduled region of the a-Si film.
  • a mask 3 for irradiating only the channel formation scheduled region with the laser beam is arranged by the microlens 5, and the channel region is defined in the irradiated object 6 by this mask 3. .
  • a gate electrode made of a metal film such as Al is patterned on a glass substrate by sputtering.
  • a gate insulating film made of a SiN film is formed on the entire surface by low-temperature plasma CVD at 250 to 300 ° C. using silane and H 2 gas as source gases.
  • an a-Si: H film is formed on the gate insulating film by, eg, plasma CVD.
  • This a-Si: H film is formed by using a mixed gas of silane and H 2 gas as a source gas.
  • one microlens 5 is arranged in each channel region, and only this channel formation planned region is irradiated with laser light and annealed. Then, this channel formation scheduled region is polycrystallized to form a polysilicon channel region.
  • the microlenses 5 are not arranged in a single row but are arranged in a plurality of rows. In the present embodiment of FIGS. 2 to 9, three groups of three rows are provided, and a total of nine rows of microlenses are arranged. .
  • FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the arrangement of the microlenses 5 and the laser light irradiation area.
  • FIG. 3 to FIG. 9 are upper views of them, showing a region 10 (region subjected to annealing) in which the laser light is condensed on the amorphous silicon film by the microlens and a planar arrangement of the microlens 5.
  • the lower figure is a front view showing laser light irradiated on the glass substrate.
  • an aluminum mask 3 is disposed above the microlens 5, and a light shielding plate 7 that shields the laser light is disposed above the mask 3. As shown in FIG.
  • the microlenses 5 are arranged in a total of 9 rows of 3 rows each of the first group 11, the second group 12, and the third group 13.
  • the microlenses 5 are arranged at a constant pitch P.
  • P the pitch between the microlenses between the first group 11 and the second group 12, and between the microlenses between the second group 12 and the third group 13, both are P + 1 / 3P. They are separated by an interval.
  • a gate layer 21 is formed on the entire surface of the glass substrate 20, and an amorphous silicon layer 22 is further formed on the gate layer 21.
  • the mask 3, the microlens 5, and the light shielding plate 7 are disposed in front of the upper region of the glass substrate 20.
  • the glass substrate 20 is moved to the right in the figure while the light shielding plate 7, the mask 3 and the microlens 5 are fixed.
  • This movement of the substrate is performed by irradiating the laser beam after moving by a distance three times the arrangement pitch P of the microlenses, and further irradiating the laser beam after the substrate has moved by a distance three times the pitch P. It is to do.
  • the operation of the laser beam generation system and the driving means for moving the laser beam irradiation system including the mask and the microlens and the substrate relative to each other in the direction perpendicular to the microlens row is performed. It is controlled by the control device to control. As shown in FIG. 3, the mask 3 is held in a state in which the positional relationship with the microlenses 5 is constant so that the openings correspond to the microlenses 5 on the transparent substrate 4.
  • the light shielding plate 7 covers the upper part of the other microlenses 5 except for the region above the microlenses 5 for three rows on the front end side (on the substrate 20 side), and shields the laser light.
  • the glass substrate 20 is moved to the right in the drawing. Then, when the position of the glass substrate 20 moves by a distance three times the pitch P, the glass substrate 20 enters the microlens 5 and the mask 3 below the width of the three rows of the microlens 5. At this time, one shot of the laser beam 30 is irradiated. Then, in the amorphous silicon film 21, the region 10 collected by the microlenses 5 for three rows of the pitch P is heated by the laser beam to be heated and melted and solidified to crystallize the region 10. As a result, the regions 10 for the three rows become polysilicon films. The microlenses 5 other than the microlenses 5 for the three rows are shielded by the light shielding plate 7 and are not irradiated with laser light.
  • the laser beam is 1 Irradiate a shot.
  • laser annealing is performed in the region 10 collected by the micro lens 5 of the first group 11 and the micro lens 5 of the second group 12.
  • the region irradiated with the laser light by the microlenses 5 of the first group and the second group in the step of FIG. No. 10 has been subjected to laser annealing.
  • the laser annealing region 10 formed by the first group of microlenses 5 in the first shot and the second group of microlenses 5 in the second shot in the row portion (a portion having a width of about 3P).
  • the laser annealing region 10 formed by the above is shifted by 1 / 3P. That is, in the regions 10 arranged at the pitch P, the regions 10 adjacent to the regions 10 formed in the first shot by 1 / 3P are formed in only three rows.
  • a third shot of laser light is performed. Then, the laser light is focused on the amorphous silicon film 22 through all the microlenses of the first group 11, the second group 12, and the third group 13.
  • the first shot of the first group of laser beams, the second shot of the second group of laser beams, and the third shot are irradiated with a shift of 1 / 3P, thereby forming a total of 9 rows of laser annealing regions 10 of 3 rows ⁇ 3 at a 1 / 3P pitch.
  • a one-shot laser beam is further irradiated.
  • the glass substrate 20 advances forward by a width of about 3P from the lower portion of the microlens 5 and the mask 3, and the portion of the amorphous silicon film 22 excluding the portion of about 3P is irradiated with the laser light.
  • laser light is condensed on the amorphous silicon film 22 from all the microlenses 5 of the first group 11, the second group 12, and the third group 13, and subjected to laser annealing in each region 10. .
  • 18 rows of laser annealing regions 10 are arranged at a 1 / 3P pitch for a portion having a width of about 6P from the front end of the glass substrate 20, and a 1 / 3P pitch for a portion about 3P behind.
  • Six rows of regions 10 are arranged at a pitch of 2 / 3P, and further, three rows of regions 10 are arranged at a pitch of P in a portion about 3P behind.
  • the portions of the microlens 5 and the front end side of the mask 3 are arranged in three rows, and the laser beam is blocked by another light blocking plate, thereby stopping the irradiation of the laser beam. .
  • the irradiation of laser light from the leftmost three rows of microlenses 5 is stopped, the irradiation of laser light from the next three rows of microlenses 5 is stopped, and thereafter the glass substrate 20 is only 3P.
  • laser annealing is completed in all regions of the amorphous film.
