Semiconductor device and manufacturing method thereof

• US 20050167573A1
• Filed: 09/30/2004
• Published: 08/04/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Okazaki, Susumu, Takayama, Toru, Maruyama, Junya, Sugiyama, Eiji, Koyama, Jun, Nishi, Kazuo, Osada, Takeshi, Watanabe, Ryosuke, Matsuzaki, Takanori, Morisue, Masafumi
• Granted Patent: US 7,495,272 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 250/214.100
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/16225 the item being non-metallic, e.g. insulating substrate with or without metallisation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/1214 comprising a plurality of TFTs formed on a non-semiconducting substrate, e.g. driving circuits for AMLCDs
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/1218 with a particular composition or structure of the substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/1266 the substrate on which the devices are formed not being the final device substrate, e.g. using a temporary substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14609 Pixel-elements with integrated switching, control, storage or amplification elements scanning details of imagers (circuitry of solid-state image sensors H04N25/00); circuitry of imagers H04N25/70
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14665 Imagers using a photoconductor layer

Abstract

The object of the present invention is to miniaturize the area occupied by the element and to integrate a plenty of elements in a limited area so that the sensor element can have higher output and smaller size. In the present invention, higher output and miniaturization are achieved by uniting a sensor element using an amorphous semiconductor film (typically an amorphous silicon film) and an output amplifier circuit including a TFT with a semiconductor film having a crystal structure (typically a poly-crystalline silicon film) used as an active layer over a plastic film substrate that can resist the temperature in the process for mounting such as a solder reflow process. According to the present invention, the sensor element that can resist the bending stress can be obtained.

Claims

1. A semiconductor device comprising a chip having a photo sensor element and an amplifier circuit,

wherein the photo sensor element comprises:

a first electrode;

a photoelectric conversion layer including a semiconductor film having an amorphous structure over the first electrode; and

a second electrode over the photoelectric conversion layer, and

wherein the amplifier circuit includes a TFT with a semiconductor film having a crystal structure used as an active layer.

2. A semiconductor device according to claim 1,

wherein the photo sensor element and the amplifier circuit are provided over a plastic substrate through an adhesion layer.

3. A semiconductor device according to claim 1,

wherein an external terminal of the chip has a two-terminal structure.

4. A semiconductor device according to claim 1,

wherein the semiconductor device is a video camera, a digital camera, a goggle type display, a personal computer, or a mobile terminal device.

5. A semiconductor device comprising a chip having a photo sensor element and an amplifier circuit,

wherein the photo sensor element comprises:

a first electrode;

a photoelectric conversion layer including a crystalline semiconductor film over the first electrode; and

a second electrode over the photoelectric conversion layer, and

wherein the amplifier circuit includes a TFT with a semiconductor film having a crystal structure used as an active layer.

6. A semiconductor device according to claim 5,

wherein the photo sensor element and the amplifier circuit are provided over a plastic substrate through an adhesion layer.

7. A semiconductor device according to claim 5,

wherein an external terminal of the chip has a two-terminal structure.

8. A semiconductor device according to claim 5,

wherein the semiconductor device is a video camera, a digital camera, a goggle type display, a personal computer, or a mobile terminal device.

9. A semiconductor device comprising a chip having a photo sensor element and an amplifier circuit,

wherein the photo sensor element comprises:

a first electrode;

a p-type amorphous semiconductor layer partially contacting on the first electrode;

a photoelectric conversion layer including a semiconductor film having an amorphous structure contacting on the p-type amorphous semiconductor layer;

an n-type amorphous semiconductor layer contacting on the photoelectric conversion layer including the semiconductor film having the amorphous structure; and

a second electrode contacting on the n-type amorphous semiconductor layer, and

wherein the amplifier circuit includes a TFT with a semiconductor film having a crystal structure used as an active layer.

10. A semiconductor device according to claim 9,

wherein the photo sensor element and the amplifier circuit are provided over a plastic substrate through an adhesion layer.

11. A semiconductor device according to claim 9,

wherein an external terminal of the chip has a two-terminal structure.

12. A semiconductor device according to claim 9,

wherein the semiconductor device is a video camera, a digital camera, a goggle type display, a personal computer, or a mobile terminal device.

13. A semiconductor device according to claim 9,

wherein the TFT is an n-channel TFT.

