TWI692811B - Laser annealing device, continuous conveying path for laser annealing treatment, laser light irradiation means, and laser annealing treatment method - Google Patents

Abstract

The laser annealing apparatus that irradiates the object with laser light and performs annealing treatment includes: a continuous conveying path for continuously conveying the object in a fixed direction; and a laser light irradiation means for the continuous conveying path The object to be transported is irradiated with laser light, and the continuous transport path includes: a transport path to transport and transport the object to a part of the continuous transport path and upstream of the continuous transport path; the transport path to the irradiation area is a continuous transport path Part of and carried into the downstream side of the conveying path, while irradiating the object with laser light while carrying the object to be annealed; and carrying out the conveying path, which is part of the continuous conveying path and the downstream side of the irradiation area conveying path, conveying and Remove the annealed object.

Description

Laser annealing device, continuous conveying path for laser annealing, Laser light irradiation method and laser annealing treatment method

The present invention relates to a laser annealing apparatus that irradiates a laser beam on an object to be annealed, a continuous conveying path for laser annealing, a laser light irradiation means, and a laser annealing method.

In the annealing process of the object to be processed, for example, an annealing process is performed in which an amorphous semiconductor provided on a silicon substrate, a glass substrate, or the like is irradiated with laser light to crystallize it, and a polycrystalline semiconductor is irradiated with laser light to perform single irradiation Crystallization irradiates the semiconductor with laser light to modify it, or activates or stabilizes impurities.

In addition, the purpose of the annealing treatment is not limited to the above, and includes all treatments that perform heat treatment by irradiating the object with laser light.

As shown in FIG. 10, the laser annealing apparatus that performs the annealing process is arranged in the processing chamber 30 so that the stage 31 can move back and forth along the scanning direction (X-axis direction). In this example, the platform 31 can be moved in the X direction by the floating movement due to nitrogen. In addition, the process chamber 30 is adjusted to a nitrogen ambient gas during the process, and the laser irradiation position has a sealing portion 34 that ejects nitrogen gas having a further reduced oxygen concentration around the object to be sealed.

During the annealing process, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 11, in the vicinity of the processing chamber 30, a plate-shaped object to be processed 100 formed by forming a semiconductor film on the substrate is prepared to make the stage 31 moves to the gate 35 side provided in the processing chamber 30, the object to be processed 100 is carried into the processing chamber 30 through the gate 35, and the object to be processed 100 is placed on the platform 31. Then, the gate 35 is closed and the inside of the processing chamber 30 is maintained as a nitrogen atmosphere. The object 100 is moved along with the movement of the stage 31, and the semiconductor film of the object 100 is irradiated with laser light 42, thereby irradiating the object 100 with annealing while scanning the laser light 42 relatively. In addition, the stage 31 may be rotated in a direction orthogonal to the X axis (Y axis direction) or the stage 31 may be rotated (θ axis rotation), thereby improving the processability of the object 100 to be processed.

When the entire surface of the object 100 is annealed, the platform 31 is returned to the loading position, the gate 35 is opened, and the annealed object 100 is taken out of the processing chamber 30 and the object is processed 100 moves to the specified position. Then, in the vicinity of the processing chamber 30, a new object 100 to be processed without annealing is prepared, and the same processing as described above is repeated.

In addition, in the above apparatus, an apparatus having one gate for carrying in and carrying out has been described, and it is also known that a gate for carrying in and a gate for carrying out are provided on opposite walls of the processing chamber (for example, refer to Patent Literature 1). In this device, the semiconductor substrate after the annealing process can be taken out from the gate for carrying out. However, when the next object to be processed is carried in, the platform is moved to the carrying side, and a new object to be processed is carried in from the gate on the carrying side.

As mentioned above, in the existing laser annealing apparatus, a piece of object to be processed is carried into the apparatus from the self-loading inlet, and after annealing treatment, the self-loading outlet (generally the same as the loading inlet) is carried out (batch processing) .

[Prior Art Literature] [Patent Literature]

[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 09-139355

As described above, the annealing process of the object is performed as a batch process for each object. This is because the movement of the object to be processed is accompanied by the movement of the platform holding the object to be processed, and is determined by the structure of the device. In this case, completion includes moving in. The processing of the object to be carried out becomes a condition for starting the next processing of the object. Therefore, the time taken for carrying in and out and the time for carrying in the device are necessary time for each object to be processed.

Time to move in and out. The transfer time has nothing to do with the manufacturing process. From the viewpoint of increasing the tact time, it is required to be reduced as much as possible. The time to move in and out. The conveying time differs depending on the device, and it is tens of seconds or more, and requires a fraction of the time relative to the process time, which causes a reduction in production efficiency.

The invention of the present application is based on the circumstances described above, and aims to provide a laser annealing apparatus, a continuous conveying path for laser annealing processing, a laser light irradiation means, and a laser annealing device that can reduce the time other than the process processing time as much as possible to improve production efficiency Annealing treatment method.

In the laser annealing apparatus of the present invention, the first invention is a laser annealing apparatus that irradiates a laser beam to an object to be annealed and includes: A continuous conveying path that continuously conveys the object to be processed in a fixed direction; and laser light irradiation means that irradiates the laser light to the object to be processed that is conveyed by the continuous conveying path.