  • the arrangement pitch of the microlenses 5 is P
  • the polysilicon region 10 having an arrangement pitch of 1 / 3P is formed on the glass substrate 20.
  • a fine region of polysilicon can be formed with a finer pitch than the arrangement pitch of the microlenses 5.
  • the number of rows of microlenses having the same pitch belonging to each group is appropriately set, and the interval between the groups is set to (P + P / n), so that the laser annealing region 10, that is, a fine polycrystal is formed.
  • the formation pitch of the silicon regions 10 can be set arbitrarily (P / n) regardless of the pitch of the microlenses 5.
  • the semiconductor device since a minute laser annealing region can be formed at a finer pitch than the arrangement pitch of the microlens array, the semiconductor device can be miniaturized and the microlens array can be easily manufactured. It is extremely useful.
  • Laser light source 2 Lens group 3: Mask 4: Transparent substrate 5: Micro lens 6: Irradiated body 7: Light shielding plate 11: First group (micro lens) 12: Second group (microlens) 13: Third group (micro lens) 20: Glass substrate 21: Gate layer 22: Amorphous silicon film

Abstract

Disclosed are a laser annealing method, device, and microlens array that are able to configure a microlens array at a large pitch that differs from the pitch of regions at which the formation of a transistor is planned in an amorphous silicon film, and are able, at a smaller pitch than the arraying pitch of the microlens array, to form minute polysilicon film regions resulting from laser annealing of the amorphous silicon film. Of the microlenses, comprising a first group (11), a second group (12), and a third group (13), three rows are arrayed at the same pitch (P) within each group, and the microlenses are spaced by P+1/3 P between each group. In a first step, a first instance of laser light is radiated from the three rows of microlenses that are of the first group, and in a second step, a second instance of laser light is radiated from 2x3 rows of microlenses (5) at the point in time when the substrate (20) has been moved a distance of 3P, and in the same way thereafter, laser annealed regions are formed at a pitch of P/3.

Description

レーザアニール方法、装置及びマイクロレンズアレイLaser annealing method, apparatus, and microlens array
　本発明は、薄膜トランジスタ液晶パネル等において、アモルファスシリコン膜をレーザ光の照射によりアニールして低温ポリシリコン膜を形成するレーザアニール方法、装置及びそれに使用するマイクロレンズアレイに関し、特に、マイクロレンズアレイを使用して、薄膜トランジスタを形成すべき領域のみをアニールすることができるレーザアニール方法及び装置に関する。 The present invention relates to a laser annealing method and apparatus for forming a low-temperature polysilicon film by annealing an amorphous silicon film by irradiation with laser light in a thin film transistor liquid crystal panel or the like, and in particular, a microlens array used therefor. The present invention relates to a laser annealing method and apparatus capable of annealing only a region where a thin film transistor is to be formed.
　液晶パネルにおいては、ガラス基板上にアモルファスシリコン膜を形成し、このアモルファスシリコン膜に対して、基板の一端から、線状のビーム形状を有するレーザ光を、前記ビームの長手方向に垂直の方向に走査することにより、低温ポリシリコン膜を形成している。この線状のレーザ光の走査により、アモルファスシリコン膜がレーザ光により加熱されて一旦溶融し、その後、レーザ光の通過により溶融シリコンが急冷され、凝固することにより結晶化して、低温ポリシリコン膜が形成される（特許文献１）。 In a liquid crystal panel, an amorphous silicon film is formed on a glass substrate, and laser light having a linear beam shape is applied to the amorphous silicon film from one end of the substrate in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the beam. By scanning, a low-temperature polysilicon film is formed. By scanning the linear laser beam, the amorphous silicon film is heated and melted by the laser beam, and then the molten silicon is rapidly cooled by the passage of the laser beam and solidified to be crystallized to form a low-temperature polysilicon film. (Patent Document 1).
　しかし、この低温ポリシリコン膜の形成方法においては、アモルファスシリコン膜の全体がレーザ光の照射を受けて高温になり、アモルファスシリコン膜の溶融凝固により全体が低温ポリシリコン膜となる。このため、薄膜トランジスタ（以下、ＴＦＴ）を形成すべき領域以外の領域もアニールされるため、処理効率が悪いという問題点がある。 However, in this low-temperature polysilicon film forming method, the entire amorphous silicon film is heated to a high temperature upon irradiation with laser light, and the entire amorphous silicon film becomes a low-temperature polysilicon film by melting and solidifying. For this reason, since regions other than the region where a thin film transistor (hereinafter referred to as TFT) is to be formed are also annealed, there is a problem that processing efficiency is poor.
　そこで、マイクロレンズアレイを使用し、各マイクロレンズにより、アモルファスシリコン膜上で、微小な複数個の領域にレーザ光を集光させ、各トランジスタに対応する微小領域に、同時に個別的にレーザ光を照射してアニールする方法が提案されている（特許文献２）。この方法では、複数個のＴＦＴ形成予定領域のアモルファスシリコン膜のみをアニール処理するため、レーザ光の利用効率が高くなるという利点がある。 Therefore, a microlens array is used, and each microlens condenses laser light onto a plurality of minute areas on the amorphous silicon film, and simultaneously individually applies laser light to the minute areas corresponding to each transistor. A method of annealing by irradiation has been proposed (Patent Document 2). This method has an advantage that the use efficiency of the laser beam is increased because only the amorphous silicon film in a plurality of TFT formation regions is annealed.
特許第３９４５８０５号公報Japanese Patent No. 3945805 特開２００４－３１１９０６号公報JP 2004-311906 A
　しかしながら、この従来のマイクロレンズアレイを使用したレーザアニール方法においては、マイクロレンズアレイの配列ピッチが固定されているため、それに合わせたピッチでＴＦＴ形成領域を設けるか、又はＴＦＴ形成予定領域の位置に合わせたピッチで、マイクロレンズアレイを組み立てる必要があり、汎用性が低いという問題点がある。 However, in this laser annealing method using the conventional microlens array, since the arrangement pitch of the microlens array is fixed, a TFT formation region is provided at a pitch corresponding to the arrangement pitch or at the position of the TFT formation scheduled region. It is necessary to assemble the microlens array at the matched pitch, and there is a problem that versatility is low.
