Fabricating amorphous zinc oxide semiconductor layer

• US 20080032444A1
• Filed: 08/02/2006
• Published: 02/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Wu, Yiliang, Li, Yuning, Ong, Beng S.
• Granted Patent: US 8,222,076 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 438/104
• 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

A process for fabricating a semiconductor layer of an electronic device including: liquid depositing one or more zinc oxide precursor compositions and forming at least one semiconductor layer of the electronic device comprising predominately amorphous zinc oxide from the liquid deposited one or more zinc oxide precursor compositions.

Claims

1. A process for fabricating a semiconductor layer of an electronic device comprising:

liquid depositing one or more zinc oxide precursor compositions and forming at least one semiconductor layer of the electronic device comprising predominately amorphous zinc oxide from the liquid deposited one or more zinc oxide precursor compositions.

2. The process of claim 1, wherein the one or more zinc oxide precursor compositions comprise starting ingredients including a zinc compound and a liquid.

3. The process of claim 2, wherein the liquid is selected from the group consisting of water, methanol, ethanol, propanol, butanol, ethyleneglycol, methoxyethanol, ethoxyethanol, methoxypropanol, ethoxypropanol, methoxybutanol, dimethoxyglycol, N,N-dimethylformamide, and a mixture thereof.

4. The process of claim 2, wherein the zinc compound is selected from the group consisting of zinc acetylacetonate, zinc formate, zinc hexafluoroacetylacetonate, zinc lactate, zinc citrate, zinc oxalate, zinc nitrate, zinc acrylate, zinc methacrylate, their hydrate forms, and a mixture thereof.

5. The process of claim 1, wherein the one or more zinc oxide precursor compositions comprise starting ingredients including zinc acetylacetonate hydrate and an alcohol.

6. A process for fabricating a semiconductor layer of an electronic device comprising:

(a) liquid depositing a zinc oxide precursor composition to result in a deposited composition;

(b) heating the deposited composition; and

(c) cooling the heated deposited composition,

wherein the features (a), (b), and (c) are each accomplished a number of times in any effective arrangement, resulting in at least one semiconductor layer comprising predominately amorphous zinc oxide.

7. The process of claim 6, wherein the heating is accomplished at a maximum temperature from above room temperature to about 300 degrees C.

8. The process of claim 6, wherein the heating is accomplished at a maximum temperature from about 40 to about 200 degrees C.

9. The process of claim 6, wherein the electronic device is a thin film transistor.

10. The process of claim 6, wherein the zinc oxide precursor composition comprises starting ingredients including a zinc compound and a liquid.

11. The process of claim 10, wherein the liquid is selected from the group consisting of water, methanol, ethanol, propanol, butanol, ethyleneglycol, methoxyethanol, ethoxyethanol, methoxypropanol, ethoxypropanol, methoxybutanol, dimethoxyglycol, N,N-dimethylformamide, and a mixture thereof.

12. The process of claim 10, wherein the zinc compound is selected from the group consisting of zinc acetylacetonate, zinc formate, zinc hexafluoroacetylacetonate, zinc lactate, zinc citrate, zinc oxalate, zinc nitrate, zinc acrylate, zinc methacrylate, their hydrate forms, and a mixture thereof.

13. The process of claim 10, wherein the zinc oxide precursor composition comprises starting ingredients including zinc acetylacetonate hydrate and an alcohol.

14. The process of claim 6, wherein the heating comprises step-wise heating at several temperatures including a first temperature at above room temperature to about 200 degrees C. and a different second temperature at about 200 degree C. to about 600 degree C.

15. The process of claim 14, wherein the second temperature is accomplished by laser heating.

16. A thin film transistor comprising in any effective arrangement:

a semiconductor layer comprising predominately amorphous zinc oxide;

a gate dielectric layer;

a source electrode; and

a drain electrode.

17. The transistor of claim 16, wherein the source electrode and the drain electrode independently comprise aluminum, zinc, indium, indium-tin oxide, aluminum-zinc oxide, indium-zinc oxide, gallium-zinc oxide, or a mixture thereof.

18. The transistor of claim 16, wherein the gate dielectric layer comprises aluminum oxide, titanium oxide, zirconium oxide, aluminum-titanium oxide, silicon oxide, silicon nitride, polyesters, polycarbonates, polyimides, polystyrene, poly(vinyl phenol), poly(alpha-methylstyrene), poly(acrylate)s, poly(methacrylate)s, epoxy resin, or a mixture thereof.

19. The transistor of claim 16, wherein the source electrode comprises indium or indium-zinc oxide.

20. The transistor of claim 16, the source electrode comprises aluminum or aluminum-zinc oxide.