According to the present invention described above, it is possible to irradiate a laser beam on the object to be transported through the continuous transport path to perform annealing treatment. The processed object can be carried out without hindering the carrying-in operation of the next object.

A laser annealing apparatus according to a second aspect of the present invention is the first aspect of the present invention, and includes: a processing chamber irradiated with the laser light; and a loading port located upstream of the continuous transport path and provided in the processing A chamber; and a delivery port, which is located on the downstream side of the continuous transport path and is provided in the processing chamber, and the continuous transport path is located from the transport port to the transport port.

In the present invention described above, the object to be processed can be continuously transported by the continuous transport path in the processing chamber independent of the loading or unloading, the stable support of the object to be processed becomes easy, and good annealing property can be ensured.

A laser annealing apparatus according to a third aspect of the invention is the first aspect of the invention or the second aspect of the invention, wherein the continuous conveyance path includes an irradiation area conveyance path while irradiating the laser beam to the object While transporting the object to be processed; and a carry-out transport path located on the upstream and downstream sides of the irradiation area transport path, the carry-out transport path can be transported at a higher speed than the transport speed in the irradiation area transport path The object to be processed is transported at a speed.

According to the present invention described above, it is possible to carry out transportation other than the annealing process at higher speed It can be carried out without being limited by the conveying speed during the manufacturing process, and the workability is improved.

A fourth aspect of the laser annealing apparatus of the present invention is the third aspect of the present invention, characterized in that the conveying speed in the carry-out conveying path is variable.

According to the present invention described above, since the conveying speed is changed according to the conveying time, more efficient work can be performed.

A fifth aspect of the laser annealing apparatus of the present invention is the fourth aspect of the present invention, characterized in that the unloading/incoming transport path can transport at least the same transport speed as the transport path of the irradiation area and a transport speed greater than the transport speed Carrying speed.

According to the present invention described above, it is possible to carry out the conveying at the conveying speed when it is necessary to match the conveying speed during the manufacturing process, and to perform high-speed conveying during the conveying at other times.

A sixth aspect of the present invention is the laser annealing apparatus according to any one of the first to fifth aspects of the present invention, wherein the continuous conveying path includes support means for supporting the object to be processed And moving means to move the processed object supported by the supporting means along the conveying direction.

In the present invention described above, the means for supporting the object to be processed and the means for moving the object to be processed are configured differently, whereby the stable support of the object to be processed and the guarantee of flatness during continuous transportation are facilitated, and the irradiation of thunder The depth of the focal point when irradiating light is maintained appropriately, so that good annealing property can be ensured.

A seventh aspect of the laser annealing apparatus of the present invention is the sixth aspect of the present invention, characterized in that the support means is to eject the object to be processed by upward gas ejection Means of gas floating and supporting.

According to the present invention, the posture control of the semiconductor substrate becomes easy, and it can be moved without destroying the stable holding of the semiconductor substrate.

The laser annealing apparatus of the eighth aspect of the invention is the seventh aspect of the invention, wherein the gas floating means uses an inert gas as the gas.

According to the present invention described above, it is possible to increase the effect of maintaining the irradiated area of the object to be an inert ambient gas by the gas floating of the object to be treated and the inert gas ejected.

A laser annealing apparatus according to a ninth aspect of the present invention is any one of the sixth aspect to the eighth aspect of the invention, characterized in that the moving means moves the object to be processed toward the continuous conveyance path After the downstream side is transported, it can be moved back to the upstream side of the continuous transport path.

According to the present invention described above, by performing the reset movement by the moving means, continuous conveyance of the object to be processed can be performed. At this time, by making the return movement of the moving means higher than the conveying speed of the object to be processed, the interval between the objects to be processed can be reduced to improve the production efficiency.

In addition, the resetting movement of the moving means may be a ring-shaped movement and a resetting movement, and may also be a movement by a back-and-forth movement. The movement form is not particularly limited.

The laser annealing apparatus of the tenth invention is any one of the first to ninth inventions described above, characterized in that it includes a partial gas seal portion, and the partial gas seal portion sprays to cover at least the continuous Local gas in the surface area of the object to be irradiated with the laser light in the conveyance path.

The laser annealing apparatus of the eleventh aspect of the invention is the tenth aspect of the invention, wherein the local gas is an inert gas.

According to the present inventions described above, the area irradiated with laser light or its surroundings can be kept in a clean environment, so that it is easy to control the environment of the entire processing chamber.

The twelfth invention of the laser annealing apparatus is the tenth invention or the eleventh invention, characterized in that the ambient gas other than the local gas is air.

According to the present invention, the environmental gas can be adjusted easily and inexpensively.

A thirteenth continuous transport path for laser annealing of the present invention performs laser annealing while continuously transporting the object to be processed in a fixed direction, and is characterized by including a transport path and a part of the continuous transport path The upstream side of the continuous transport path carries and transports the object to be processed; the irradiation area transport path is a part of the continuous transport path and is downstream of the transport path, while transporting the object passing through the transport path The processing body irradiates the object to be processed with laser light to perform annealing treatment; and the carrying out conveyance path is a part of the continuous conveying path and is downstream of the irradiation area conveying path, conveying and carrying out the annealed The object to be processed.