　本発明はかかる問題点に鑑みてなされたものであって、アモルファスシリコン膜におけるトランジスタ形成予定領域のピッチと異なる大きなピッチでマイクロレンズアレイを構成することができ、また、マイクロレンズアレイの配列ピッチよりも小さいピッチでアモルファスシリコン膜にレーザアニールによる微小ポリシリコン膜領域を形成することができるレーザアニール方法、装置及びマイクロレンズアレイを提供することを目的とする。 The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and the microlens array can be configured with a large pitch different from the pitch of the transistor formation scheduled region in the amorphous silicon film. Another object of the present invention is to provide a laser annealing method, apparatus, and microlens array capable of forming a micro polysilicon film region by laser annealing on an amorphous silicon film with a small pitch.
　本発明に係るレーザアニール方法は、ｍ（ｍは自然数）列で各列複数個のマイクロレンズが配置されたマイクロレンズアレイと、各マイクロレンズに対応する開口部を有するマスクと、レーザ光の発生源と、この発生源からのレーザ光を前記マスク及びマイクロレンズに導く導光部と、前記マスク及びマイクロレンズを含むレーザ光の照射系と基板とを相対的に前記マイクロレンズの列に垂直の方向に移動させる駆動手段とを有するレーザ光の照射装置を使用し、
前記ｍ列のマイクロレンズは、ｎ（ｎは自然数、ｎ＜ｍ）列毎に群をなし、各群の中で、マイクロレンズは同一のピッチＰで配列され、各群の相互間で、マイクロレンズはＰ＋Ｐ／ｎで離隔しており、第１工程で、前記基板上のアモルファスシリコン膜にｎ列分のマイクロレンズから１回目のレーザ光を照射してレーザアニールを行い、第２工程で、前記レーザ光の照射系と前記基板とが相対的にｎ×Ｐだけ移動した時点で、前記基板上のアモルファスシリコン膜に２×ｎ列分のマイクロレンズから２回目のレーザ光を照射してレーザアニールを行い、以後同様にして、複数回のレーザ光の照射を行い、Ｐ／ｎピッチでレーザアニール領域を形成することを特徴とする。 A laser annealing method according to the present invention includes a microlens array in which a plurality of microlenses are arranged in m (m is a natural number), a mask having an opening corresponding to each microlens, and generation of laser light. A light source, a light guide for guiding laser light from the source to the mask and microlens, a laser light irradiation system including the mask and microlens, and a substrate relatively perpendicular to the microlens array. Using a laser beam irradiation device having a driving means for moving in a direction,
The m rows of microlenses form a group every n (n is a natural number, n <m) rows, and in each group, the microlenses are arranged at the same pitch P. The lenses are separated by P + P / n. In the first step, laser annealing is performed by irradiating the amorphous silicon film on the substrate with the first laser beam from the microlens for n rows, and in the second step, When the laser beam irradiation system and the substrate move relatively by n × P, the amorphous silicon film on the substrate is irradiated with a second laser beam from the microlens for 2 × n rows to perform laser processing. Annealing is performed, and thereafter, laser irradiation is performed a plurality of times in the same manner to form laser annealing regions with a P / n pitch.
　また、本発明に係るレーザアニール装置は、ｍ（ｍは自然数）列で各列複数個のマイクロレンズが配置されたマイクロレンズアレイと、各マイクロレンズに対応する開口部を有するマスクと、レーザ光の発生源と、この発生源からのレーザ光を前記マスク及びマイクロレンズに導く導光部と、前記マスク及びマイクロレンズを含むレーザ光の照射系と基板とを相対的に前記マイクロレンズの列に垂直の方向に移動させる駆動手段と、前記駆動手段の動作と前記発生源の動作を制御する制御装置とを有し、
前記ｍ列のマイクロレンズは、ｎ（ｎは自然数、ｎ＜ｍ）列毎に群をなし、各群の中で、マイクロレンズは同一のピッチＰで配列され、各群の相互間で、マイクロレンズはＰ＋Ｐ／ｎで離隔しており、
前記制御装置は、第１工程で、前記基板上のアモルファスシリコン膜にｎ列分のマイクロレンズから１回目のレーザ光を照射してレーザアニールを行い、第２工程で、前記レーザ光の照射系と前記基板とが相対的にｎ×Ｐだけ移動した時点で、前記基板上のアモルファスシリコン膜に２×ｎ列分のマイクロレンズから２回目のレーザ光を照射してレーザアニールを行い、以後同様にして、複数回のレーザ光の照射を行い、Ｐ／ｎピッチでレーザアニール領域を形成するように、前記駆動手段及び前記発生源を制御することを特徴とする。 The laser annealing apparatus according to the present invention includes a microlens array in which a plurality of microlenses are arranged in m (m is a natural number), a mask having an opening corresponding to each microlens, and laser light. A light guide unit for guiding laser light from the generation source to the mask and the microlens, a laser light irradiation system including the mask and the microlens, and a substrate in a row of the microlenses. Drive means for moving in a vertical direction, and a control device for controlling the operation of the drive means and the operation of the generation source,
The m rows of microlenses form a group every n (n is a natural number, n <m) rows, and in each group, the microlenses are arranged at the same pitch P. The lenses are separated by P + P / n,
In the first step, the control device performs laser annealing by irradiating the amorphous silicon film on the substrate with the first laser beam from n rows of microlenses, and in the second step, the laser beam irradiation system. When the substrate moves relative to the substrate by n × P, laser annealing is performed by irradiating the amorphous silicon film on the substrate with a second laser beam from microlenses for 2 × n rows, and so on. Thus, the driving means and the generation source are controlled so that laser annealing is performed a plurality of times and laser annealing regions are formed at a P / n pitch.
