A method of crystallizing a semiconductor film including splitting a pulse
laser beam oscillated from a laser oscillator, and synthesizing the split
pulse laser beams after the split pulse laser beams have propagated
through optical paths different in optical path length, modulating the
synthesized pulse laser beam into a pulse laser beam by a phase
modulating element, and irradiating a non-single-crystal film formed on a
substrate with the laser beam to crystallize the non-single-crystal film.
Splitting the pulse laser beam and synthesizing the split pulse laser
beams are performed using at least three optical splitting/synthesizing
units arranged in order, and include sequentially splitting one pulse
laser beam split by one optical splitting/synthesizing unit by succeeding
splitting/synthesizing unit, and synthesizing the other pulse laser beam
split by one optical splitting/synthesizing unit with the other pulse
laser beam split by preceding splitting/synthesizing unit.