The 14th invention continuous conveying path for laser annealing is as the 13th invention described above, characterized in that the conveying speed in the carrying-in conveying path and the carrying-out conveying path can be made higher than in the irradiation area carrying path The conveying speed of the conveying the object to be processed.

The fifteenth invention of the continuous transport path for laser annealing is as the thirteenth invention or the fourteenth invention, characterized in that the continuous transport path is in at least the irradiation area transport path, while the gas The side ejection causes the object to be treated to float while moving in the conveying direction.

The laser light irradiation means of the 16th invention is characterized by including: a laser light source that outputs laser light; and an optical system member that continuously transports the object to be processed through the continuous transport path and reaches the irradiation area of the continuous transport path , Guide the laser light, scan and illuminate it relatively.

The laser annealing treatment method of the 17th invention irradiates laser light to the object to be annealed while conveying the object to be processed through a continuous conveying path that continuously conveys the object to be fixed in a fixed direction The laser annealing treatment method is characterized in that it includes: a carrying-in and conveying step in which a part to be processed is carried in and conveying on a part of the continuous conveying path and on the upstream side of the continuous conveying path; and an annealing processing step in the continuous conveying path Part of the continuous conveying path downstream of the carry-in conveying step, the laser beam is irradiated while carrying the object to be annealed; and the carry-out conveying step is performed on a part of the continuous conveying path and On the downstream side of the continuous conveying path where the annealing process has been performed, the object to be processed is conveyed and carried out.

The laser annealing treatment method of the eighteenth present invention is as the seventeenth present invention, characterized in that the continuous conveying path in the carry-in and conveying steps and the carry-out and conveying steps can be made faster than the annealing process The continuous in step The transportation speed of the transportation path is large.

The laser annealing treatment method of the nineteenth invention is as described in the seventeenth invention or the eighteenth invention, characterized in that at least one of the annealing steps in each of the steps is performed by gas being sprayed upward The to-be-processed object floats while moving in the conveying direction.

According to the present invention, the time outside the annealing process of the object can be reduced as much as possible, and the productivity can be greatly improved.

1: Processing room (laser annealing device)

1a: moving entrance

1b: moving out

2. 2d, 200a, 200b: continuous transportation path

2a: moving into the transportation path

2b: Transportation path of irradiation area

2c: Moving out of the transportation path

3. 3a, 3b: local gas seal

4, 5: Air delivery section

10: Move into the room

11: containment room

12: Cleaning Department

13: moving into the device

14: Remove the device

15: Move out of the room

20: Gas floating device

20a: rotating roller

21, 25: sliding part

22, 26: Lifting Department

23, 27: adsorption section

28, 29: guide

30: processing room

31: Platform

34: Sealing part

35: Gate

40: Laser light source

41: Optical system components

42, 42a, 42b: laser light

100, 100a, 100b, 100c, 100d: body to be processed

S1, S2, S3: substrate

N:N ₂ layers

1(A) and 1(B) are front sectional views showing the outline of a laser annealing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2(A) and 2(B) are a schematic plan view (FIG. A) and a partially enlarged front view (FIG. B) of a processing chamber of a laser annealing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a flowchart of the laser annealing process of the laser annealing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a flowchart showing in detail the operation of the adsorption unit of the laser annealing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a perspective view of a laser annealing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention during the manufacturing process.

FIG. 6 is a timing chart showing laser oscillation and carrying in and out during operation of the conventional example. Figure.

7 is a diagram showing a timing chart of laser oscillation and carrying in and carrying out during operation according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the present invention during the manufacturing process.

9(A) and 9(B) are a plan view and a side view showing still another embodiment of the present invention.

10 is a diagram illustrating the operation of a conventional laser annealing apparatus.

11 is a flowchart of a laser annealing process of a conventional laser annealing device.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below based on the accompanying drawings. In the drawings of the present invention, S1, S2, and S3 represent the substrate, and N represents the N ₂ layer.

1(A) and 1(B) are diagrams showing an outline of a laser annealing apparatus, (A) shows an enlarged view of a processing chamber, and (B) shows an outline of the entire system. In this embodiment, as the object 100 to be processed, a semiconductor film is formed on a glass substrate as a processing target.

As shown in FIG. 1(A) and FIG. 1(B), the processing chamber 1 has a rectangular parallelepiped wall portion, and a loading wall 1a (left side in the figure) and a discharging port 1b (right side in the figure) are respectively provided on the opposite walls in the longitudinal direction ). The entrance 1a and the exit 1b can be opened and can be opened and closed. As a structure that can be opened and closed, a simple sealing structure may be used. In addition, the loading inlet and the loading outlet need only be provided along a fixed transportation direction of the continuous transportation path, and the installation position is not limited to a specific position.

Inside the processing chamber 1, from the inside of the inlet 1a to the inside of the outlet 1b Continuous transportation path 2. A gas floating device 20 is arranged on the continuous conveying path 2. The gas-floating device 20 ejects gas from below to upwards to support the object to be processed 100 above, which corresponds to the gas-floating means of the present invention, that is, the supporting means.

In addition, since the gas floating device 20 has a plurality of ejection positions (not shown), the posture, curvature, and the like of the object 100 can be adjusted.