　更に、本発明に係るマイクロレンズアレイは、レーザ光の照射装置に使用され、ｍ（ｍは自然数）列で各列複数個のマイクロレンズが配置されたマイクロレンズアレイにおいて、前記ｍ列のマイクロレンズは、ｎ（ｎは自然数、ｎ＜ｍ）列毎に群をなし、各群の中で、マイクロレンズは同一のピッチＰで配列され、各群の相互間で、マイクロレンズはＰ＋Ｐ／ｎで離隔していることを特徴とする。 Furthermore, the microlens array according to the present invention is used in a laser beam irradiation apparatus, and in the microlens array in which a plurality of microlenses are arranged in m (m is a natural number), the m rows of microlenses are arranged. Is a group for every n (n is a natural number, n <m) column, and in each group, the microlenses are arranged at the same pitch P, and between each group, the microlens is P + P / n It is characterized by being separated.
　本発明によれば、群の最後列のマイクロレンズと最初列のマイクロレンズとの間に、Ｐ＋Ｐ／ｎの間隔があいているので、レーザ光の照射系と基板とを相対的に移動させ、移動距離がｎ×Ｐになった時点で、レーザ光を照射していくと、マイクロレンズアレイのピッチＰの間に（ｎ－１）列のレーザ光照射領域を設けることができる。即ち、マイクロレンズの各群の配列ピッチがＰの中に、ｎ列の照射領域を設けることができ、照射領域の配列ピッチを微細にすることができる。これにより、アモルファスシリコン膜におけるトランジスタ形成予定領域のピッチと異なる大きなピッチでマイクロレンズアレイを構成することができ、また、マイクロレンズアレイの配列ピッチよりも小さいピッチでアモルファスシリコン膜にレーザアニールによる微小ポリシリコン膜領域を形成することができる。 According to the present invention, since there is a P + P / n interval between the last row of microlenses and the first row of microlenses, the laser light irradiation system and the substrate are relatively moved, When laser light is irradiated when the moving distance reaches n × P, (n−1) rows of laser light irradiation regions can be provided between the pitches P of the microlens array. That is, n rows of irradiation areas can be provided in the arrangement pitch of each group of microlenses within P, and the arrangement pitch of the irradiation areas can be made fine. As a result, the microlens array can be formed with a large pitch different from the pitch of the transistor formation planned region in the amorphous silicon film, and the microcrystalline array by laser annealing is applied to the amorphous silicon film at a pitch smaller than the arrangement pitch of the microlens array. A silicon film region can be formed.
レーザ照射装置を示す図である。It is a figure which shows a laser irradiation apparatus. レーザ照射領域の推移を示す模式図である。It is a schematic diagram which shows transition of a laser irradiation area | region. 上図は、マイクロレンズによりアモルファスシリコン膜上でレーザ光が集光された領域１０（アニールを受けた領域）とマイクロレンズ５の平面的配置とを示し、下図は、ガラス基板上に照射されるレーザ光を示す正面図である。The upper diagram shows a region 10 (region subjected to annealing) where laser light is condensed on the amorphous silicon film by the microlens and the planar arrangement of the microlens 5, and the lower diagram irradiates the glass substrate. It is a front view which shows a laser beam. 図３の次の工程を示す図である。FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a step subsequent to FIG. 3. 図４の次の工程を示す図である。It is a figure which shows the next process of FIG. 図５の次の工程を示す図である。It is a figure which shows the next process of FIG. 図６の次の工程を示す図である。It is a figure which shows the next process of FIG. 図７の次の工程を示す図である。It is a figure which shows the next process of FIG. 図８の次の工程を示す図である。It is a figure which shows the next process of FIG.
　以下、本発明の好適実施形態について、添付の図面を参照して具体的に説明する。図１は、マイクロレンズ５を使用したレーザ照射装置を示す図である。図１に示すレーザ照射装置は、逆スタガ構造の薄膜トランジスタのような半導体装置の製造工程において、例えば、そのチャネル領域形成予定領域のみにレーザ光を照射してアニールし、このチャネル領域形成予定領域を多結晶化して、ポリシリコン膜を形成するための装置である。このマイクロレンズ５を使用したレーザアニール装置は、光源１から出射されたレーザ光を、レンズ群２により平行ビームに整形し、多数のマイクロレンズ５からなるマイクロレンズアレイを介して被照射体６に照射する。レーザ光源１は、例えば、波長が３０８ｎｍ又は３５３ｎｍのレーザ光を例えば５０Ｈｚの繰り返し周期で放射するエキシマレーザである。マイクロレンズアレイは、透明基板４に多数のマイクロレンズ５が配置されたものであり、レーザ光を被照射体６としての薄膜トランジスタ基板に設定された薄膜トランジスタ形成予定領域に集光させるものである。透明基板４は被照射体６に平行に配置され、マイクロレンズ５は、トランジスタ形成予定領域の配列ピッチの２以上の整数倍（例えば２）のピッチで配置されている。本実施形態の被照射体６は、例えば、薄膜トランジスタであり、そのａ－Ｓｉ膜のチャネル領域形成予定領域にレーザ光を照射して、ポリシリコンチャネル領域を形成する。マイクロレンズ5の上方には、マイクロレンズ５により、チャネル形成予定領域のみにレーザ光を照射するためのマスク３が配置されており、このマスク３により、被照射体６においてチャネル領域が画定される。 Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a laser irradiation apparatus using a microlens 5. In the manufacturing process of a semiconductor device such as a thin film transistor having an inverted stagger structure, the laser irradiation apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is annealed by irradiating only the channel region formation scheduled region with laser light, for example. This is an apparatus for polycrystallizing and forming a polysilicon film. In the laser annealing apparatus using the microlens 5, the laser light emitted from the light source 1 is shaped into a parallel beam by the lens group 2 and applied to the irradiated object 6 through a microlens array including a large number of microlenses 5. Irradiate. The laser light source 1 is, for example, an excimer laser that emits laser light having a wavelength of 308 nm or 353 nm at a repetition period of, for example, 50 Hz. In the microlens array, a large number of microlenses 5 are arranged on a transparent substrate 4, and the laser light is focused on a thin film transistor formation scheduled area set on a thin film transistor substrate as an irradiated body 6. The transparent substrate 4 is arranged in parallel to the irradiated body 6, and the microlenses 5 are arranged at a pitch of an integer multiple (for example, 2) of 2 or more of the arrangement pitch of the transistor formation scheduled regions. The irradiated body 6 of the present embodiment is, for example, a thin film transistor, and a polysilicon channel region is formed by irradiating a laser beam to the channel region formation scheduled region of the a-Si film. Above the microlens 5, a mask 3 for irradiating only the channel formation scheduled region with the laser beam is arranged by the microlens 5, and the channel region is defined in the irradiated object 6 by this mask 3. .
