Method of manufacturing semiconductor device

• US 6,953,717 B2
• Filed: 10/07/2004
• Issued: 10/11/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Maekawa, Shinji, Arai, Yasuyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, THANH T
• Application Number:
  US10/959,071
• Publication Number:
  US 20050048684A1
• Time in Patent Office: 369 Days
• Field of Search: 438/482, 438486-487, 438/166, 438/150
• US Class Current: 438/166
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02381 Silicon, silicon germanium, germanium
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0242 Crystalline insulating materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02422 Non-crystalline insulating materials, e.g. glass, polymers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02425 Conductive materials, e.g. metallic silicides
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02488 Insulating materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02491 Conductive materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02496 Layer structure
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02502 consisting of two layers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02505 consisting of more than two layers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02532 Silicon, silicon germanium, germanium
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02595 polycrystalline
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02658 Pretreatments cleaning in general H01L21/02041
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02672 using crystallisation enhancing elements
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02683 Continuous wave laser beam
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02686 Pulsed laser beam
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/268 using electromagnetic radiation, e.g. laser radiation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/324 Thermal treatment for modifying the properties of semiconductor bodies, e.g. annealing, sintering H01L21/20 - H01L21/288 and H01L21/302 - H01L21/322 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/1277 using a crystallisation promoting species, e.g. local introduction of Ni catalyst
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/1296 adapted to increase the uniformity of device parameters
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/78633 : with a light shield
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/78675 : with normal-type structure, e.g. with top gate

Abstract

A grain size of a crystal grain in a crystalline semiconductor film obtained by a thermal crystallization method using a metallic element is reduced. Thus, the number of crystal grains in active regions of a device is made uniform. The thermal crystallization method using a metallic element is performed for a semiconductor film formed on an insulating film formed at a lower temperature than that at formation of the semiconductor film and that at crystallization of the semiconductor film. By thermal treatment in a step of crystallizing the semiconductor film, stress of the insulating film is applied to the semiconductor film, thus causing distortion in the semiconductor film. When the distortion is caused, surface energy and a chemical potential of the semiconductor film are changed to promote the generation of a natural nucleus. Therefore, since a generation density of the crystal nucleus is increased, a grain size of a crystal grain can be reduced.

Claims

1. A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, the method comprising the steps of:

forming a first insulating film at a first temperature;

forming a second insulating film at a second temperature;

forming a semiconductor film on the second insulating film at a third temperature;

adding a metallic element to the semiconductor film;

performing a thermal treatment at a fourth temperature to the semiconductor film added with the metallic element to form a crystalline semiconductor film; and

forming a light emitting layer over the semiconductor film,

wherein the fourth temperature is higher than the first temperature, the second temperature and the third temperature; and

wherein a nitrogen concentration of the first insulating film is higher than a nitrogen concentration of the second insulating film.

2. The method according to claim 1,

wherein the fourth temperature is higher than the first temperature, the second temperature and the third temperature to increase a stress of the second insulating film.

3. The method according to claim 1,

wherein the thermal treatment is performed at the fourth temperature to the semiconductor film added with the metallic element to increase a stress of the second insulating film,

wherein a generation density of crystal nuclei in the crystalline semiconductor film is increased by increasing the stress of the second insulating film.

4. The method according to claim 1,

wherein the semiconductor film comprises silicon.

5. The method according to claim 1,

wherein the semiconductor film is formed through a low pressure CVD method.

6. The method according to claim 1,

wherein a grain size formed in the crystalline semiconductor film is in a range of 20 μ

m to 60 μ

m.

7. The method according to claim 1,

wherein the semiconductor device is an active matrix type liquid crystal display device.

8. The method according to claim 1,

wherein the semiconductor device is an active matrix type electroluminescence display device.

9. The method according to claim 1,

wherein the semiconductor device is one selected from the group consisting of a personal computer, a video camera, a mobile computer, a goggle type display, a player using a recording medium recorded with programs, a digital camera, a front type projector, a rear type projector, a portable telephone, a portable book, and a display.

10. A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, the method comprising the steps of:

forming a first insulating film at a first temperature;

forming a second insulating film at a second temperature;

forming a semiconductor film on the second insulating film at a third temperature;

adding a metallic element to the semiconductor film; and

performing a thermal treatment at a fourth temperature to the semiconductor film added with the metallic element to form a crystalline semiconductor film; and

forming a light emitting layer over the semiconductor film,

wherein the first temperature is higher than the fourth temperature; and

wherein the fourth temperature is higher than the second temperature and the third temperature.

11. The method according to claim 10,

wherein the fourth temperature is higher than the second temperature and the third temperature to increase a stress of the second insulating film.

12. The method according to claim 10,

wherein the thermal treatment is performed at the fourth temperature to the semiconductor film added with the metallic element to increase a stress of the second insulating film,

wherein a generation density of crystal nuclei in the crystalline semiconductor film is increased by increasing the stress of the second insulating film.

13. The method according to claim 10,

wherein the semiconductor film comprises silicon.

14. The method according to claim 10,

wherein the semiconductor film is formed through a low pressure CVD method.

15. The method according to claim 10,

wherein a grain size formed in the crystalline semiconductor film is in a range of 20 μ

m to 60 μ

m.

16. The method according to claim 10,

wherein the second insulating film comprises nitrogen.

17. The method according to claim 10,

wherein the semiconductor device is an active matrix type liquid crystal display device.

18. The method according to claim 10,

wherein the semiconductor device is an active matrix type electroluminescence display device.

19. The method according to claim 10,

wherein the semiconductor device is one selected from the group consisting of a personal computer, a video camera, a mobile computer, a goggle type display, a player using a recording medium recorded with programs, a digital camera, a front type projector, a rear type projector, a portable telephone, a portable book, and a display.