Parallel-Beam Scanning for Surface Patterning of Materials

• US 20080192316A1
• Filed: 04/08/2008
• Published: 08/14/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SemiCube, Inc.
• Original Assignee: SemiCube, Inc.
• Inventors: Williams, Mark S., MacCrisken, John E., Masterson, Earl E., Warner, Raymond M., Millar, Lynn
• Granted Patent: US 7,525,707 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 359/196.1
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 2101/40 Semiconductor devices
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 2103/50 Inorganic material, e.g. metals, not provided for in B23K2103/02 – B23K2103/26
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 2103/56 semiconducting semiconducting devices B23K2101/40
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/0006 taking account of the properties of the material involved B23K26/32, B23K26/40 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/08 Devices involving relative movement between laser beam and workpiece
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/082 Scanning systems, i.e. devices involving movement of the laser beam relative to the laser head
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/352 for surface treatment
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/354 by melting
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/40 taking account of the properties of the material involved
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/101 with both horizontal and vertical deflecting means, e.g. raster or XY scanners colour television using laser beams scanning a display screen H04N9/3129

Abstract

A system and method for parallel-beam scanning a surface. An energetic beam source emits an energetic collimated beam which is received by an optical device, comprising: one or more optical media, operable to receive the emitted beam, such as two pairs of coordinated mirrors or a right prism, and at least one actuator coupled to the one or more optical media, and operable to rotate each of the one or more optical media around a respective axis to perform a parallel displacement of the beam in a respective direction, wherein the respective direction, the beam, and the respective axis are mutually orthogonal. The optical device is operable to direct the beam to illuminate a sequence of specified regions of a surface.

Claims

1. A system for patterning a surface, comprising:

an energetic beam source, operable to emit an energetic collimated beam, wherein the beam is operable to locally heat an illuminated region of the surface;

two optical devices, each comprising;

a first reflective optical element, operable to rotate around a first respective axis;

a second reflective optical element, operable to rotate around a second respective axis, wherein the first respective axis and the second respective axis are parallel; and

at least one actuator coupled to the first and second reflective optical elements, and operable to respectively rotate the first and second reflective optical elements around the first and second respective axes in a coordinated manner such that the first and second reflective optical elements are parallel, wherein the optical device is operable to perform a parallel displacement of the beam in a respective direction, and wherein the respective direction is orthogonal to the beam;

wherein the two optical devices comprises a first optical device and a second optical device, wherein the first optical device is operable to;

receive the beam from the beam source;

displace the beam in a first direction; and

transmit the displaced beam to the second optical device;

wherein the second optical device is operable to;

receive the displaced beam from the first optical device;

displace the beam in a second direction; and

transmit the displaced beam to the surface;

wherein the second direction is orthogonal to the first direction; and

wherein the two optical devices are operable to direct the beam to illuminate and locally heat a sequence of specified regions of the surface to pattern the surface.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

one or more controllers, operable to control the one or more actuators, time per pixel, beam on/off, and/or beam intensity.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more controller are further operable to turn beam on and off to control illumination of the specified regions.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the beam source comprises a laser.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the laser comprises one of:

a low-power laser;

one or more laser diodes;

a medium-power laser; and

a high-power laser.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the laser comprises a milliwatt laser.

7. The system of claim 4, wherein the laser comprises an ultra-violet (UV) laser.

8. The system of claim 4, wherein the laser has a wavelength of approximately 193 nanometers.

9. The system of claim 4, wherein the laser has a wavelength of approximately 308 nanometers.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the beam source comprises one or more UV lamps with a collimator.

11. The system of claim 1,

wherein the surface comprises a semiconductor material surface;

and

wherein the optical device is operable to perform parallel-beam scanning to selectively melt the surface of the material.

12. The system of claim 1,

wherein the surface comprises a semiconductor surface;

and

wherein the optical device is operable to perform parallel-beam scanning in a solid phase diffusion process.

13. The system of claim 1,

wherein the surface comprises a semiconductor surface;

and

wherein the optical device is operable to perform parallel-beam scanning in a liquid phase diffusion process.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the optical device is operable to perform one or more of:

parallel-beam raster scanning; and

parallel-beam vector scanning.

15. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a beam size manipulator, operable to change the size of the beam prior to illuminating the surface.

16. A system for patterning a surface, comprising:

an energetic beam source, operable to emit an energetic collimated beam, wherein the beam is operable to heat locally an illuminated region of the surface; and

a parallel-beam scanner, comprising;

a right prism comprising a refractive optical medium with a near face and a far face, wherein the optical medium has a specified index of refraction, wherein the right prism is operable to;

receive the beam at the near face;

transmit the beam to the far face; and

emit the beam from the far face, wherein the emitted beam is parallel to the received beam; and

at least one actuator coupled to the right prism, and operable to rotate the right prism about a specified axis to displace the beam in a specified direction, wherein the direction, the beam, and the axis are mutually orthogonal;

wherein the parallel-beam scanner is operable to direct the beam to illuminate and locally heat a sequence of specified regions of the surface to pattern the surface.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising:

one or more controllers, operable to control the one or more actuators, time per pixel, beam on/off, and/or beam intensity.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the one or more controller are further operable to turn beam on and off to control illumination of the specified regions.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the beam source comprises a laser.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the laser comprises one of:

a low-power laser;

one or more laser diodes;

a medium-power laser; and

a high-power laser.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the laser comprises a milliwatt laser.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein the laser comprises an ultra-violet (UV) laser.

23. The system of claim 19, wherein the laser has a wavelength of approximately 193 nanometers.

24. The system of claim 19, wherein the laser has a wavelength of approximately 308 nanometers.

25. The system of claim 16, wherein the beam source comprises one or more UV lamps with a collimator.

26. The system of claim 16,

wherein the surface comprises a semiconductor material surface;

and

wherein the optical device is operable to perform parallel-beam scanning to selectively melt the surface of the material.

27. The system of claim 16,

wherein the surface comprises a semiconductor surface;

and

wherein the optical device is operable to perform parallel-beam scanning in a solid phase diffusion process.

28. The system of claim 16,

wherein the surface comprises a semiconductor surface;

and

wherein the optical device is operable to perform parallel-beam scanning in a liquid phase diffusion process.

29. The system of claim 16, wherein the optical device is operable to perform one or more of:

parallel-beam raster scanning; and

parallel-beam vector scanning.

30. The system of claim 16, further comprising:

a beam size manipulator, operable to change the size of the beam prior to illuminating the surface.

31. A system for parallel displacement of an energetic beam, comprising:

an energetic beam source, operable to emit an energetic collimated beam;

an optical device, comprising;

one or more optical media, operable to receive the emitted beam; and

at least one actuator coupled to the one or more optical media, and operable to rotate each of the one or more optical media around a respective axis to perform a parallel displacement of the beam in a respective direction, wherein the respective direction, the beam, and the respective axis are mutually orthogonal;

wherein the optical device is operable to direct the beam to illuminate a sequence of specified regions of a surface.