Furthermore, on both sides of the gas floating device 20, as shown in FIGS. 2(A) and 2(B), a guide 28 and a guide 29 are arranged along the longitudinal direction, and the guide 28 and the guide 29 are provided The sliding portion 21 and the sliding portion 25 that can move along the guide, respectively. The sliding portion 21 and the sliding portion 25 can change the moving speed according to their positions. The sliding portion 21 and the sliding portion 25 are provided with a plurality of elevating portions 22 and 26 that can change positions in the longitudinal direction and can adjust the position up and down. In this example, each of the sliding part 21 and the sliding part 25 has two elevating parts 22, elevating parts 22, elevating parts 26, and elevating parts 26, respectively. Among the plurality of lifting units 22, the lifting unit 22, the lifting unit 26, and the lifting unit 26, the support positions of the object to be processed 100 may be adjusted by changing the rising positions of each other.

The elevating unit 22 and the elevating unit 26 have an adsorption unit 23 and an adsorption unit 27, and adsorb the object 100 to be floated by the gas floating device 20. The guide 28, the sliding portion 21, the elevating portion 22, the suction portion 23 and the guide 29, the sliding portion 25, the elevating portion 26, and the suction portion 27 cooperate to constitute the moving means of the present invention.

The gas floating device 20, the guide 28, the sliding portion 21, the elevating portion 22, the suction portion 23 and the guide 29, the sliding portion 25, the elevating portion 26, and the adsorption portion 27 constitute the continuous conveying path 2 of the present invention.

In addition, in this embodiment, the continuous conveying path 2 spans the processing chamber 1 The case where it is installed inside has been described, and the continuous conveying path 2 can also be extended outside the processing chamber 1. Moreover, the processing chamber 1 is not essential in the present invention.

As shown in FIGS. 1(A) and 1(B), the outside of the processing chamber 1 has a laser light source 40 that outputs laser light. In the present invention, the type of laser light is not particularly limited, and may be either continuous wave or pulse wave. An optical system member 41 including a mirror, a lens, and the like is arranged on the optical path of the laser light. In this example, the laser light 42 having a line beam shape is introduced into the processing chamber 1 and irradiated to the continuous conveying path 2上的processed body 100. The laser light source 40 and the optical system member 41 constitute the laser light irradiation means of the present invention.

In addition, in the continuous conveyance path 2, during the conveyance, from the front end of the object 100 in the conveying direction to the position where the laser light 42 is irradiated, to the rear end of the object 100 in the conveying direction from the irradiation position of the laser light 42 The position before extraction becomes the irradiation area. As shown in FIGS. 1(A) and 1(B), a part of the continuous conveyance path 2 in between constitutes the irradiation area conveyance path 2b. A part of the continuous conveyance path 2 located on the upstream side of the irradiation area conveyance path 2b constitutes the conveyance conveyance path 2a, and a part of the continuous conveyance path 2 located on the downstream side of the irradiation area conveyance path 2b constitutes the conveyance conveyance path 2c. In addition, in FIGS. 1(A) and 1(B), in the boundary line on the left side in the figure, the rear end side of the object to be processed 100 is used as a reference, and in the boundary line on the right side in the figure, the front end side of the object to be processed 100 is Benchmark. In addition, the irradiation area conveyance path includes at least the range of the conveyance path, and a range of conveyance paths larger than this range may be used as the irradiation area conveyance path.

In the irradiation area conveyance path 2b, the object to be processed 100 needs to be processed The conveying speed during processing moves, and the moving means moves at a conveying speed corresponding to the scanning speed in the process processing. In addition, when the configuration of the irradiation position of the laser light 42 can be changed, the transportation speed of the moving means determines the transportation speed such that the irradiation position of the laser light 42 is included and the laser light 42 relatively moves at the scanning speed.

In the carrying-in conveying path 2a and the carrying-out conveying path 2c, the object to be processed 100 can move at a higher speed than the irradiation area conveying path 2b, and the moving means can be moved at a relatively high speed during this period. In addition, in the conveyance path 2a and the conveyance path 2c, within the range close to the irradiation area conveyance path 2b, it can be used at the same speed as the irradiation area conveyance path 2b for adjustment of the conveyance interval or laser beam irradiation, etc. The object to be processed 100 is transported.

Furthermore, in the laser annealing apparatus 1, as shown in FIG. 1(B), the loading chamber 10 is adjacent to the loading inlet 1a side so as to communicate with the loading inlet 1a side of the processing chamber 1, and the interior of the loading chamber 10 can be sealed . The carry-in chamber 10 includes: a storage chamber 11 that houses a plurality of objects to be processed 100 before annealing; a cleaning unit 12 that cleans the processed object 100 taken out from the storage chamber 11; and a loading device 13 that can be used by the cleaning unit 12 The cleaned object 100 is continuously carried into the processing chamber 1 at predetermined intervals through the inlet 1a. The predetermined interval at the time of carrying in the object to be processed 100 may be a person who does not overlap with the preceding object to be processed 100 and does not cause interference during the carrying in, and is not limited to a specific range. Furthermore, the predetermined intervals between the semiconductor substrates may be different.

