1. A laser irradiation apparatus comprising:
a laser for emitting a laser beam;
a first optical system for dividing the laser beam into a plurality of laser beams; and
a second optical system for forming a synthesized laser beam having a periodical energy distribution on an irradiated surface by synthesizing the plurality of laser beams,
wherein said first optical system is disposed between said laser and the second optical system,
wherein said first optical system comprises a prism,
wherein said second optical system comprises a cylindrical lens, and
wherein a laser beam of the plurality of laser beams directly reaches the irradiated surface from the cylindrical lens.
2. A laser irradiation apparatus comprising:
a laser for emitting a laser beam;
a first optical system and a second optical system,
wherein a laser beam passes through said first optical system so that the laser beam is divided into a plurality of laser beams;
wherein said second optical system is disposed in a manner to superimpose light axes of the plurality of laser beams on each other on the irradiated surface to provide a superimposed laser beam, so that the superimposed laser beam presents a periodical energy distribution on the irradiated surface,
wherein said first optical system comprises a prism,
wherein said second optical system comprises a cylindrical lens, and
wherein a laser beam of the plurality of laser beams directly reaches the irradiated surface from the cylindrical lens.
3. A laser irradiation apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the synthesized laser beam or superimposed laser beam irradiated on said irradiation surface is produced by interfering the plurality of laser beams.
4. A laser irradiation apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein said first optical system and said second optical system are disposed in a manner to apply the laser beam emitted from said laser to the irradiated surface in a slanting direction.
5. A laser irradiation apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein said first optical system and said second optical system are disposed so that the laser beam emitted from said laser is incident to the irradiated surface at the incidence angle \u03b8 which is determined to range between 3 and 32 degrees.
6. A laser irradiation apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein said second optical system further comprises a prism or a mirror.
7. A laser irradiation apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein said laser beam is emitted from a solid state laser of a continuous wave type or a solid state laser of a pulse oscillation type.
8. A laser irradiation apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said solid state laser comprises one selected from the group consisting of YAG laser, YVO4 laser, YLF laser, YAlO3 laser, glass laser, ruby laser, alexandrite laser, Ti:sapphire laser.
9. A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, wherein a semiconductor film of the semiconductor device is annealed by a laser irradiation apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2.
10. A laser irradiation method, comprising:
dividing laser beam emitted from a single laser into a plurality of light beams by means of a first optical system comprising a prism;
irradiating the plurality of divided laser beams with an irradiated surface of a substrate in slanting directions by a second optical system comprising a cylindrical lens, wherein a laser beam of the plurality of laser beams directly reaches the irradiated surface from the cylindrical lens; and
synthesizing the plurality of laser beams to present a periodical energy distribution on said irradiated surface to irradiate a synthesized laser beam on said irradiation surface,
wherein a semiconductor film having said irradiated surface is crystallized by said synthesized laser.
11. A laser irradiation method, comprising:
dividing a laser beam irradiated from a single laser into a plurality of laser beams by means of a first optical system comprising a prism;
irradiating the plurality of laser beams in slanting directions on an irradiated surface of a semiconductor film by means of a second optical system comprising a cylindrical lens, wherein a laser beam of the plurality of laser beams directly reaches the irradiated surface from the cylindrical lens; and
synthesizing the plurality of laser beams to present a periodical energy distribution to a first direction on said irradiated surface to irradiate a synthesized laser beam on said irradiated surface along a first direction and along a second direction perpendicular to said first direction,
wherein the semiconductor film having said irradiated surface is crystallized by said synthesized laser.
12. A laser irradiation method according to claim 10 or claim 11, wherein the synthesized laser beam on said irradiation surface is produced by interfering the plurality of laser beams.
13. A laser irradiation method according to claim 10 or claim 11, wherein each of the plurality of laser beams is incident to said irradiated surface at the incidence angle which is determined to range between 3 and 32 degrees so that a crystal grain width in the semiconductor film is matched with a pitch p of an interference produced by the plurality of divided laser beams.