14. A semiconductor device according to claim 9,

wherein the TFT is a p-channel TFT.

15. A semiconductor device comprising a chip having a photo sensor element and an amplifier circuit,

wherein the photo sensor element comprises:

a first electrode;

a p-type crystalline semiconductor layer partially contacting on the first electrode;

a photoelectric conversion layer including a semiconductor film having an amorphous structure contacting on the p-type crystalline semiconductor layer;

an n-type crystalline semiconductor layer contacting on the photoelectric conversion layer including the semiconductor film having the amorphous structure; and

a second electrode contacting on the n-type crystalline semiconductor layer, and

wherein the amplifier circuit includes a TFT with a semiconductor film having a crystal structure used as an active layer.

16. A semiconductor device according to claim 15,

wherein the photo sensor element and the amplifier circuit are provided over a plastic substrate through an adhesion layer.

17. A semiconductor device according to claim 15,

wherein an external terminal of the chip has a two-terminal structure.

18. A semiconductor device according to claim 15,

wherein the semiconductor device is a video camera, a digital camera, a goggle type display, a personal computer, or a mobile terminal device.

19. A semiconductor device according to claim 15,

wherein the TFT is an n-channel TFT.

20. A semiconductor device according to claim 15,

wherein the TFT is a p-channel TFT.

21. A semiconductor device comprising a chip having a photo sensor element and an amplifier circuit,

wherein the photo sensor element comprises:

a first electrode;

a p-type amorphous semiconductor layer partially contacting on the first electrode;

a photoelectric conversion layer including a semiconductor film having an amorphous structure contacting on the p-type amorphous semiconductor layer;

an n-type crystalline semiconductor layer contacting on the photoelectric conversion layer including the semiconductor film having the amorphous structure; and

a second electrode contacting on the n-type crystalline semiconductor layer, and

wherein the amplifier circuit includes a TFT with a semiconductor film having a crystal structure used as an active layer.

22. A semiconductor device according to claim 21,

wherein the photo sensor element and the amplifier circuit are provided over a plastic substrate through an adhesion layer.

23. A semiconductor device according to claim 21,

wherein an external terminal of the chip has a two-terminal structure.

24. A semiconductor device according to claim 21,

wherein the semiconductor device is a video camera, a digital camera, a goggle type display, a personal computer, or a mobile terminal device.

25. A semiconductor device according to claim 21,

wherein the TFT is an n-channel TFT.

26. A semiconductor device according to claim 21,

wherein the TFT is a p-channel TFT.

27. A semiconductor device comprising a chip having a photo sensor element and an amplifier circuit,

wherein the photo sensor element comprises:

a first electrode;

a p-type crystalline semiconductor layer partially contacting on the first electrode;

a photoelectric conversion layer including a semiconductor film having an amorphous structure contacting on the p-type crystalline semiconductor layer;

an n-type amorphous semiconductor layer contacting on the photoelectric conversion layer including the semiconductor film having the amorphous structure; and

a second electrode contacting on the n-type amorphous semiconductor layer, and

wherein the amplifier circuit includes a TFT with a semiconductor film having a crystal structure used as an active layer.

28. A semiconductor device according to claim 27,

wherein the photo sensor element and the amplifier circuit are provided over a plastic substrate through an adhesion layer.

29. A semiconductor device according to claim 27,

wherein an external terminal of the chip has a two-terminal structure.

30. A semiconductor device according to claim 27,

wherein the semiconductor device is a video camera, a digital camera, a goggle type display, a personal computer, or a mobile terminal device.

31. A semiconductor device according to claim 27,

wherein the TFT is an n-channel TFT.

32. A semiconductor device according to claim 27,

wherein the TFT is a p-channel TFT.

33. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device comprising a chip having a photo sensor element and an amplifier circuit comprising the steps of:

forming a first electrode over an interlayer insulating film over a thin film transistor at the same time as forming a source or drain electrode connected to a source or drain region of the thin film transistor in the amplifier circuit;

laminating a first conductive crystalline semiconductor film, an amorphous semiconductor film, and a second conductive crystalline semiconductor film over the first electrode and the interlayer insulating film;

forming a second electrode over the second conductive crystalline semiconductor film; and

etching the first conductive crystalline semiconductor film, the amorphous semiconductor film, and the second conductive crystalline semiconductor film in a self-aligning manner using the second electrode as a mask.