Manufacturing method for a semiconductor device

• US 20030235971A1
• Filed: 11/29/2002
• Published: 12/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Ohtani, Hisashi, Hiroki, Masaaki, Shiga, Aiko, Shimomura, Akihisa, Tanaka, Koichiro, Akiba, Mai, Kasahara, Kenji, Yamazaki, Shunpei
• Granted Patent: US 6,979,605 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 438/487
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02381 Silicon, silicon germanium, germanium
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0242 Crystalline insulating materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02422 Non-crystalline insulating materials, e.g. glass, polymers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02425 Conductive materials, e.g. metallic silicides
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02488 Insulating materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02502 consisting of two layers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02532 Silicon, silicon germanium, germanium
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02595 polycrystalline
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02672 using crystallisation enhancing elements
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0268 Shape of mask
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02686 Pulsed laser beam
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02691 Scanning of a beam
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2223/54453 for use prior to dicing
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/544 Marks applied to semiconductor devices or parts, e.g. registration marks, alignment structures, wafer maps test patterns for characterising or monitoring manufacturing processes H01L22/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/1285 using control of the annealing or irradiation parameters, e.g. using different scanning direction or intensity for different transistors
• 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 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0002 Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00

Abstract

Position control of a crystal grain in accordance with an arrangement of a TFT is achieved, and at the same time, a processing speed during a crystallization process is increased. More specifically, there is provided a manufacturing method for a semiconductor device, in which crystal having a large grain size can be continuously formed through super lateral growth that is artificially controlled and substrate processing efficiency during a laser crystallization process can be increased. In the manufacturing method for a semiconductor device, instead of performing laser irradiation on an entire semiconductor film within a substrate surface, a marker as a reference for positioning is formed so as to crystallize at least an indispensable portion at minimum. Thus, a time period required for laser crystallization can be reduced to make it possible to increase a processing speed for a substrate. The above structure is applied to a conventional SLS method, so that it is possible to solve a problem inherent to the conventional SLS method, in that the substrate processing efficiency is poor.

Claims

1. A manufacturing method for a semiconductor device having thin film transistors comprising:

forming an amorphous semiconductor film on an insulating surface;

forming a marker on the amorphous semiconductor film; and

selectively irradiating a laser light to perform crystallization to a region in which active layers of the thin film transistors are formed, based on information on arrangement of the thin film transistors with the marker used as a reference, wherein;

the laser light is a laser light of pulse oscillation;

a direction in which the laser light is moved on the amorphous semiconductor film is parallel to a direction in which carriers move in channel formation regions in the thin film transistors; and

the amorphous semiconductor film is melted over entire thickness thereof through irradiation of the laser light.

2. A manufacturing method for a semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein a solid laser oscillation apparatus is used as a light source for the laser light.

3. A manufacturing method for a semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein at least one or a plurality of kinds selected from the group consisting of a YAG laser oscillation apparatus, a YVO₄ laser oscillation apparatus, a YLF laser oscillation apparatus, a YAIO₃ laser oscillation apparatus, a glass laser oscillation apparatus, a ruby laser oscillation apparatus, an alexandrite laser oscillation apparatus, a sapphire laser oscillation apparatus, and a forsterite laser oscillation apparatus are used as a light source for the laser light.

4. A manufacturing method for a semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the laser oscillation apparatus is a laser oscillation apparatus that performs excitation using a semiconductor laser.

5. A manufacturing method for a semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the laser light is a second harmonic, a third harmonic, or a fourth harmonic.

6. A manufacturing method for a semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the laser light is converged onto the amorphous semiconductor film through a cylindrical lens.

7. A manufacturing method for a semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein each time the laser light oscillates 1 pulse, a spot position of the laser light on a surface of the amorphous semiconductor film is relatively moved by a fixed distance that is 0.3 μ

m or more and 5 μ

m or less.

8. A manufacturing method for a semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein a relative movement direction of the spot on the amorphous semiconductor film is perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the spot.

9. A manufacturing method for a semiconductor device having thin film transistors comprising:

forming an amorphous semiconductor film on an insulating surface;

forming a marker on the amorphous semiconductor film;

determining a direction in which a spot of a laser light is moved so as to be parallel to a direction in which carriers move in channel formation regions of the thin film transistors, based on information on arrangement of the thin film transistors with the marker used as a reference; and

selectively irradiating the laser light to perform crystallization to a region in which active layers of the thin film transistors are formed, based on information on arrangement of the thin film transistors with the marker used as a reference, wherein;

the laser light is a laser light of pulse oscillation; and

the amorphous semiconductor film is melted over entire thickness thereof through irradiation of the laser light.

10. A manufacturing method for a semiconductor device according to claim 9, wherein a solid laser oscillation apparatus is used as a light source for the laser light.

11. A manufacturing method for a semiconductor device according to claim 9, wherein at least one or a plurality of kinds selected from the group consisting of a YAG laser oscillation apparatus, a YVO₄ laser oscillation apparatus, a YLF laser oscillation apparatus, a YAIO₃ laser oscillation apparatus, a glass laser oscillation apparatus, a ruby laser oscillation apparatus, an alexandrite laser oscillation apparatus, a sapphire laser oscillation apparatus, and a forsterite laser oscillation apparatus are used as a light source for the laser light.

12. A manufacturing method for a semiconductor device according to claim 9, wherein the laser oscillation apparatus is a laser oscillation apparatus that performs excitation using a semiconductor laser.

13. A manufacturing method for a semiconductor device according to claim 9, wherein the laser light is a second harmonic, a third harmonic, or a fourth harmonic.

14. A manufacturing method for a semiconductor device according to claim 9, wherein the laser light is converged onto the amorphous semiconductor film through a cylindrical lens.

15. A manufacturing method for a semiconductor device according to claim 9, wherein each time the laser light oscillates 1 pulse, a spot position of the laser light on a surface of the amorphous semiconductor film is relatively moved by a fixed distance that is 0.3 μ

m or more and 5 μ

m or less.

16. A manufacturing method for a semiconductor device according to claim 9, wherein a relative movement direction of the spot on the amorphous semiconductor film is perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the spot.