Method for fabricating thin film transistor device

• US 5,817,548 A
• Filed: 11/08/1996
• Issued: 10/06/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Japan Display West Incorporated (Japan Display Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Noguchi, Takashi, Shimogaichi, Yasushi
• Primary Examiner(s): Bowers, Jr., Charles L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Radomsky, Leon
• Application Number:
  US08/745,284
• Time in Patent Office: 697 Days
• Field of Search: 437/19, 437/21, 437/40 TFT, 437/40 TFI, 437/41 TFT, 437/41 TFI, 437/173, 437/174, 437/907, 437/908, 117/7-10, 117/43, 117/904, 148/DIG. 90-DIG. 93, 438/160, 438/166, 438/308, 438/487
• US Class Current: 438/160
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02532 Silicon, silicon germanium, germanium
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02686 Pulsed laser beam
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/66765 Lateral single gate single channel transistors with inverted structure, i.e. the channel layer is formed after the gate
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 117/904 Laser beam
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 148/091 Laser beam processing of fets

Abstract

A method for crystallizing a portion of a semiconductor thin film while forming a semiconductor device comprises providing a transparent substrate supporting a metallic gate electrode and an amorphous semiconductor thin film which are separated from each other by a gate insulating film, heating the gate electrode by subjecting it to light rays, and applying a laser beam to the amorphous semiconductor thin film so that the portion of the semiconductor thin film adjacent the metallic gate electrode is heated by both the laser beam and the heat of the gate electrode to cause a crystallization of a portion of the amorphous thin film and then processing the remaining amorphous portions of the thin film to form the transistor structure.

Claims

1. A method for fabricating a thin film semiconductor device, comprising the steps of:

forming a thin film transistor composed of an amorphous semiconductor thin film and a metallic gate electrode laminated on the opposite side from each other via a gate insulating film on a transparent substrate;

applying heat rays from the side of said gate electrode to heat said gate electrode which auxiliary heats a region of said amorphous semiconductor thin film which is opposed to said gate electrode;

applying energy beams from the side of said amorphous semiconductor thin film on the opposite side from said gate electrode to transform said amorphous semiconductor thin film in the region auxiliary heated by the gate electrode into a polycrystalline semiconductor thin film to form an active layer of said thin film transistor; and

then

introducing impurities into parts of said semiconductor thin film adjoining said active layer to form a source region and a drain region of said thin film transistor.

2. The method for fabricating the thin film semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein said thin film transistor having a bottom gate structure is formed by laminating, in order from the bottom, said gate electrode, said gate insulating film and said amorphous semiconductor thin film on the surface of said transparent substrate in said film forming step;

the heat rays are applied from the back of said transparent substrate which is the side of said gate electrode, in said heating step; and

the energy beams are applied from the surface of said transparent substrate which is the side of said amorphous semiconductor thin film, in said crystallization step.

3. The method for fabricating the thin film semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein said thin film transistor having a top gate structure is formed by laminating, in order from the bottom, said amorphous semiconductor thin film, said gate insulating film and said gate electrode on the surface of said transparent substrate in said film forming step;

the heat rays are applied from the surface of said transparent substrate which is the side of said gate electrode, in said heating step; and

the energy beams are applied from the back of said transparent substrate which is the side of said amorphous semiconductor thin film, in said crystallization step.

4. The method for fabricating the thin film semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein said gate insulating film is formed in a thickness of less than 700 nm in said forming step.

5. The method for fabricating the thin film semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein impurity ions are accelerated by means of an electric field to be implant into parts of said amorphous semiconductor thin film in said impurity injecting step.

6. The method for fabricating the thin film semiconductor device according to claim 1, further comprising coating said thin film transistor with an interlayer insulation film and performing a wiring step for patterning a signal electrode which is connected with said source region and a pixel electrode which is connected with said drain region on said interlayer insulating film.

7. A method for fabricating a thin film semiconductor device, said method comprising the steps of providing a transparent substrate, forming on said substrate a thin film transistor composed of an amorphous semiconductor thin film and a metallic gate electrode laminated on opposite sides of a gate insulating film, crystallizing a portion of the amorphous semiconductor material into a polycrystalline semiconductor thin film while maintaining adjacent portions of the semiconductor thin film amorphous by applying heat rays from a side of said gate electrode to heat the gate electrode, which auxiliary heats a region of the amorphous semiconductor thin film which is opposed to said gate electrode and applying energy beams from the side of the amorphous semiconductor thin film on the opposite side from the gate electrode to transform said amorphous semiconductor thin film in said region into a polycrystalline semiconductor thin film;

and then introducing impurities to the parts of the amorphous semiconductor film adjoining an active layer to form source regions and a drain region for said film transistor.

8. A method according to claim 7, wherein the applying of heat rays to heat the gate electrode heats the region of the amorphous semiconductor thin film to a temperature less than required for recrystallization.

9. A method according to claim 7, wherein said step of forming a thin film transistor forms a thin film transistor having a bottom gate structure with the gate electrode being deposited on said substrate and the step of applying heat rays applies the heat rays through the transparent substrate to heat the gate electrode.

10. A method according to claim 7, wherein the thin film transistor is a top gate structure with the amorphous semiconductor thin film being deposited on the transparent substrate and the energy beams are applied through said transparent substrate.