　例えば、液晶表示装置の周辺回路として、画素の駆動トランジスタを形成する場合、ガラス基板上にＡｌ等の金属膜からなるゲート電極を、スパッタによりパターン形成する。そして、シラン及びＨ２ガスを原料ガスとし、２５０～３００℃の低温プラズマＣＶＤ法により、全面にＳｉＮ膜からなるゲート絶縁膜を形成する。その後、ゲート絶縁膜上に、例えば、プラズマＣＶＤ法によりａ－Ｓｉ：Ｈ膜を形成する。このａ－Ｓｉ：Ｈ膜はシランとＨ２ガスを混合したガスを原料ガスとして成膜する。このａ－Ｓｉ：Ｈ膜のゲート電極上の領域をチャネル形成予定領域として、各チャネル領域に１個のマイクロレンズ５を配置して、このチャネル形成予定領域のみにレーザ光を照射してアニールし、このチャネル形成予定領域を多結晶化してポリシリコンチャネル領域を形成する。なお、マイクロレンズ５は１列ではなく、複数列に配置されており、図２乃至図９の本実施形態では、３列が３群設けられて、計９列のマイクロレンズが配置されている。 For example, when a pixel driving transistor is formed as a peripheral circuit of a liquid crystal display device, a gate electrode made of a metal film such as Al is patterned on a glass substrate by sputtering. Then, a gate insulating film made of a SiN film is formed on the entire surface by low-temperature plasma CVD at 250 to 300 ° C. using silane and H 2 gas as source gases. Thereafter, an a-Si: H film is formed on the gate insulating film by, eg, plasma CVD. This a-Si: H film is formed by using a mixed gas of silane and H 2 gas as a source gas. Using the region on the gate electrode of the a-Si: H film as a channel formation planned region, one microlens 5 is arranged in each channel region, and only this channel formation planned region is irradiated with laser light and annealed. Then, this channel formation scheduled region is polycrystallized to form a polysilicon channel region. Note that the microlenses 5 are not arranged in a single row but are arranged in a plurality of rows. In the present embodiment of FIGS. 2 to 9, three groups of three rows are provided, and a total of nine rows of microlenses are arranged. .
　図２は、マイクロレンズ５の配置と、レーザ光の照射領域とを示す平面図である。図３乃至図９は、それらの上図で、マイクロレンズによりアモルファスシリコン膜上でレーザ光が集光された領域１０（アニールを受けた領域）とマイクロレンズ５の平面的配置とを示し、それらの下図は、ガラス基板上に照射されるレーザ光を示す正面図である。マイクロレンズ５の上方に例えばアルミニウム製のマスク３が配置され、マスク３の上方にレーザ光を遮光する遮光板７が配置されている。図２に示すように、マイクロレンズ５は、第１群１１、第２群１２及び第３群１３の各群３列の計９列に配置されている。第１群１１、第２群１２、第３群１３の各群の中では、マイクロレンズ５は一定のピッチＰで配置されている。そして、第１群１１と第２群１２との間のマイクロレンズの相互間と、第２群１２と第３群１３との間のマイクロレンズの相互間とは、いずれも、Ｐ＋１／３Ｐの間隔で離隔している。 FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the arrangement of the microlenses 5 and the laser light irradiation area. FIG. 3 to FIG. 9 are upper views of them, showing a region 10 (region subjected to annealing) in which the laser light is condensed on the amorphous silicon film by the microlens and a planar arrangement of the microlens 5. The lower figure is a front view showing laser light irradiated on the glass substrate. For example, an aluminum mask 3 is disposed above the microlens 5, and a light shielding plate 7 that shields the laser light is disposed above the mask 3. As shown in FIG. 2, the microlenses 5 are arranged in a total of 9 rows of 3 rows each of the first group 11, the second group 12, and the third group 13. In each of the first group 11, the second group 12, and the third group 13, the microlenses 5 are arranged at a constant pitch P. And between the microlenses between the first group 11 and the second group 12, and between the microlenses between the second group 12 and the third group 13, both are P + 1 / 3P. They are separated by an interval.
　ガラス基板２０上の全面にはゲート層２１が形成され、更にゲート層２１上にはアモルファスシリコン層２２が形成されている。また、図３に示す初期段階で、マスク３、マイクロレンズ５及び遮光板７は、ガラス基板２０の上方域よりも手前に配置されている。 A gate layer 21 is formed on the entire surface of the glass substrate 20, and an amorphous silicon layer 22 is further formed on the gate layer 21. In the initial stage shown in FIG. 3, the mask 3, the microlens 5, and the light shielding plate 7 are disposed in front of the upper region of the glass substrate 20.
　そして、遮光板７、マスク３及びマイクロレンズ５を固定した状態で、ガラス基板２０を図中、右方に移動させる。この基板の移動態様は、マイクロレンズの配列ピッチＰの３倍の距離だけ移動した後、レーザ光を照射し、更に、ピッチＰの３倍の距離だけ、基板が移動した後、レーザ光を照射するというものである。 Then, the glass substrate 20 is moved to the right in the figure while the light shielding plate 7, the mask 3 and the microlens 5 are fixed. This movement of the substrate is performed by irradiating the laser beam after moving by a distance three times the arrangement pitch P of the microlenses, and further irradiating the laser beam after the substrate has moved by a distance three times the pitch P. It is to do.
