Oxide material and semiconductor device

• US 10,079,309 B2
• Filed: 06/10/2016
• Issued: 09/18/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Yamazaki, Shunpei, Nakashima, Motoki, Honda, Tatsuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Khanh Tuan
• Application Number:
  US15/178,949
• Publication Number:
  US 20160284861A1
• Time in Patent Office: 830 Days
• Field of Search: 257 43, 257 77
• CPC Class Codes: C01G 19/006 Compounds containing, besides tin, two or more other elements, with the exception of oxygen or hydrogen
• CPC Class Codes: C01P 2002/72 by d-values or two theta-values, e.g. as X-ray diagram
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/04 characterised by their crystalline structure, e.g. polycrystalline, cubic or particular orientation of crystalline planes characterised by physical imperfections H01L29/30
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/045 by their particular orientation of crystalline planes
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/26 including, apart from doping materials or other impurities, elements provided for in two or more of the groups H01L29/16, H01L29/18, H01L29/20, H01L29/22, H01L29/24 , e.g. alloys
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/7869 having a semiconductor body comprising an oxide semiconductor material, e.g. zinc oxide, copper aluminium oxide, cadmium stannate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/78696 characterised by the structure of the channel, e.g. multichannel, transverse or longitudinal shape, length or width, doping structure, or the overlap or alignment between the channel and the gate, the source or the drain, or the contacting structure of the channel H01L29/78612 takes precedence; transistors having a drain offset region or a lightly doped drain [LDD] H01L29/78621

Abstract

An object is to provide a material suitably used for a semiconductor included in a transistor, a diode, or the like. Another object is to provide a semiconductor device including a transistor in which the condition of an electron state at an interface between an oxide semiconductor film and a gate insulating film in contact with the oxide semiconductor film is favorable. Further, another object is to manufacture a highly reliable semiconductor device by giving stable electric characteristics to a transistor in which an oxide semiconductor film is used for a channel. A semiconductor device is formed using an oxide material which includes crystal with c-axis alignment, which has a triangular or hexagonal atomic arrangement when seen from the direction of a surface or an interface and rotates around the c-axis.

Claims

1. A film comprising a first oxide film and a second oxide film formed on the first oxide film, each of the first oxide film and the second oxide film comprising an oxide material comprising indium and zinc, the oxide material comprising at least first and second crystals with c-axis alignment,

wherein each of the first and second crystals comprises atoms arranged to have a triangular or hexagonal shape seen from a direction substantially perpendicular to an a-b plane, and

wherein one of a direction of an a-axis and a direction of a b-axis of the first crystal is different from that of the second crystal, in the a-b plane.

2. The oxide material according to claim 1, wherein each of the first and second crystals comprises metal atoms, or metal atoms and oxygen atoms arranged in a layered manner when seen from a direction substantially perpendicular to the c-axis.

3. The oxide material according to claim 1, wherein each of the first and second crystals comprises two layers whose compositions are different from each other.

4. The oxide material according to claim 1, wherein each of the first and second crystals comprises a plurality of metal oxide layers, and

wherein the plurality of metal oxide layers are bonded to each other through a tetracoordinate oxygen atom.

5. The oxide material according to claim 4, wherein each of the plurality of metal oxide layers comprises any one of a tetracoordinate central metal atom, a pentacoordinate central metal atom, and a central metal material having either five ligands or six ligands.

6. The oxide material according to claim 1 containing nitrogen at a concentration higher than or equal to 1×

10²⁰ atoms/cm³, and lower than 7 at. %.

7. A film comprising a first oxide film and a second oxide film formed on the first oxide film, each of the first oxide film and the second oxide film comprising an oxide material comprising first and second crystals with c-axis alignment,

wherein each of the at least first and second crystals comprises atoms arranged to have a triangular or hexagonal shape seen from a direction substantially perpendicular to a surface or an interface, and

wherein the first crystal has a structure in which the second crystal is rotated around a c-axis.

8. The oxide material according to claim 7, wherein each of the first and second crystals comprises metal atoms, or metal atoms and oxygen atoms arranged in a layered manner when seen from a direction substantially perpendicular to the c-axis.

9. The oxide material according to claim 7, wherein each of the first and second crystals comprises two layers whose compositions are different from each other.

10. The oxide material according to claim 7, wherein each of the first and second crystals comprises a plurality of metal oxide layers, and

wherein the plurality of metal oxide layers are bonded to each other through a tetracoordinate oxygen atom.

11. The oxide material according to claim 10, wherein each of the plurality of metal oxide layers comprises any one of a tetracoordinate central metal atom, a pentacoordinate central metal atom, and a central metal material having either five ligands or six ligands.

12. The oxide material according to claim 7 containing nitrogen at a concentration higher than or equal to 1×

10²⁰ atoms/cm³, and lower than 7 at. %.

13. A semiconductor device comprising:

a gate electrode;

a gate insulating film adjacent to the gate electrode; and

a semiconductor layer comprising a first oxide layer and a second oxide layer formed on the first oxide layer, each of the first oxide layer and the second oxide layer comprising an oxide material comprising indium and zinc, and being adjacent to the gate insulating film,

wherein the oxide material comprises a first and second crystals with c-axis alignment,

wherein each of the at least first and second crystals comprises the atoms arranged to have a triangular or hexagonal shape in an a-b plane, and

wherein one of a direction of an a-axis and a direction of a b-axis of the first crystal is different from that of the second crystal, in the a-b plane.

14. The semiconductor device according to claim 13, wherein the semiconductor layer is in contact with a pair of conductive films.

15. The semiconductor device according to claim 14, wherein the pair of conductive films functions as a source electrode and a drain electrode of a transistor.