ZnO system semiconductor device

• US 7,002,179 B2
• Filed: 02/04/2004
• Issued: 02/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: ROHM Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: ROHM Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Nakahara, Ken
• Primary Examiner(s): POTTER, ROY KARL
• Application Number:
  US10/772,077
• Publication Number:
  US 20040227150A1
• Time in Patent Office: 748 Days
• Field of Search: 257/76, 257/768, 359/321
• US Class Current: 257/76
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 23/02 Epitaxial-layer growth
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 29/16 Oxides
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0242 Crystalline insulating materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02458 Nitrides
• 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 21/02579 P-type
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02631 Physical deposition at reduced pressure, e.g. MBE, sputtering, evaporation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02658 Pretreatments cleaning in general H01L21/02041
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/2003 Nitride compounds
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/22 including, apart from doping materials or other impurities, only AIIBVI compounds
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/267 in different semiconductor regions , e.g. heterojunctions H01L29/263 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/78603 characterised by the insulating substrate or support H01L29/78657 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/7869 having a semiconductor body comprising an oxide semiconductor material, e.g. zinc oxide, copper aluminium oxide, cadmium stannate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/16 with a particular crystal structure or orientation, e.g. polycrystalline, amorphous or porous
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/285 characterised by the doping materials

Abstract

In order to provide ZnO system semiconductor devices having a stable p-type ZnO layer, a ZnO thin film is doped with nitrogen atoms having a high concentration. By fabricating the stable p-type ZnO layer, combinations with n-type ZnO layers easy of fabrication, or combinations with different compositions of p-type layers or n-type layers are made possible, thereby it enables to provide various configurations of ZnO system semiconductor devices.

A ZnO system semiconductor device according to the present invention is characterized in that in a semiconductor device comprising one or more layers of n-type layer and p-type layers respectively, at least one layer of said p-type layers is (are) formed of the Zn-polar ZnO system semiconductor film doped with nitrogen atoms such that the thin film growth direction of said Zn-polar ZnO system semiconductor film is conformed to the direction of Zn polarity (0001).

Claims

1. A ZnO system semiconductor device comprising one or more layers of n-type layer and p-type layer respectively, characterized in that at least one layer of said p-type layers is (are) formed of a Zn-polar ZnO system semiconductor film doped with nitrogen atoms, such that the thin film growth direction of said Zn-polar ZnO system semiconductor film is conformed to the direction of Zn polarity (0001), and the underlying layer at the time of formation of said Zn-polar ZnO system semiconductor thin film is Zn-polar MgZnO or Ga-polar GaN thin film.

4. The ZnO system semiconductor device according to claim 1, 2, or 3 characterized in that nitrogen atom concentration of said Zn-polar ZnO system semiconductor thin film is 1×

10²⁰ cm<sup>−

3</sup> or more.

2. A ZnO system semiconductor device comprising one or more layers of n-type layer and p-type layer respectively, characterized in that at least one layer of said p-type is (are) formed of a Zn-polar ZnO system semiconductor film doped with nitrogen atoms, such that the thin film growth direction of said Zn-polar ZnO system semiconductor film is conformed to the direction of Zn polarity (0001), and a composition of said Zn-polar ZnO system semiconductor film is ZnCdO, ZnMgO, ZnCdMgO, ZnOSe, or ZnOS.

3. A ZnO system semiconductor device comprising one or more layers of n-type layer and p-type layer respectively, characterized in that at least one layer of said p-type layers is (are) formed of a Zn-polar ZnO system semiconductor film doped with nitrogen atoms, such that the thin film growth direction of said Zn-polar ZnO system semiconductor film is conformed to the direction of Zn polarity (0001), and a composition of said n-tvne layer is Zn(OS), Zn(OSe), Zn(OTe), Zn(OSSe), Zn(OSeTe) or Zn(OSTe).