Method for forming thin film transistor

• US 5,650,338 A
• Filed: 03/23/1994
• Issued: 07/22/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Takemura, Yasuhiko, Adachi, Hiroki, Uochi, Hideki, Yamazaki, Shunpei, Zhang, Hongyong
• Primary Examiner(s): Niebling, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Booth, Richard A.
• Application Number:
  US08/216,277
• Time in Patent Office: 1,217 Days
• Field of Search: 205/123, 205/171, 205/221, 205/229, 437/21, 437/41, 437/101, 437/909, 437/173, 437/170, 437/174
• US Class Current: 438/151
• 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 27/1259 Multistep manufacturing methods
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/1292 using liquid deposition, e.g. printing
• 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

Abstract

In film forming of thin film semiconductors (TFTs), a gate electrode having an anodic-oxidizable material is formed on a substrate, and the surface of the gate electrode is oxidized by anodic oxidation in an electrolytic solution so that the surface of the gate electrode is coated with an insulating film. The doping is performed using the gate electrode and the anodic oxide film as a mask, to form a source and a drain region. Then, when the laminate is again dipped in an electrolytic solution, and a voltage is applied to the gate electrode so that a current curing produces in the laminate. During the current curing, a positive voltage is preferably applied to the gate electrode for N-channel TFTs and a negative voltage is preferably to the gate electrode for P-channel TFTs. After the doping, the source and the drain region is activated by laser annealing or the like, prior to the current curing.

Claims

1. A method for forming a thin film transistor, comprising the steps of:

forming a non-single crystalline semiconductor island region on a substrate;

forming an insulating film covering the non-single crystalline semiconductor island region;

forming a gate electrode comprising an anode-oxidizable material on the insulating film to obtain a first laminate;

dipping the first laminate in an electrolytic solution and applying an electric current to the gate electrode as a positive electrode to form an anodic oxide film on a surface of the gate electrode;

introducing an impurity into the non-single crystalline semiconductor island region using the gate electrode and the anodic oxide film as a mask to obtain a second laminate; and

dipping the second laminate in the electrolytic solution and applying a positive or negative voltage to the gate electrode.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of irradiating laser or intense light equivalent to the laser after the impurity is introduced, to activate the impurity.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein when the thin film transistor has an N-channel, the positive voltage is applied to the gate electrode.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein when the thin film transistor has a P-channel, the negative voltage is applied to the gate electrode.

5. A method for forming thin film transistors, comprising the steps of:

forming at least two non-single crystalline semiconductor island regions on a substrate;

forming an insulating film covering the non-single crystalline semiconductor island regions;

forming gate electrodes each comprising an anode-oxidizable material on the insulating film to obtain a first laminate;

dipping the first laminate in an electrolytic solution and applying an electric current to the gate electrode as positive electrodes to form anodic oxide films on surfaces of the gate electrodes;

introducing an impurity into at least one of the non-single crystalline semiconductor island regions over which an insulating material has not been formed to obtain a second laminate;

dipping the second laminate in the electrolytic solution and applying a positive or negative voltage to the gate electrodes; and

removing the insulating material.

6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising the step of irradiating laser or intense light equivalent to the laser after the impurity is introduced, to activate the impurity.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein when the thin film transistor has an N-channel, the positive voltage is applied to the gate electrode.

8. The method according to claim 5, wherein when the thin film transistor has a P-channel, the negative voltage is applied to the gate electrode.

9. A method for forming thin film transistors, comprising the steps of:

forming on a substrate at least one first semiconductor island region for an N-channel thin film transistor and at least one second semiconductor island region for a P-channel thin film transistor;

forming an insulating film covering the first and second semiconductor island regions;

forming gate electrodes each comprising an anode-oxidizable material on the insulating film to obtain a first laminate;

dipping the first laminate in an electrolytic solution and applying an electric current to the gate electrode as positive electrodes to form anodic oxide films on surfaces of the gate electrodes;

forming a first mask comprising an insulating material over one of the first and second semiconductor island regions;

introducing an impurity into the other one of the first and second semiconductor island regions over which the first mask has not formed to obtain a second laminate;

dipping the second laminate in the electrolytic solution and applying a positive or negative voltage to the gate electrodes;

removing the first mask;

forming a second mask comprising an insulating material over the other one of the first and second semiconductor island regions over which the first mask was not formed;

introducing an impurity into the one of the first and second island regions over which the second mask has not formed to obtain a third laminate;

dipping the third laminate in the electrolytic solution and applying to the gate electrodes a voltage having a polarity which is opposite to a polarity of the voltage applied to the gate electrodes after the second laminate is dipped in the electrolytic solution; and

removing the second mask.