The storage method of the storage chamber 11 is not particularly limited, and the object 100 may be stored by an appropriate method such as standing upright or horizontally. The cleaning part can be either batch type or single-piece type, and the cleaning method can be wet cleaning, dry cleaning or some of these Any of compound cleaning.

Furthermore, the unloading chamber 15 is adjacent to the unloading outlet 1b side of the processing chamber 1, and the interior of the unloading chamber 15 communicates with the unloading outlet 1b and can be sealed.

A carrying-out device 14 is provided in the carrying-out chamber 15. The carrying-out device 14 continuously takes out the annealed object 100 from the continuous conveying path of the processing chamber 1.

Further, in the processing chamber 1, an air sending part 4 and an air sending part 5 that extract air from the outside of the processing chamber 1 and eject the air into the processing chamber 1 are respectively provided close to the inlet 1 a and the outlet 1 b.

Furthermore, a local gas seal 3 is provided above the area irradiated with the laser light 42, and the local gas seal 3 sprays downward the local gas covering the laser light irradiated area and its surroundings. In addition, the injection region of the local gas can define an appropriate range on the premise of including at least the region irradiated with laser light.

In addition, in this example, an inert gas such as nitrogen is used as the local gas. Furthermore, the laser light 42 is irradiated to the object 100 through the local gas sealing portion 3.

In addition, in the gas floating device 20, it is desirable to use an inert gas, such as nitrogen, as the floating gas at least in the same range as the local gas sealing portion 3. Outside this range, inexpensive air or the like can also be used as the floating gas.

Next, the laser annealing process using the laser annealing apparatus will be described with reference to FIGS. 1(A) and 1(B) to FIG. 4.

The storage chamber 11 accommodates and can supply a plurality of objects to be processed 100. In addition, in the storage chamber 11, a new object to be processed 100 may be added during laser annealing. In addition, Figure 3. In FIG. 4, in order to distinguish the objects to be sequentially transferred into the processing chamber, the objects to be processed are represented by the object to be processed 100 a, the object to be processed 100 b, and the object to be processed 100 c in the order of loading.

The to-be-processed body 100 in the storage chamber 11 is cleaned by the wet type or the dry type by the batch type or the single piece type in the cleaning part 12. In the processing chamber 1, in the continuous conveying path 2, the gas floating device 20 is used to prepare for gas injection or gas injection, and at least one of the sliding portion 21 and the sliding portion 25 is carried along the guide 28 or the guide 29 The port 1a moves.

On the other hand, the laser light source 40 outputs laser light, and the optical system member 41 generates a linear beam. In the standby state, the laser light 42 does not irradiate the light beam into the processing chamber 1 through a part of the optical system members 41 and retreats to a suitable location outside the processing chamber.

First, the movement of the object 100a and the object 100b will be briefly described using FIG. 3.

In the carrying-in chamber 10, the object 100a cleaned by the washing unit 12 is carried into the processing chamber 1 from the carrying-in port 1a, and is conveyed at a relatively high speed through the carrying-in conveying path 2a of the continuous conveying path 2. When the to-be-processed body 100 reaches the irradiation area of the laser beam 42, the to-be-processed body 100 is conveyed by the irradiation area conveyance path 2b of the continuous conveyance path 2 at a predetermined conveyance speed (relatively low speed), and it is introduced to The laser light 42 in the processing chamber 1 is irradiated to the surface. Since the object to be processed 100a passes through the irradiation area, the laser light 42 is relatively scanned on the object to be processed 100a, so that a predetermined area of the object to be processed 100a is annealed. Annealed body 100 is separated from the irradiation area conveyance path 2b, and the conveyance conveyance path 2c of the continuous conveyance path 2 is conveyed to the vicinity of the conveyance exit 1b at a relatively high speed, and is immediately conveyed out of the processing chamber 1 to the conveyance chamber 15 by the conveyance device 14.

In the above process, the next object 100b is carried into the processing chamber 1 during the annealing process of the object 100a and is conveyed at a high speed by the input conveying path 2a, with a predetermined interval from the object 100a Reached the irradiation area transport path 2b. The object to be processed 100b is annealed while being transported at a predetermined speed in the same manner as described above by the irradiation area transport path 2b. When the annealing process is completed, it is transported at a relatively high speed through the transport path 2c as described above, and is transported out of the processing room 1 to the transport room 15 by the transport device 14. Although not shown in the figure, new semiconductor substrates can be similarly carried into the processing chamber 1 and continuously processed in the future.

Next, the operation of the continuous conveyance path 2 will be described based on FIG. 2(A), FIG. 2(B), and FIG. 4.

In the initial state, the sliding portion 21 and the sliding portion 25 are located at the initial position on the side of the entrance 1a along the guide 28 and the guide 29. The case where the moving means on the guide 28 side operates on the object 100a will be described.

When the to-be-processed body 100a is carried into the processing chamber 1, the raising-lowering part 22 raises to a suitable position, and the suction part 23 adsorbs the back side of the to-be-processed body 100a. In the sliding portion 21, when the object to be processed 100 a is sucked by the suction portion 23, it moves toward the outlet 1 b side at a predetermined speed. As a result, the object to be processed 100a moves along the continuous conveying path 2. Regarding the moving speed, the carrying path 2a and the carrying path The diameter 2c moves at a relatively high speed, and the conveying path 2b in the irradiation area moves at a relatively low speed according to the scanning speed during the manufacturing process.