　次に、上述のごとく構成されたレーザ照射装置により本実施形態のレーザアニール方法を実施する場合の動作について説明する。なお、以下の動作は、マスク及びマイクロレンズを含むレーザ光の照射系と基板とを相対的に前記マイクロレンズの列に垂直の方向に移動させる駆動手段と、レーザ光の発生源との動作を制御する制御装置により制御される。図３に示すように、マスク３は、その開口部が透明基板４上の各マイクロレンズ５に対応するようにして、マイクロレンズ５との位置関係が一定の状態で保持されている。遮光板７は先端側の（基板２０側の）３列分のマイクロレンズ５の上方の領域を除いて、その他のマイクロレンズ５の上方を覆い、レーザ光を遮光している。 Next, the operation when the laser annealing method of this embodiment is performed by the laser irradiation apparatus configured as described above will be described. In the following operations, the operation of the laser beam generation system and the driving means for moving the laser beam irradiation system including the mask and the microlens and the substrate relative to each other in the direction perpendicular to the microlens row is performed. It is controlled by the control device to control. As shown in FIG. 3, the mask 3 is held in a state in which the positional relationship with the microlenses 5 is constant so that the openings correspond to the microlenses 5 on the transparent substrate 4. The light shielding plate 7 covers the upper part of the other microlenses 5 except for the region above the microlenses 5 for three rows on the front end side (on the substrate 20 side), and shields the laser light.
　そして、図４に示すように、ガラス基板２０を図中右方へ移動させる。そうすると、ガラス基板２０の位置が、ピッチＰの３倍の距離だけ移動した時点で、マイクロレンズ５及びマスク３の下方にマイクロレンズ５の３列分の幅だけ入り込む。そして、この時点で、レーザ光３０を１ショット照射する。そうすると、アモルファスシリコン膜２１においては、ピッチＰの３列分のマイクロレンズ５により集光された領域１０がレーザ光により加熱されて昇温し、溶融凝固して、この領域１０が結晶化する。これにより、この３列分の領域１０がポリシリコン膜となる。３列分のマイクロレンズ５以外のマイクロレンズ５には、遮光板７により遮光されてレーザ光は照射されない。 Then, as shown in FIG. 4, the glass substrate 20 is moved to the right in the drawing. Then, when the position of the glass substrate 20 moves by a distance three times the pitch P, the glass substrate 20 enters the microlens 5 and the mask 3 below the width of the three rows of the microlens 5. At this time, one shot of the laser beam 30 is irradiated. Then, in the amorphous silicon film 21, the region 10 collected by the microlenses 5 for three rows of the pitch P is heated by the laser beam to be heated and melted and solidified to crystallize the region 10. As a result, the regions 10 for the three rows become polysilicon films. The microlenses 5 other than the microlenses 5 for the three rows are shielded by the light shielding plate 7 and are not irradiated with laser light.
　次に、図５に示すように、ガラス基板２０が更に移動して、ピッチＰの３倍の距離移動した時点で、即ち、移動開始後、６Ｐの距離だけ移動した時点で、レーザ光を１ショット照射する。そうすると、第１群１１のマイクロレンズ５と第２群１２のマイクロレンズ５とにより集光された領域１０で、レーザアニールが実施される。これにより、図４の工程でレーザ光が照射された第１群１１の領域１０に加えて、図５の工程で、第１群と第２群のマイクロレンズ５によりレーザ光が照射された領域１０がレーザアニールを実施されたことになる。そして、第１群と第２群とは、Ｐ＋１／３Ｐだけ距離が離れているので、図５の工程が終了すると、図５及び図２に示すように、ガラス基板２０の先端部の約３列分の部分（約３Ｐの幅の部分）において、第１回目のショットの第１群のマイクロレンズ５により形成されたレーザアニール領域１０と、第２回目のショットの第２群のマイクロレンズ５により形成されたレーザアニール領域１０とは１／３Ｐだけずれる。つまり、ピッチＰで配列された領域１０の中に、３列だけ、第１回目のショットで形成された領域１０に対し１／３Ｐで隣接する領域１０が形成される。 Next, as shown in FIG. 5, when the glass substrate 20 further moves and moves a distance three times the pitch P, that is, when the glass substrate 20 moves by a distance of 6P after the start of the movement, the laser beam is 1 Irradiate a shot. Then, laser annealing is performed in the region 10 collected by the micro lens 5 of the first group 11 and the micro lens 5 of the second group 12. Thus, in addition to the region 10 of the first group 11 irradiated with the laser light in the step of FIG. 4, the region irradiated with the laser light by the microlenses 5 of the first group and the second group in the step of FIG. No. 10 has been subjected to laser annealing. Since the first group and the second group are separated from each other by P + 1 / 3P, when the process of FIG. 5 is finished, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 2, about 3 of the front end portion of the glass substrate 20 is obtained. The laser annealing region 10 formed by the first group of microlenses 5 in the first shot and the second group of microlenses 5 in the second shot in the row portion (a portion having a width of about 3P). The laser annealing region 10 formed by the above is shifted by 1 / 3P. That is, in the regions 10 arranged at the pitch P, the regions 10 adjacent to the regions 10 formed in the first shot by 1 / 3P are formed in only three rows.
　次いで、図６に示すように、ガラス基板２０が、移動開始後、９Ｐだけ移動した時点で、第３回目のレーザ光のショットを行う。そうすると、第１群１１、第２群１２及び第３群１３のマイクロレンズの全てのマイクロレンズを介してレーザ光がアモルファスシリコン膜２２に集光されて照射される。これにより、ガラス基板２０の先端部の約３Ｐの幅の部分においては、第１回目の第１群のレーザ光のショットと、第２回目の第２群のレーザ光のショットと、第３回目の第３群のレーザ光のショットとが１／３Ｐずつずれて照射され、１／３Ｐピッチで３列×３の合計９列のレーザアニール領域１０が形成される。ガラス基板２０の先端から、約３Ｐ離れた位置から約６Ｐ離れた位置までの３Ｐ分の部分においては、第２回目の第１群のマイクロレンズによるショットと第３回目の第２群のマイクロレンズによりショットとの結果、合計６列のレーザアニール領域１０が形成される。 Next, as shown in FIG. 6, when the glass substrate 20 moves by 9P after the movement starts, a third shot of laser light is performed. Then, the laser light is focused on the amorphous silicon film 22 through all the microlenses of the first group 11, the second group 12, and the third group 13. Thus, in the portion of the tip portion of the glass substrate 20 having a width of about 3P, the first shot of the first group of laser beams, the second shot of the second group of laser beams, and the third shot The third group of laser light shots are irradiated with a shift of 1 / 3P, thereby forming a total of 9 rows of laser annealing regions 10 of 3 rows × 3 at a 1 / 3P pitch. In a 3P portion from the tip of the glass substrate 20 to a position about 6P away from the position about 3P away, the second shot of the first group of microlenses and the third shot of the second group of microlenses As a result of the shot, a total of six rows of laser annealing regions 10 are formed.