14. A laser irradiation method according to claim 10 or claim 11, wherein said second optical system further comprises a prism or a mirror.
15. A laser irradiation method according to claim 10 or claim 11, wherein said laser light is emitted from a solid state laser of a continuous wave type or a solid state laser of a pulse oscillation type.
16. A laser irradiation method according to claim 10 or claim 11, wherein said solid state laser comprises one selected from the group consisting of YAG laser, YVO4 laser, YLF laser, YAlO3 laser, glass laser, ruby laser, alexandrite laser, Ti:sapphire laser.
17. A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, wherein a semiconductor film is annealed by a laser irradiation method according to claim 10 or claim 11.
18. A laser irradiation method according to claim 10 or claim 11, wherein the synthesized or superimposed laser beam is irradiated on the irradiated surface by superimposing first and second interferences on first and second laser beams of the laser beams with a phase of an energy distribution of the first interference shifted from a phase of an energy distribution of the second interference by a half period when the first and second interferences have the same energy distribution so as to form a laser light presenting a uniform energy distribution.
19. A laser irradiation method according to claim 10 or claim 11, wherein the second optical system comprises lenses with a micrometer.
20. A laser irradiation apparatus comprising:
a laser emitting a laser beam;
a first optical system for dividing the laser beam into a plurality of laser beams by only a transmission function of said first optical system; and
a second optical system for forming a synthesized laser beam having a periodical energy distribution on an irradiated surface by synthesizing the plurality of laser beams,
wherein said first optical system is disposed between said laser and the second optical system,
wherein the first optical system comprises a cylindrical lens array and a cylindrical lens, and
wherein the second optical system comprises a first lens, a second lens, and, a third lens.
21. A laser irradiation apparatus comprising:
a laser emitting a laser beam;
a first optical system and a second optical system,
wherein a laser beam passes through said first optical system so that the laser beam is divided into a plurality of laser beams;
wherein said second optical system is disposed in a manner to superimpose light axes of the plurality of laser beams on each other on the irradiated surface to provide a superimposed laser beam so that the superimposed laser beam presents a periodical energy distribution on the irradiated surface,
wherein the first optical system comprises a cylindrical lens array and a cylindrical lens, and
wherein the second optical system comprises a first lens, a second lens, and, a third lens.
22. A laser irradiation apparatus according to claim 20 or claim 21, wherein the synthesized laser beam or superimposed laser beam irradiated on said irradiation surface is produced by interfering the plurality of laser beams.
23. A laser irradiation apparatus according to claim 20 or claim 21, wherein said first optical system and said second optical system are disposed in a manner to apply the laser beam emitted from said laser to the irradiated surface in a slanting direction.
24. A laser irradiation apparatus according to claim 20 or claim 21, wherein said first optical system and said second optical system are disposed so that the laser beam emitted from said laser is incident to the irradiated surface at the incidence angle which is determined to range between 3 and 32 degrees.
25. A laser irradiation apparatus according to claim 20 or claim 21, wherein said laser light is emitted from a solid state laser of a continuous wave type or a solid state laser of a pulse oscillation type.
26. A laser irradiation apparatus according to claim 25, wherein said solid state laser comprises one selected from the group consisting of YAG laser, YVO4 laser, YLF laser, YAlO3 laser, glass laser, ruby laser, alexandrite laser, Ti:sapphire laser.
27. A laser irradiation apparatus according to any one of claims 1, 2, 20 or claim 21, wherein the first optical system further comprises a cylindrical lens.
28. A laser irradiation apparatus according to claim 20 or claim 21, wherein the first lens and the third lenses are movable with at least one micrometer.
29. A laser irradiation apparatus according to claim 20 or claim 21, wherein the first, second and third lenses are disposed in a mariner that a distance between a side face of the second lens and the first lens is different from a distance between a side face of the second lens and the third lens.
