SEMICONDUCTOR THIN FILM, SEMICONDUCTOR THIN FILM MANUFACTURING METHOD AND SEMICONDUCTOR ELEMENT

• US 20100127256A1
• Filed: 04/23/2008
• Published: 05/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Idemitsu Kosan Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Idemitsu Kosan Company Limited
• Inventors: Inoue, Kazuyoshi, Utsuno, Futoshi, Honda, Katsunori
• Granted Patent: US 9,249,032 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 257/43
• CPC Class Codes: C01G 15/00 Compounds of gallium, indium or thallium
• CPC Class Codes: C01G 15/006 Compounds containing, besides gallium, indium, or thallium, two or more other elements, with the exception of oxygen or hydrogen
• CPC Class Codes: C01G 19/006 Compounds containing, besides tin, two or more other elements, with the exception of oxygen or hydrogen
• CPC Class Codes: C01G 19/02 Oxides
• CPC Class Codes: C01G 9/02 Oxides; Hydroxides
• CPC Class Codes: C01P 2002/50 Solid solutions
• CPC Class Codes: C01P 2002/72 by d-values or two theta-values, e.g. as X-ray diagram
• CPC Class Codes: C01P 2006/40 Electric properties
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/23 Oxides C03C17/02 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/245 by deposition from the vapour phase
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/2453 Coating containing SnO2
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/215 In2O3
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/23 Mixtures
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/231 In2O3/SnO2
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/24 Doped oxides
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/944 Layers comprising zinc oxide
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/948 Layers comprising indium tin oxide [ITO]
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2218/156 by magnetron sputtering
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2218/32 After-treatment
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/08 Oxides C23C14/10 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/086 : of zinc, germanium, cadmium, indium, tin, thallium or bismuth
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/58 : After-treatment
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/5826 : Treatment with charged particles C23C14/582 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/5853 : Oxidation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02554 : Oxides
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02565 : Oxide semiconducting materials not being Group 12/16 materials, e.g. ternary compounds
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02573 : Conductivity type
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02581 : Transition metal or rare earth elements
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02592 : amorphous
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02631 : Physical deposition at reduced pressure, e.g. MBE, sputtering, evaporation

Abstract

An amorphous oxide thin film containing amorphous oxide is exposed to an oxygen plasma generated by exciting an oxygen-containing gas in high frequency. The oxygen plasma is preferably generated under the condition that applied frequency is 1 kHz or more and 300 MHz or less and pressure is 5 Pa or more. The amorphous oxide thin film is preferably exposed by a sputtering method, ion-plating method, vacuum deposition method, sol-gel method or fine particle application method.

Claims

1. A semiconductor thin film, comprising an amorphous oxide thin film containing amorphous oxide, the semiconductor thin film being obtained by exposing the amorphous oxide thin film to an oxygen plasma generated by exciting an oxygen-containing gas in high frequency.

2. The semiconductor thin film according to claim 1, wherein the oxygen plasma is generated under a condition that applied frequency is 1 kHz or more and 300 MHz or less.

3. The semiconductor thin film according to claim 1, wherein the oxygen plasma is generated under a condition that pressure is 5 Pa or more and 0.1 MPa or less.

4. The semiconductor thin film according to claim 1, wherein the amorphous oxide thin film is formed by one of a sputtering method, ion-plating method, vacuum deposition method, sol-gel method and fine particle application method.

5. The semiconductor thin film according to claim 1, wherein the amorphous oxide thin film is a thin film containing indium oxide as a main component, and the amorphous oxide thin film contains positive trivalent metal oxide other than indium oxide.

6. The semiconductor thin film according to claim 5, wherein the positive trivalent metal oxide is at least one or more of metal oxides selected from boron oxide, aluminum oxide, gallium oxide, scandium oxide, yttrium oxide, lanthanum oxide, neodymium oxide, samarium oxide, europium oxide, gadolinium oxide, dysprosium oxide, holmium oxide, erbium oxide, thulium oxide, ytterbium oxide and lutetium oxide.

7. The semiconductor thin film according to claim 1, wherein the amorphous oxide thin film contains indium oxide and positive divalent metal oxide as main components.

8. The semiconductor thin film according to claim 7, wherein the positive divalent metal oxide is at least one or more of metal oxides selected from zinc oxide and magnesium oxide.

9. The semiconductor thin film according to claim 7, wherein the amorphous oxide thin film contains at least one or more of metal oxides selected from boron oxide, aluminum oxide, gallium oxide, scandium oxide, yttrium oxide, lanthanum oxide, neodymium oxide, samarium oxide, europium oxide, gadolinium oxide, dysprosium oxide, holmium oxide, erbium oxide, thulium oxide, ytterbium oxide and lutetium oxide.

10. The semiconductor thin film according to claim 1, wherein the amorphous oxide thin film contains zinc oxide and tin oxide as main components.

11. The semiconductor thin film according to claim 10, wherein the amorphous oxide thin film contains positive trivalent metal oxide.

12. The semiconductor thin film according to claim 11, wherein the positive trivalent metal oxide is at least one or more of metal oxides selected from boron oxide, aluminum oxide, gallium oxide, indium oxide, scandium oxide, yttrium oxide, lanthanum oxide, neodymium oxide, samarium oxide, europium oxide, gadolinium oxide, dysprosium oxide, holmium oxide, erbium oxide, thulium oxide, ytterbium oxide and lutetium oxide.

13. The semiconductor thin film according to claim 1, wherein the amorphous oxide thin film contains indium oxide and tin oxide as main components.

14. The semiconductor thin film according to claim 13, wherein the amorphous oxide thin film contains positive trivalent metal oxide other than indium oxide.

15. The semiconductor thin film according to claim 13, wherein the positive trivalent metal oxide is at least one or more of metal oxides selected from boron oxide, aluminum oxide, gallium oxide, scandium oxide, yttrium oxide, lanthanum oxide, neodymium oxide, samarium oxide, europium oxide, gadolinium oxide, dysprosium oxide, holmium oxide, erbium oxide, thulium oxide, ytterbium oxide and lutetium oxide.

16. The semiconductor thin film according to claim 13, wherein the amorphous oxide thin film contains positive divalent metal oxide.

17. The semiconductor thin film according to claim 16, wherein the positive divalent metal oxide is at least one or more of metal oxides selected from zinc oxide and magnesium oxide.

18. The semiconductor thin film according to claim 1, wherein the amorphous oxide thin film is a thin film containing indium oxide as a main component and is crystallized by being exposed to the oxygen plasma.

19. The semiconductor thin film according to claim 18, wherein the amorphous oxide thin film contains positive divalent metal oxide.

20. The semiconductor thin film according to claim 19, wherein the positive divalent metal oxide is at least one or more of metal oxides selected from zinc oxide, magnesium oxide, nickel oxide, copper oxide and cobalt oxide.

21. The semiconductor thin film according to claim 18, wherein the amorphous oxide thin film contains positive trivalent metal oxide.

22. The semiconductor thin film according to claim 21, wherein the positive trivalent metal oxide is at least one or more of metal oxides selected from boron oxide, aluminum oxide, gallium oxide, scandium oxide, yttrium oxide, lanthanum oxide, neodymium oxide, samarium oxide, europium oxide, gadolinium oxide, dysprosium oxide, holmium oxide, erbium oxide, thulium oxide, ytterbium oxide and lutetium oxide.

24. A semiconductor device, comprising the semiconductor thin film according to claim 1.

23. A method of manufacturing a semiconductor thin film, comprising:

exposing an amorphous oxide thin film containing amorphous oxide to an oxygen plasma generated by exciting an oxygen-containing gas in high frequency.