Thin film transistor and display device

• US 10,566,457 B2
• Filed: 08/30/2013
• Issued: 02/18/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Klaus Schmidt
• Original Assignee: Kobe Steel Limited
• Inventors: Miki, Aya, Morita, Shinya, Goto, Hiroshi, Kugimiya, Toshihiro, Tao, Hiroaki, Hirose, Kenta
• Primary Examiner(s): Page, Dale E
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jefferson, Quovaunda
• Application Number:
  US14/416,927
• Publication Number:
  US 20150171221A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,363 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/823462 with a particular manufacturing method of the gate insulating layers, e.g. different gate insulating layer thicknesses, particular gate insulator materials or particular gate insulator implants
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/7869 having a semiconductor body comprising an oxide semiconductor material, e.g. zinc oxide, copper aluminium oxide, cadmium stannate

Abstract

Provided is a thin film transistor comprising an oxide semiconductor thin film layer and has a threshold voltage that does not change much due to light, a bias stress or the like, thereby exhibiting excellent stress stability. A thin film transistor of the present invention is provided with: a gate electrode; an oxide semiconductor layer that is used as a channel layer; and a gate insulator film that is arranged between the gate electrode and the channel layer. The oxide semiconductor layer is configured of at least one metal element that is selected from the group consisting of In, Ga, Zn and Sn (excluding the cases where the oxide semiconductor layer is constituted of metal elements Sn, and at least one of In and Zn). The hydrogen concentration in the gate insulator film, which is in direct contact with the oxide semiconductor layer, is controlled to 4 atomic % or less.

Claims

1. A thin film transistor comprising;

a gate electrode,

an oxide semiconductor layer, and

a gate insulator film,

wherein;

the oxide semiconductor layer is configured as a channel layer, and the oxide semiconductor layer comprises at least one metal selected from the group consisting of In, Ga, Zn, and Sn, with the proviso that an oxide semiconductor consisting of Sn and at least one of In and Zn is excluded,

the gate insulator film is interposed between the gate electrode and the channel layer,

the gate insulator film is a laminate structure comprising a first layer, which is in direct contact with the oxide semiconductor layer, and one or more other layers,

the first layer of the gate insulator film has a hydrogen concentration of 4 atomic % or lower, and

the one or more other layers of the gate insulator film have a hydrogen concentration higher than the first layer.

2. The thin film transistor according to claim 1 wherein:

the oxide semiconductor layer comprises In, Ga, and Zn such that;

25≤

[In]≤

45,

25≤

[Ga]≤

45, and

15≤

[Zn]≤

35,

wherein [In], [Zn], and [Ga] represent a content in atomic % of the respective element each relative to a total content of all the metal elements other than oxygen in the oxide semiconductor layer.

3. The thin film transistor according to claim 1 wherein:

the oxide semiconductor layer comprises In, Ga, Zn, and Sn such that;

10[≤

In]≤

25,

5≤

[Ga]≤

20,

40≤

[Zn]≤

60, and

5≤

[Sn]≤

25,

wherein [In], [Ga], [Zn], and [Sn] represent a content in atomic % of the respective element each relative to a total content of all the metal elements other than oxygen in the oxide semiconductor layer.

4. The thin film transistor according to claim 1 wherein:

the oxide semiconductor layer comprises In, Ga, Zn, and Sn such that;

15≤

[In]≤

25,

10≤

[Ga]≤

20,

45≤

[Zn]≤

65, and

5≤

[Sn]≤

15,

wherein [In], [Ga], [Zn], and [Sn] represent a content in atomic % of the respective element each relative to a total content of all the metal elements other than oxygen in the oxide semiconductor layer.

5. The thin film transistor according to claim 1 wherein:

the oxide semiconductor layer comprises In, Ga, and Sn such that;

30≤

[In]≤

50,

20≤

[Ga]≤

30, and

25≤

[Sn]≤

45,

wherein [In], [Ga], and [Sn] represent a content in atomic % of the respective element each relative to a total content of all the metal elements other than oxygen in the oxide semiconductor layer.

6. A display device comprising the thin film transistor according to claim 1.

7. The thin film transistor according to claim 1, wherein the oxide semiconductor layer comprises In.

8. The thin film transistor according to claim 1, wherein the oxide semiconductor layer comprises Ga.

9. The thin film transistor according to claim 1, wherein the oxide semiconductor layer comprises Zn.

10. The thin film transistor according to claim 1, wherein the oxide semiconductor layer comprises Sn.

11. The thin film transistor according to claim 1, wherein the one or more other layers of the gate insulator film have a thickness of 50 times or smaller than a thickness of the first layer.

12. The thin film transistor according to claim 1, wherein the first layer of the gate insulator film has a hydrogen concentration of 3.5 atomic % or lower.

13. The thin film transistor according to claim 1, wherein the first layer of the gate insulator film has a hydrogen concentration of 3 atomic % or lower.

14. The thin film transistor according to claim 1, wherein the first layer of the gate insulator film has a hydrogen concentration of higher than 0.667 atomic %.