30. A laser irradiation apparatus according to claim 20 or claim 21, wherein the first, second and third lenses are disposed in a manner that a distance between a side face of the second lens and the first lens and a distance between a side face of the second lens and the third lens is the same.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A method in an electronic device in which a default database is initially associated with both of a default PIM (personal information manager) service account and a second PIM service account, the method comprising:
in addition to the default database, establishing in the electronic device a second database to store synchronized records associated with only the second PIM service account, wherein the default database initially contains merged database records previously stored in the default database regardless of with which PIM service account each merged database record originated, such that the source of each merged database record is indistinguishable in the default database;
reconciling the merged database records with server database records associated with the second PIM service account to determine if all of the server database records are already present in the default database;
if all of the server database records are already present in the default database:
identifying a subset of the merged database records in the default database as overlapping records, overlapping records being server database records associated with the second PIM service account that are already present in the default database; and
moving the overlapping records from the default database to the second database.
2. The method of claim 1 further comprising
after moving the overlapping records, sending a delete records command to a server with an instruction to delete overlapping records from a server database associated with the default PIM service account.
3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
providing data representative of the merged database records to a server associated with the server database records, wherein the server is configured to delete server overlapping records from the server database;
receiving additional server database records;
storing the additional server database records in the second database; and
setting the second database as a new default database.
4. The method of claim 1, comprising synchronizing with the default PIM service account prior to enabling synchronization of the second PIM service account.
5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
maintaining the default database for storing only first PIM records associated with the first PIM service account; and
maintaining the second database for storing only second PIM records associated with the second PIM service account.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first PIM service account is associated with a first calendar service, and the second PIM service account is associated with a second calendar service.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein reconciling the merged database records with server database records comprises:
receiving representative data values from the server, each representative data value being associated with a respective record of the server database records;
obtaining comparison data values, each comparison data value being associated with a respective record of the merged database records already present in the default database; and
comparing the representative data values with the comparison data values to determine if all of the server database records are already present in the default database.
8. An electronic device: comprising:
memory for storing a plurality of PIM (personal information manager) record databases, including at least a default database initially associated with both of a default PIM service account and a second PIM service account, wherein the default database initially contains merged database records previously stored in the default database regardless of with which PIM service account each merged database record originated, such that the source of each merged database record is indistinguishable in the default database;
a processor configured to:
establish in the memory a second database to store synchronized records associated with only the second PIM service account;
reconcile the merged database records in the default database with server database records associated with the second PIM service account to determine if all of the server database records are already present in the default database;
if all of the server database records are already present in the default database:
identify a subset of the merged database records in the default database as overlapping records, overlapping records being server database records associated with the second PIM service account that are already present in the default database; and
move the overlapping records from the default database to the second database.
9. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to:
after moving the overlapping records, send a delete records command to a server with an instruction to delete overlapping records from a server database associated with the default PIM service account.
10. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to:
if all of the server database records are not already present in the default database:
provide data representative of the merged database records to a server associated with the server database records, wherein the server is configured to delete server overlapping records from the server database;
receive additional server database records;
store the additional server database records in the second database; and
set the second database as a new default database.
11. A computer program product, comprising:
computer readable medium having computer readable code embodying the method of:
creating a second database to store synchronized records associated with only a second PIM (personal information manager) service account;
reconciling merged database records in a default database with server database records associated with the second PIM service account to determine if all of the server database records are already present in the default database, the default database initially associated with both of a default PIM service account and the second PIM service account, wherein the default database initially contains merged database records previously stored in the default database regardless of with which PIM service account each merged database record originated, such that the source of each merged database record is indistinguishable in the default database;
if all of the server database records are already present in the default database:
identifying a subset of the merged database records in the default database as overlapping records, overlapping records being server database records that are already present in the default database; and
moving the overlapping records from the default database to the second database.