Method and/or system for forming a thin film

• US 20090068800A1
• Filed: 10/10/2008
• Published: 03/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Curt Nelson, David Punsalan, Peter S. Nyholm
• Original Assignee: Curt Nelson, David Punsalan, Peter S. Nyholm
• Inventors: Nyholm, Peter S., Nelson, Curt, Punsalan, David
• Application Number:
  US12/249,242
• Publication Number:
  US 20090068800A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 438/158
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 4/18 After-treatment

Abstract

Embodiments of methods, apparatuses, devices, and/or systems for forming a thin film are described.

Claims

1-51. -51. (canceled)

52. A method of forming a thin film, comprising:

forming a first material layer over a substrate;

forming a second material layer over the first material layer;

irradiating a portion of the first material layer through the second material layer with a laser beam under first conditions sufficient to change one or more of the conductivity, density, optical properties, and cystallinity of the irradiated portion of the first material layer.

53. The method of claim 52, wherein the second material layer comprises a material layer transparent to the irradiating laser beam first conditions, and the method further comprising irradiating a portion of the second material layer with a laser beam under second conditions sufficient to change one or more of the conductivity, density, optical properties, and cystallinity of the irradiated portion of the second material layer.

54. The method of claim 52, wherein:

the second material layer comprises a material layer transparent to the irradiating laser beam first conditions;

the first material layer comprises a precursor to a conductive material, the precursor being opaque to the irradiating laser beam first conditions; and

irradiating comprises irradiating a portion of the first material layer through the second material layer with a laser beam under first conditions sufficient to make the irradiated portion of the first material layer conductive.

55. The method of claim 54, wherein the precursor comprises a sol-gel precursor to a metal oxide.

56. The method of claim 53, further comprising removing a portion of the first material layer not irradiated with the laser beam and/or removing a portion of the second material layer not irradiated with the laser beam.

57. A method of forming a thin film, comprising:

forming a layer of a sol-gel precursor;

irradiating a first portion of the precursor layer with a laser beam under first conditions sufficient to change one or more of the conductivity, density, optical properties, and cystallinity of the irradiated first portion; and

irradiating a second portion of the precursor layer with a laser beam under second conditions sufficient to change one or more of the conductivity, density, optical properties, and cystallinity of the irradiated second portion.

58. The method of claim 57, wherein:

forming a layer of a sol-gel precursor comprises forming a layer of a sol-gel precursor to a conductive material; and

irradiating a first portion comprises irradiating a first portion of the precursor layer with a laser beam under first conditions sufficient to make the irradiated first portion conductive.

59. A method of forming a thin film transistor, comprising:

forming a gate electrode over a substrate;

forming an insulating layer on the gate electrode;

forming a source/drain layer of a precursor to a conductive material over the insulating layer; and

irradiating a portion of the source/drain precursor layer with a laser beam in a pattern of a source and a drain under first conditions sufficient to make the irradiated portion of the source/drain precursor conductive.

60. The method of claim 59, further comprising forming a semi-conductive channel layer between the insulating layer and the source/drain precursor layer.

61. The method of claim 60, further comprising removing a portion of the source/drain precursor layer not irradiated with the laser beam.

62. The method of claim 59, wherein forming a source/drain precursor layer comprises forming a single semi-conductive source/drain precursor layer and the irradiated portion of the single source/drain precursor layer forms the source and the drain and a non-irradiated portion of the source/drain precursor layer forms a channel between the source and drain.

63. The method of claim 59, wherein forming a source/drain precursor layer comprises forming a single source/drain precursor layer and irradiating comprises:

irradiating a first portion of the source/drain precursor layer with a laser beam in a pattern of a source and a drain under first conditions sufficient to make the irradiated first portion of the source/drain precursor conductive; and

irradiating a second portion of the source drain precursor layer with a laser beam in a pattern of a channel between the source and drain under second conditions sufficient to make the irradiated second portion semi-conductive.

64. The method of claim 59, wherein forming a gate electrode over a substrate comprises:

forming a gate layer of a precursor to a conductive material over the substrate; and

irradiating a portion of the gate precursor layer with a laser beam in a pattern of a gate electrode under second conditions sufficient to make the irradiated portion of the gate precursor conductive.

65. The method of claim 64, wherein the gate layer precursor and the source/drain layer precursor each comprises a sol-gel precursor to a metal oxide.

66. The method of claim 65, wherein each sol-gel precursor to a metal oxide comprises a precursor to one or more of indium tin oxide, zinc tin oxide and zinc oxide.

67. The method of claim 64, wherein:

the insulating layer comprises an insulating layer transparent to the irradiating laser beam second conditions; and

irradiating a portion of the gate precursor layer comprises irradiating a portion of the gate precursor layer through the insulating layer with a laser beam in a pattern of a gate electrode under second conditions sufficient to make the irradiated portion of the gate precursor conductive.