　次いで、図７に示すように、ガラス基板２０が更に３Ｐの距離だけ移動した時点で、更に、１ショットレーザ光を照射する。そうすると、ガラス基板２０は、マイクロレンズ５及びマスク３の下方の部分から、約３Ｐの幅だけ、前方に進出し、この約３Ｐの部分を除いたアモルファスシリコン膜２２の部分が、レーザ光の照射を受ける。この工程においても、第１群１１、第２群１２及び第３群１３の全てのマイクロレンズ５から、レーザ光がアモルファスシリコン膜２２上に集光されて、各領域１０にてレーザアニールを受ける。これにより、ガラス基板２０の先端から約６Ｐの幅の部分については、１８列のレーザアニール領域１０が１／３Ｐピッチで並び、更に、約３Ｐだけ後方の部分については、１／３Ｐのピッチと２／３Ｐのピッチで６列の領域１０が並び、更に、約３Ｐだけ後方の部分では、Ｐのピッチで３列の領域１０が並ぶ。 Next, as shown in FIG. 7, when the glass substrate 20 is further moved by a distance of 3P, a one-shot laser beam is further irradiated. Then, the glass substrate 20 advances forward by a width of about 3P from the lower portion of the microlens 5 and the mask 3, and the portion of the amorphous silicon film 22 excluding the portion of about 3P is irradiated with the laser light. Receive. Also in this step, laser light is condensed on the amorphous silicon film 22 from all the microlenses 5 of the first group 11, the second group 12, and the third group 13, and subjected to laser annealing in each region 10. . As a result, 18 rows of laser annealing regions 10 are arranged at a 1 / 3P pitch for a portion having a width of about 6P from the front end of the glass substrate 20, and a 1 / 3P pitch for a portion about 3P behind. Six rows of regions 10 are arranged at a pitch of 2 / 3P, and further, three rows of regions 10 are arranged at a pitch of P in a portion about 3P behind.
　以後、同様にして、ガラス基板１０が３Ｐだけ移動した時点で、レーザ光が１ショット打たれ、第１群１１から第３群１３までの全てのマイクロレンズ５を使用して、レーザアニールが繰り返されていく。これにより、図８及び図９に示すように、１／３Ｐでレーザアニール領域１０が並ぶ領域が拡大されていく。 Thereafter, in the same manner, when the glass substrate 10 moves by 3P, one shot of laser light is emitted, and laser annealing is repeated using all the microlenses 5 from the first group 11 to the third group 13. It will be. As a result, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the region where the laser annealing regions 10 are arranged at 1 / 3P is enlarged.
　最後に、ガラス基板の後端部においては、マイクロレンズ５及びマスク３の先端側の部分が３列づつ、他の遮光板によりレーザ光を遮光することにより、レーザ光の照射を停止していく。図中、最も左側の３列のマイクロレンズ５からのレーザ光の照射が停止された後、次の３列のマイクロレンズ５からのレーザ光の照射が停止され、その後、ガラス基板２０が３Ｐだけ移動して、最後のレーザ光のショットが行われると、アモルファス膜の全ての領域でレーザアニールが終了する。 Finally, at the rear end portion of the glass substrate, the portions of the microlens 5 and the front end side of the mask 3 are arranged in three rows, and the laser beam is blocked by another light blocking plate, thereby stopping the irradiation of the laser beam. . In the figure, after the irradiation of laser light from the leftmost three rows of microlenses 5 is stopped, the irradiation of laser light from the next three rows of microlenses 5 is stopped, and thereafter the glass substrate 20 is only 3P. When the last shot of laser light is performed, laser annealing is completed in all regions of the amorphous film.
　以上のようにして、マイクロレンズ５の配列ピッチはＰであるにも拘わらず、ガラス基板２０上には、配列ピッチが１／３Ｐのポリシリコン領域１０が形成される。これにより、マイクロレンズ５の配列ピッチよりも微細なピッチでポリシリコンの微細な領域を形成することができる。また、各群に属するピッチが同一のマイクロレンズの列の数を、適宜設定し、各群の間の間隔を、（Ｐ＋Ｐ／ｎ）にすることにより、レーザアニール領域１０、即ち、微細なポリシリコン領域１０の形成ピッチを、マイクロレンズ５のピッチに拘わらず、任意（Ｐ／ｎ）に設定することができる。 As described above, although the arrangement pitch of the microlenses 5 is P, the polysilicon region 10 having an arrangement pitch of 1 / 3P is formed on the glass substrate 20. Thereby, a fine region of polysilicon can be formed with a finer pitch than the arrangement pitch of the microlenses 5. Further, the number of rows of microlenses having the same pitch belonging to each group is appropriately set, and the interval between the groups is set to (P + P / n), so that the laser annealing region 10, that is, a fine polycrystal is formed. The formation pitch of the silicon regions 10 can be set arbitrarily (P / n) regardless of the pitch of the microlenses 5.
　本発明によれば、マイクロレンズアレイの配列ピッチよりも更に細かいピッチで微小なレーザアニール領域を形成することができるので、半導体装置の微小化が可能になると共に、マイクロレンズアレイの製造が容易になり、極めて有用である。 According to the present invention, since a minute laser annealing region can be formed at a finer pitch than the arrangement pitch of the microlens array, the semiconductor device can be miniaturized and the microlens array can be easily manufactured. It is extremely useful.