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising the step of irradiating laser or intense light equivalent to the laser after the impurity is introduced, to activate the impurity.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein When the first mask or the second mask is formed over the first non-single crystalline semiconductor island region, the negative voltage is applied to the gate electrodes.

12. The method according to claim 9, wherein when the first mask or the second mask is formed over the second non-single crystalline semiconductor island region, the positive voltage is applied to the gate electrodes.

13. A method for forming thin film transistors, comprising the steps of:

forming on a substrate at least one first non-single crystalline semiconductor island region for an N-channel thin film transistor and at least one second non-single crystalline semiconductor island region for a P-channel thin film transistor;

forming an insulating film covering the first and second non-single crystalline semiconductor island regions;

forming gate electrodes each comprising an anode-oxidizable material on the insulating film to obtain a first laminate;

dipping the first laminate in an electrolytic solution and applying an electric current to the gate electrode as positive electrodes to form anodic oxide films on surfaces of the gate electrodes;

doping an impurity for providing N-conductivity type into the first and second non-single crystalline semiconductor island regions;

forming a mask comprising an insulating material over one of the first non-single crystalline semiconductor island regions to obtain a second laminate;

dipping the second laminate in the electrolytic solution; and

applying a negative voltage to the gate electrodes.

14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising the step of doping an impurity for providing P-conductivity type into the second non-single crystalline semiconductor island region after the mask is formed and before the second laminate is dipped.

15. The method according to claim 14, further comprising the step of irradiating laser or intense light equivalent to the laser after the impurity is doped, to activate the impurity.

16. The method according to claim 13, further comprising the step of doping an impurity for providing P-conductivity type into the second non-single crystalline semiconductor island region after the negative voltage is applied to the gate electrodes.

17. The method according to claim 16, further comprising the step of irradiating laser or intense light equivalent to the laser after the impurity is doped, to activate the impurity.

19. The method according to claim 16, further comprising the step of doping an impurity for providing P-conductivity type into the second non-single crystalline semiconductor island region after the mask is formed and before the second laminate is dipped.

20. The method according to claim 19, further comprising the step of irradiating laser or intense light equivalent to the laser after the impurity is doped, to activate the impurity.

21. The method according to claim 16, further comprising the step of doping an impurity for providing P-conductivity type into the second non-single crystalline semiconductor island region after the negative voltage is applied to the gate electrodes and before the impurity for providing N-conductivity type is doped into the first and second non-single crystalline semiconductor regions.

22. The method according to claim 21, further comprising the step of irradiating laser or intense light equivalent to the laser after the impurity is doped, to activate the impurity.

18. A method for forming thin film transistors, comprising the steps of:

forming on a substrate at least one first non-single crystalline semiconductor island region for an N-channel thin film transistor and at least one second non-single crystalline semiconductor island region for a P-channel thin film transistor;

forming an insulating film covering the first and second non-single crystalline semiconductor island regions;

forming gate electrodes each comprising an anode-oxidizable material on the insulating film to obtain a first laminate;

dipping the first laminate in an electrolytic solution and applying an electric current to the gate electrode as positive electrodes to form anodic oxide films on surfaces of the gate electrodes;

forming a mask comprising an insulating material overlying the first non-single crystalline semiconductor island regions to obtain a second laminate;

dipping the second laminate in the electrolytic solution;

applying a negative voltage to the gate electrodes; and

doping an impurity for providing N-conductivity type into the first and second non-single crystalline semiconductor island regions.