The object 100a is irradiated by the irradiation area conveyance path 2b while scanning the laser light 42 relatively, so that the necessary area of the object 100a is subjected to annealing treatment. When the to-be-processed body 100a after the annealing process is conveyed to the vicinity of the delivery port 1b through the continuous conveying path 2, the suction of the suction part 23 is released, and the lifting part 22 is lowered. The to-be-processed body 100a is immediately carried out from the processing chamber 1 to the unloading chamber 15 by the unloading device 14 as described above.

At this time, the slide portion 21 is moved back and forth along the guide 28 to the initial position on the side of the entrance 1a for the subsequent holding of the semiconductor substrate. Regarding the moving speed at the time of reset movement, it moves at a higher speed than the speed at the time of conveying the object to be processed and is used for the next object to be processed.

In addition, during these series of operations, when the next object to be processed 100b is carried into the processing chamber 1, the air is floated by the gas floating device 20, and the lifting portion 26 on the sliding portion 25 is raised and lowered at an appropriate height. The to-be-processed object 100b is sucked by the suction part 27 from the back side, and it becomes a cantilever state. In the sliding portion 25, when the object to be processed 100b is adsorbed by the adsorption portion 27, it moves toward the outlet 1b side at a predetermined speed in the same manner as described above. Thereby, the object to be processed 100b moves along the continuous conveying path 2 and is subjected to annealing treatment by the laser light 42. The annealed object 100b is transported to the vicinity of the transport outlet 1b through the continuous transport path 2, and after the suction of the suction unit 27 is released, the lifting unit 26 is lowered and immediately transported out of the processing room 1 to the transport room by the transport device 14 15.

The sliding part 25 is moved back and forth along the guide 29 to the initial position on the side of the loading port 1a, and is used to hold the object to be processed later. Regarding the moving speed at the time of reset movement, it moves at a higher speed than the speed at the time of conveying the object to be processed and is used for the next object to be processed.

After the next object to be processed is carried into the processing chamber 1, it is sucked by the suction portion 23 on the side of the sliding portion 21 and transported toward the outlet 1 b. By repeating the above procedure, as shown in FIG. 5, the object to be processed 100 a and the object to be processed 100 b can be continuously carried into the processing chamber, and annealed and unloaded.

The above operations can be controlled by a control unit (not shown), and the operations can be controlled by the control unit while synchronizing the carrying-in device, the carrying-out device, and the moving means. The control unit includes a central processing unit (central processing unit, CPU), a program that causes the CPU to perform a predetermined operation, and a memory unit that stores operation parameters.

Previously, the time required for carrying in and out the semiconductor substrate relative to the annealing process was about 1/4 of the annealing process time. In this embodiment, the time required for carrying in and carrying out is substantially zero, thereby increasing productivity by about 25%.

As described above, it is possible to provide a plurality of moving means and make each move at a different time, whereby it is not necessary to wait for a plurality of objects to be processed, and it is possible to carry them efficiently.

In the invention of the present application, efficient processing can be performed as described above, and it has an effect of improving efficiency even in the oscillation operation of laser light.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the oscillation operation of the laser light source of the conventional device. During the irradiation process, the semiconductor substrate needs to be carried in and out of the processing chamber.

In order to use the laser oscillation stably, it is necessary to maintain a continuous oscillation state. Therefore, the laser also needs to continue to oscillate during the transportation time and other times that are not conducive to production. Therefore, in the laser annealing apparatus, laser oscillation is continuously performed, and the laser light 42 is introduced into the processing chamber 1 through the optical system member when necessary. On the other hand, gas enclosed in an excimer laser or the like deteriorates due to the number of laser oscillations, so it is necessary to replace the gas periodically.

In the conventional example of FIG. 6, the time required for carrying in and carrying out during the irradiation process is continuously oscillated by the laser light source during this period, so unnecessary vibration increases and the productivity is poor.

7 is a diagram showing a timing chart of the present embodiment, and shows an example of processing three substrates. The semiconductor substrate can be carried out and carried out almost in the irradiation process of other semiconductor substrates, thereby reducing unnecessary oscillation time as much as possible And improve productivity.

In addition, in the above embodiments, the case where the long side width of the laser light is one side of the substrate has been described. Therefore, by moving the semiconductor substrate in one direction, the laser light can be relatively scanned and the annealing process can be completed. However, there are also cases where the long side width of the laser light does not reach one side length of the substrate.

Hereinafter, a case where the long side width of the laser light is 1/2 the side length of the substrate will be described based on FIG. 8.