１：レーザ光源
２：レンズ群
３：マスク
４：透明基板
５：マイクロレンズ
６：被照射体
７：遮光板
１１：第１群（のマイクロレンズ）
１２：第２群（のマイクロレンズ）
１３：第３群（のマイクロレンズ）
２０：ガラス基板
２１：ゲート層
２２：アモルファスシリコン膜 1: Laser light source 2: Lens group 3: Mask 4: Transparent substrate 5: Micro lens 6: Irradiated body 7: Light shielding plate 11: First group (micro lens)
12: Second group (microlens)
13: Third group (micro lens)
20: Glass substrate 21: Gate layer 22: Amorphous silicon film

Claims (3)

  1. ｍ（ｍは自然数）列で各列複数個のマイクロレンズが配置されたマイクロレンズアレイと、各マイクロレンズに対応する開口部を有するマスクと、レーザ光の発生源と、この発生源からのレーザ光を前記マスク及びマイクロレンズに導く導光部と、前記マスク及びマイクロレンズを含むレーザ光の照射系と基板とを相対的に前記マイクロレンズの列に垂直の方向に移動させる駆動手段とを有するレーザ光の照射装置を使用し、
    前記ｍ列のマイクロレンズは、ｎ（ｎは自然数、ｎ＜ｍ）列毎に群をなし、各群の中で、マイクロレンズは同一のピッチＰで配列され、各群の相互間で、マイクロレンズはＰ＋Ｐ／ｎで離隔しており、第１工程で、前記基板上のアモルファスシリコン膜にｎ列分のマイクロレンズから１回目のレーザ光を照射してレーザアニールを行い、第２工程で、前記レーザ光の照射系と前記基板とが相対的にｎ×Ｐだけ移動した時点で、前記基板上のアモルファスシリコン膜に２×ｎ列分のマイクロレンズから２回目のレーザ光を照射してレーザアニールを行い、以後同様にして、複数回のレーザ光の照射を行い、Ｐ／ｎピッチでレーザアニール領域を形成することを特徴とするレーザアニール方法。     A microlens array in which a plurality of microlenses are arranged in m (m is a natural number), a mask having an opening corresponding to each microlens, a laser light source, and a laser from the source A light guide unit that guides light to the mask and the microlens; and a driving unit that moves the irradiation system of the laser beam including the mask and the microlens and the substrate in a direction perpendicular to the row of the microlenses. Use a laser beam irradiation device,
    The m rows of microlenses form a group every n (n is a natural number, n <m) rows, and in each group, the microlenses are arranged at the same pitch P. The lenses are separated by P + P / n. In the first step, laser annealing is performed by irradiating the amorphous silicon film on the substrate with the first laser beam from the microlens for n rows, and in the second step, When the laser beam irradiation system and the substrate move relatively by n × P, the amorphous silicon film on the substrate is irradiated with a second laser beam from the microlens for 2 × n rows to perform laser processing. A laser annealing method characterized in that annealing is performed, and thereafter laser irradiation is performed a plurality of times in the same manner to form laser annealing regions at a P / n pitch.
  2. ｍ（ｍは自然数）列で各列複数個のマイクロレンズが配置されたマイクロレンズアレイと、各マイクロレンズに対応する開口部を有するマスクと、レーザ光の発生源と、この発生源からのレーザ光を前記マスク及びマイクロレンズに導く導光部と、前記マスク及びマイクロレンズを含むレーザ光の照射系と基板とを相対的に前記マイクロレンズの列に垂直の方向に移動させる駆動手段と、前記駆動手段の動作と前記発生源の動作を制御する制御装置とを有し、
    前記ｍ列のマイクロレンズは、ｎ（ｎは自然数、ｎ＜ｍ）列毎に群をなし、各群の中で、マイクロレンズは同一のピッチＰで配列され、各群の相互間で、マイクロレンズはＰ＋Ｐ／ｎで離隔しており、
    前記制御装置は、第１工程で、前記基板上のアモルファスシリコン膜にｎ列分のマイクロレンズから１回目のレーザ光を照射してレーザアニールを行い、第２工程で、前記レーザ光の照射系と前記基板とが相対的にｎ×Ｐだけ移動した時点で、前記基板上のアモルファスシリコン膜に２×ｎ列分のマイクロレンズから２回目のレーザ光を照射してレーザアニールを行い、以後同様にして、複数回のレーザ光の照射を行い、Ｐ／ｎピッチでレーザアニール領域を形成するように、前記駆動手段及び前記発生源を制御することを特徴とするレーザアニール装置。     A microlens array in which a plurality of microlenses are arranged in m (m is a natural number), a mask having an opening corresponding to each microlens, a laser light source, and a laser from the source A light guide unit that guides light to the mask and the microlens, a driving unit that relatively moves the irradiation system of the laser beam including the mask and the microlens and the substrate in a direction perpendicular to the row of the microlens, and A controller for controlling the operation of the driving means and the operation of the generation source,
    The m rows of microlenses form a group every n (n is a natural number, n <m) rows, and in each group, the microlenses are arranged at the same pitch P. The lenses are separated by P + P / n,
    In the first step, the control device performs laser annealing by irradiating the amorphous silicon film on the substrate with the first laser beam from n rows of microlenses, and in the second step, the laser beam irradiation system. When the substrate moves relative to the substrate by n × P, laser annealing is performed by irradiating the amorphous silicon film on the substrate with a second laser beam from microlenses for 2 × n rows, and so on. Then, the laser annealing apparatus is characterized in that the driving means and the generation source are controlled so that the laser annealing region is formed at a P / n pitch by irradiating a plurality of times of laser light.
  3. レーザ光の照射装置に使用され、ｍ（ｍは自然数）列で各列複数個のマイクロレンズが配置されたマイクロレンズアレイにおいて、
    前記ｍ列のマイクロレンズは、ｎ（ｎは自然数、ｎ＜ｍ）列毎に群をなし、各群の中で、マイクロレンズは同一のピッチＰで配列され、各群の相互間で、マイクロレンズはＰ＋Ｐ／ｎで離隔していることを特徴とするマイクロレンズアレイ。     In a microlens array that is used in a laser light irradiation apparatus and in which a plurality of microlenses are arranged in m (m is a natural number) rows,
    The m rows of microlenses form a group every n (n is a natural number, n <m) rows, and in each group, the microlenses are arranged at the same pitch P. A microlens array wherein the lenses are separated by P + P / n.
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