Method for manufacturing semiconductor device and heat treatment method

• US 20040132293A1
• Filed: 09/22/2003
• Published: 07/08/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Yamaguchi, Tetsuji, Takayama, Toru, Yamazaki, Shunpei
• Granted Patent: US 7,323,368 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 438/689
• 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 21/02488 Insulating materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02532 Silicon, silicon germanium, germanium
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02672 using crystallisation enhancing elements
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02683 Continuous wave laser beam
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02686 Pulsed laser beam
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02691 Scanning of a beam
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/268 using electromagnetic radiation, e.g. laser radiation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/1281 by using structural features to control crystal growth, e.g. placement of grain filters
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/66757 Lateral single gate single channel transistors with non-inverted structure, i.e. the channel layer is formed before the gate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/78621 with LDD structure or an extension or an offset region or characterised by the doping profile
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/78627 with a significant overlap between the lightly doped drain and the gate electrode, e.g. GOLDD
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/78633 with a light shield

Abstract

[Problems]

It is an object of the present invention to apply a technique for removing the adverse effect of a substrate shrinkage due to a heat treatment, and further forming a fine and high-quality insulating film, and a semiconductor device that can realize high-performance and high-reliability by using the same, to a transistor formed by laminating a semiconductor film or an insulating film over a glass substrate.

[Means for solving]

A heat treatment that is necessary in a step of forming a thin film element by laminating a semiconductor film or an insulating film over a glass substrate is performed without thermally-damaging the substrate. For the purpose, a light-absorbing layer that can absorb pulsed light over a particular portion of the substrate in which the thin film element is formed is locally formed, and the heat treatment is performed. A semiconductor layer or an insulating layer is disposed between the light-absorbing layer and the substrate, and thus, the portion overlapping with the light-absorbing layer is selectively heated to high temperature and the heat treatment can be performed.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, including a heat treatment step of pulsed light irradiation, comprising the steps of:

forming separately island-like light-absorbing layers that are capable of absorbing the pulsed light over a glass substrate;

forming a semiconductor layer and an insulating layer overlapping with the semiconductor layer between the glass substrate and the light-absorbing layers; and

performing the heat treatment for the semiconductor layer and the insulating layer by selectively heating the light-absorbing layers through the pulsed light irradiation.

9. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the light-absorbing layer is formed from a metal nitride.

10. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the pulsed light is coherent light.

11. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the pulsed light is coherent light that has a pulse width of from 10 to 100 nanoseconds.

12. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the pulsed light is non-coherent light with from 1 to 100 microseconds.

13. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein a light source of the pulsed light is a pulsed laser oscillator.

14. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein a light source of the pulsed light is a xenon flash lamp.

2. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, including a heat treatment step of pulsed light irradiation, comprising the steps of:

forming separately island-like light-absorbing layers whose transmission factor of the pulsed light is 70 percent or less over a glass substrate whose transmission factor of the pulsed light is 70 percent or more;

forming a semiconductor layer and an insulating layer overlapping with the semiconductor layer between the glass substrate and the light-absorbing layers; and

performing the heat treatment for the semiconductor layer and the insulating layer by selectively heating the light-absorbing layers through the pulsed light irradiation.

3. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device comprising the steps of:

forming island-like light-absorbing layers formed over a glass substrate having an insulating surface such that a length of one side of the light-absorbing layer is equal to or less than a thickness of the glass substrate;

forming a semiconductor layer and an insulating layer overlapping with the semiconductor layer between the glass substrate and the light-absorbing layers; and

performing a heat treatment for the semiconductor layer and the insulating layer by selectively heating the light-absorbing layers through the pulsed light irradiation.

4. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device comprising the steps of:

forming and pattering island-like light-absorbing layers whose transmission factor of pulsed light is 70 percent or less such that a length of one side of the light-absorbing layer is equal to or less than a thickness of a glass substrate, over the glass substrate whose transmission factor of the pulsed light that is emitted from a pulsed light source is 70 percent or more;

forming a semiconductor layer and an insulating layer overlapping with the semiconductor layer between the glass substrate and the light-absorbing layers; and

performing a heat treatment for the semiconductor layer and the insulating layer by selectively heating the light-absorbing layers through the pulsed light irradiation.

5. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device comprising the steps of:

forming island-like divided semiconductor layers over a glass substrate having an insulating surface;

forming a light-absorbing layer that overlaps with a whole surface of each of the semiconductor layers through an insulating layer and whose end portions are arranged outside of each of the semiconductor layers; and

performing a heat treatment for each of the semiconductor layers and the insulating layer by selectively heating the light-absorbing layer through pulsed light irradiation.

6. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device comprising the steps of:

forming a first insulating layer over a glass substrate having an insulating surface;

forming island-like divided semiconductor layers over the first insulating layer;

forming a second insulating layer covering a top face and a side face of each of the semiconductor layers;

forming a light-absorbing layer over the second insulating layer, the light-absorbing layer that covers the top face and the side face of each of the semiconductor layers and whose end portions are arranged outside of each of the semiconductor layers;

performing a heat treatment for each of the semiconductor layers and the insulating layer by selectively heating the light-absorbing layer through pulsed light irradiation; and

forming a gate electrode overlapping with each of the semiconductor layers by forming a metal layer over the light-absorbing layer and then performing an etching step.

7. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device comprising the steps of:

forming island-like divided semiconductor layers over a glass substrate;

forming a light-absorbing layer that overlaps with a whole surface of each of the semiconductor layers through an insulating layer and whose end portions are arranged outside of each of the semiconductor layers; and

performing a heat treatment for each of the semiconductor layers and the insulating layer by selectively heating the light-absorbing layer through a plurality of times of pulsed light irradiation.

8. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device comprising the steps of:

forming island-like divided semiconductor layers over a glass substrate whose transmission factor of pulsed light that is emitted from a pulsed light source is 70 percent or more;

forming a light-absorbing layer that overlaps with a whole surface of each of the semiconductor layers through an insulating layer, whose end portions are arranged outside of each of the semiconductor layers, and whose transmission factor of the pulsed light is 70 percent or less; and

performing a heat treatment for each of the semiconductor layers and the insulating layer by selectively heating the light-absorbing layer through a plurality of times of the pulsed light irradiation.

15. A heat treatment method comprising the steps of:

forming and patterning a light-absorbing layer over a glass substrate having an insulating surface such that a length of one side of the light-absorbing layer is equal to or less than a thickness of the glass substrate;

providing an object to be heated that is arranged inside of the light-absorbing layer, between the glass substrate and the light-absorbing layer; and

performing a heat treatment for the object to be heated by selectively heating the light-absorbing layer through pulsed light irradiation.

17. A heat treatment method according to claim 15 or 16, wherein the light-absorbing layer is formed from a metal nitride.

18. A heat treatment method according to claim 15 or 16, wherein the pulsed light is coherent light.

19. A heat treatment method according to claim 15 or 16, wherein the pulsed light is coherent light that has a pulse width of from 10 to 100 nanoseconds.

20. A heat treatment method according to claims 15 or 16, wherein the pulsed light is non-coherent light with from 1 to 100 microseconds.

21. A heat treatment method according to claim 15 or 16, wherein a light source of the pulsed light is a pulsed laser oscillator.

22. A heat treatment method according to claim 15 or 16, wherein a light source of the pulsed light is a xenon flash lamp.

16. A heat treatment method comprising the steps of:

forming and patterning a light-absorbing layer whose transmission factor of pulsed light is 70 percent or less such that a length of one side of the light-absorbing layer is equal to or less than a thickness of a glass substrate over the glass substrate whose transmission factor of the pulsed light that is emitted from a pulsed light source is 70 percent or more;

providing an object to be heated that is arranged inside of the light-absorbing layer between the glass substrate and the light-absorbing layer; and

performing a heat treatment for the object to be heated by selectively heating a region where the light-absorbing layer is formed, through the pulsed light irradiation.