In the processing chamber 1, a continuous transport path 200a for transporting semiconductor substrates in one direction and a continuous transport path 200b for transporting semiconductor substrates in the opposite direction to the above direction are provided in parallel. In this example, in the conveying direction of the continuous conveying path 200a The upstream side has a transfer port 1a. The upstream side in the conveyance direction of the continuous conveyance path 200b is located on the downstream side in the conveyance direction of the continuous conveyance path 200a, and the exit 1b is located on the downstream side in the conveyance direction of the continuous conveyance path 200b. Between the downstream side in the conveyance direction of the continuous conveyance path 200a and the upstream side in the conveyance direction of the continuous conveyance path 200b, there is a continuous conveyance path that conveys the object to be processed across the two conveyance paths. In addition, in this embodiment, in order to distinguish the to-be-processed body 100 carried into the processing chamber 1, it is shown as the to-be-processed body 100a, the to-be-processed body 100b, the to-be-processed body 100c, and the to-be-processed body 100d sequentially.

On the continuous conveyance path 200a, the laser light 42a is irradiated to the left side based on the conveyance direction of the loaded object to be carried 100 as a reference. A local gas sealing portion 3a is provided above the irradiation area of the laser light 42a, and the local gas sealing portion 3a sprays nitrogen gas or the like to the irradiation area of the laser light 42a and its surroundings to seal.

On the continuous conveyance path 200b, the laser light 42b is irradiated to the right side based on the conveyance direction of the loaded object to be carried 100 as a reference. A local gas sealing portion 3b is provided above the irradiation area of the laser light 42b, and the local gas sealing portion 3b sprays and seals the irradiation area of the laser light 42b and its surroundings with nitrogen gas or the like.

In the figure, the to-be-processed body 100a initially carried into the loading port 1a by a not-shown unloading device is transported by the continuous transport path 200a similar to the to-be-processed body 100d in the figure, and the local gas seal portion 3a The local gas is injected and sealed, while being irradiated with the laser light 42a, the left side in the conveying direction is annealed. The object to be processed 100a reaches the downstream end in the conveying direction of the conveying path 2a like the object to be processed 100c in the figure, and is conveyed to the upstream side in the conveying direction of the continuous conveying path 200b like the object to be processed 100b in the figure, and by Continuous conveying path 200b to the downstream side Handling.

The object to be processed 100a transported along the continuous transport path 200b is irradiated with laser light 42b to the object to be processed 100a while being irradiated with laser light by the local gas sealing portion 3b and the laser irradiation area and its periphery are sealed. . By the annealing process on the continuous conveyance path 200a and the annealing process on the continuous conveyance path 200b, the required regions of the object to be processed 100a are all subjected to the annealing process.

As shown in FIG. 8, the object to be processed 100a reaches the downstream end in the conveying direction of the continuous conveying path 200b, and is carried out of the processing chamber 1 through the outlet 1b by a carrying-out device (not shown).

With the above program, the object to be processed 100b, the object to be processed 100c, and the object to be processed 100d are sequentially carried in and carried out, and the annealing treatment is continuously performed. Even in the case where the long side width of the laser light does not reach one side length of the semiconductor substrate, annealing treatment can be performed across the entire width of the substrate.

In addition, when the continuous conveyance path is two conveyance paths and one side of the substrate is not processed, the parallel number of the continuous conveyance paths can be increased to correspond to the same.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the continuous conveying path 200a is placed on the continuous conveying path 200b without changing the direction of the object to be processed, and the direction of the object to be processed can also be changed for carrying.

In each of the above-mentioned embodiments, the case where the continuous conveying path spans the entire length and the gas levitation device is described has been described, but the present invention does not necessarily need to have a gas floating device, and it may be only a part of the continuous conveying path, for example, irradiation area The conveying path 2b floats the gas.

9(A) and 9(B) show the continuous conveying path 2d of this embodiment. In the carrying-in conveying path 2a and the carrying-out conveying path 2c, for example, the rotating rollers 20a having a rotational axis in a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction are arranged at intervals in the conveying direction to support the object to be processed . Therefore, the rotating roller 20a constitutes the supporting means of the present invention. The rotating roller 20a can also be driven to rotate, but it is desirable to additionally have the moving means.

The object to be transported into the transport path 2a is supported by the rotating roller 20a and is moved in the transport direction by moving means. The object to be processed is supported by the gas floating device 20 when it reaches the irradiation area transport path 2b. Then, when it reaches the transport path 2c, it is transported by the moving means while being supported by the rotating roller 20a in the same manner as the transport path 2a.

The support of the object to be processed does not require stable support or flatness like the irradiation area transport path 2b except for the irradiation area transport path 2b, and therefore may be configured differently from the support of the object to be processed in the irradiation area transport path 2b To support the processed body.

The present invention has been described above based on the above-mentioned embodiments, but appropriate changes can be made as long as they do not depart from the scope of the present invention.

