A cylindrical lens array cannot be manufactured so that each cylindrical
lens has the same radius of curvature and the same accuracy in the
surface. Therefore, when the laser annealing is performed using the
cylindrical lens array, the beam spots divided by the cylindrical lens
array cannot be superposed completely in the same surface. As a result,
there is a region where the energy is attenuated in the edge portion of
the rectangular beam to be formed, and therefore the intensity
distribution of the laser beam becomes inhomogeneous. In the present
invention, the cylindrical lens array is used in combination with the
optical waveguide. After dividing the laser beam in a predetermined
direction by the cylindrical lens array, the divided beams are combined,
and then the laser beam is incident into the optical waveguide that acts
upon the same direction as the predetermined direction. This can correct
the variation in the intensity of the laser beam due to the processing
inaccuracy of the cylindrical lens array.