1: Processing room (laser annealing device)

1a: moving entrance

1b: moving out

2: Continuous transportation path

2a: moving into the transportation path

2b: Transportation path of irradiation area

2c: Moving out of the transportation path

3: Local gas seal

20: Gas floating device

42: Laser light

100a, 100b, 100c: body to be processed

Claims (15)

A laser annealing device irradiates a laser beam on an object to be annealed. The laser annealing device is characterized by including a continuous conveying path capable of simultaneously conveying a plurality of the objects continuously in a predetermined conveying direction A processing body; and laser light irradiation means for irradiating the laser beam to the object to be processed carried by the continuous conveying path, wherein the laser light continues to oscillate outside the irradiation process, the continuous conveying path includes: Supporting means for supporting the object to be processed; and moving means having an elevating section which supports the object to be processed supported by the supporting means on both sides of the supporting means and causes the The object to be processed moves in the conveying direction, and the support position can be adjusted up and down. The support means is a gas floating means that floats and supports the object to be treated by the upward ejection of gas. The laser annealing apparatus as described in item 1 of the patent application scope, which includes: a processing chamber irradiated with the laser light; a transport entrance located on the upstream side of the continuous transport path and provided in the processing chamber; The outlet is located on the downstream side of the continuous transportation path and is provided in the processing chamber, and the continuous transportation path is located from the loading inlet to the loading outlet. The laser annealing device as described in item 1 or item 2 of the patent scope, The continuous transport path includes: an irradiation area transport path, which transports the object while irradiating the laser beam to the object; and an unloading transport path, which is located on the upstream side of the irradiation area transport path and On the downstream side, the unloading and carrying transport path can transport the object to be processed at a transport speed higher than that in the irradiation area transport path. The laser annealing apparatus as described in item 3 of the patent application range, wherein the conveying speed in the carrying-in and carrying-out conveying path is variable. The laser annealing apparatus according to item 4 of the patent application range, wherein the unloading/carrying transport path can be transported at least at the same transport speed as the transport path of the irradiation area or a transport speed greater than the transport speed. The laser annealing apparatus according to item 1 or 2 of the patent application range, wherein the gas floating means uses an inert gas as the gas. The laser annealing apparatus according to item 1 or 2 of the patent application range, wherein the moving means can return to the continuous after the object to be processed is conveyed downstream of the continuous conveying path The upstream side of the transportation path. The laser annealing device according to item 1 or item 2 of the patent application scope, which includes a local gas sealing portion that sprays at least the portion of the continuous conveying path that is irradiated with the laser light Local gas in the surface area of the body to be treated. The laser annealing device as described in item 8 of the patent application range, wherein the local gas is an inert gas. The laser annealing device as described in item 8 of the patent application scope, wherein the ambient gas other than the local gas is air. A continuous transport path for laser annealing processing, which performs laser annealing processing while simultaneously transporting a plurality of to-be-processed objects in a predetermined transport direction simultaneously, includes: a transport transport path, a part of the continuous transport path and The upstream side of the continuous transport path carries and transports the object to be processed; the irradiation area transport path is a part of the continuous transport path and is on the downstream side of the transport path, while transporting a plurality of the The object to be processed is annealed by irradiating the object with laser light, wherein the laser light continues to oscillate outside the irradiation process; and the transport path is part of the continuous transport path and the irradiation area On the downstream side of the transport path, the object to be processed that has undergone the annealing treatment is transported and transported out. The continuous transport path is at least the irradiation area transport path, and the gas is ejected upward by using support means to cause the The to-be-processed body floats while moving the to-be-processed body along the conveying direction by a moving means having an elevating portion, and the elevating portion supports the object supported by the supporting means on both sides of the supporting means The processing body moves the processing body and can adjust the support position up and down. The laser annealing process described in item 11 of the patent application scope is continuous A conveyance path, wherein the conveyance speed in the carry-in conveyance path and the carry-out conveyance path can be greater than the conveyance speed in the irradiation area conveyance path to convey the object to be processed. A laser light irradiation method, characterized by comprising: a laser light source that outputs laser light; and an optical system member, which continuously transports a plurality of objects simultaneously through a continuous transport path that transports the object to be processed in a predetermined transport direction The processing body and the object to be processed reaching the irradiation area of the continuous transport path guides the laser light that continues to oscillate outside of the irradiation process period to scan and illuminate it relatively. The continuous transport path includes A gas floating means that lifts and supports the to-be-processed body by ejecting gas upward and a moving means having a lifting section that supports the gas floating means on both sides of the gas floating means The to-be-processed body supported can move the to-be-processed body along a conveyance direction, and the support position can be adjusted up and down. A laser annealing method that irradiates laser light to the object to be annealed while conveying the object to be processed through a continuous transport path that simultaneously transports a plurality of objects to be processed simultaneously in a predetermined direction The laser annealing treatment method includes: a carrying-in conveying step, carrying and conveying the object to be processed to a part of the continuous conveying path and the upstream side of the continuous conveying path; an annealing processing step, at a part of the continuous conveying path and On the downstream side of the continuous conveying path where the carry-in conveying step is performed, the laser beam is irradiated and annealed while carrying the object to be processed, wherein the laser light is It also continues to oscillate outside the process period; and a carry-out conveying step, which conveys and carries out the object to be processed on the downstream side of the continuous conveying path that is part of the continuous conveying path and subjected to the annealing treatment, and the continuous conveying path is at In at least the annealing step in each of the steps, while the gas is ejected upward by the supporting means to float the object to be processed, the object to be processed is moved along by the moving means having an elevating portion Moving in the conveying direction, the elevating section supports the object to be processed supported by the supporting means on both sides of the supporting means, and can adjust the supporting position up and down. The laser annealing processing method according to item 14 of the patent application scope, wherein the continuous conveying path in the carrying-in conveying step and the carrying-out conveying step can be conveyed at a speed faster than that in the annealing processing step The conveying speed of the continuous conveying path is large.

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