Semiconductor device

• US 7,309,895 B2
• Filed: 01/25/2005
• Issued: 12/18/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Co. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Hoffman, Randy, Mardilovich, Peter, Herman, Gregory
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Minhloan
• Assistant Examiner(s): LIU, BENJAMIN T
• Application Number:
  US11/043,647
• Publication Number:
  US 20060163655A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,057 Days
• Field of Search: 257/43, 257/39, 257/59, 257/72, 257/347, 257/E27.112, 257/E27.116, 257/E29.291, 257/E29.299, 257/E29.068, 257/E29.139
• US Class Current: 257/347
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/7869 having a semiconductor body comprising an oxide semiconductor material, e.g. zinc oxide, copper aluminium oxide, cadmium stannate

Abstract

An exemplary embodiment includes a semiconductor device. The semiconductor device can include a channel including one or more compounds of the formula A_xB_xO_x, wherein each A is selected from the group of Cu, Ag, Sb, each B is selected from the group of Cu, Ag, Sb, Zn, Cd, Ga, In, Ge, Sn, and Pb, each O is atomic oxygen, each x is independently a non-zero integer, and each of A and B are different.

Claims

1. A semiconductor device, comprising:

a gate electrode;

a drain electrode;

a source electrode;

a channel contacting the drain electrode and the source electrode, wherein the channel includes one or more compounds of the formula A_xB_xO_x, wherein each A is selected from the group of Cu, Ag, Sb, each B is selected from the group of Cu, Ag, Sb, Zn, Cd, Ga, In, Ge, Sn, Pb, each O is atomic oxygen, each x is independently a non-zero integer, and each of A and B are different; and

a gate dielectric positioned between the gate electrode and the channel.

2. The semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein the one or more compounds of the formula A_xB_xO_x includes a ratio of A_x:

B_x wherein a quantity A_x and a quantity B_x are each in a range of about 0.05 to about 0.95.

3. The semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein the channel includes one of an amorphous form, a single-phase crystalline form, or a mixed-phase crystalline form.

4. The semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein the metal oxide includes one or more of copper-zinc oxide, copper-cadmium oxide, copper-gallium oxide, copper-indium oxide, copper-germaniun oxide, copper-tin oxide, copper-lead oxide, copper-silver oxide, copper-antimony oxide, silver-zinc oxide, silver-cadmium oxide, silver-gallium oxide, silver-indium oxide, silver-geranium oxide, silver-tin oxide, silver-lead oxide, silver-antimony oxide, antimony-zinc oxide, antimony-cadmium oxide, antimony-gallium oxide, antimony-indium oxide, antimony-germanium oxide, antimony-tin oxide, or antimony-lead oxide.

5. The semiconductor device of claim 4, wherein the metal oxide includes an atomic composition of ratio A_x:

B_x, wherein a quantity A_x and a quantity B_x, are each in a range of about 0.05 to about 0.95.

6. The semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein the one or more compounds of the formula A_xB_xO_x further includes C_x, to form one or more compounds of the formula A_xB_xC_xO_x, wherein each C is selected from the group of Cu, Ag, Sb, Zn, Cd, Ga, In, Ge, Sn, Pb, each O is atomic oxygen, each x is independently a non-zero integer, and wherein each of A, B, and C are different.

7. The semiconductor device of claim 6, wherein the one or more compounds of the formula A_xB_xC_xO_x includes a ratio of A_x:

B_x;

C_x, wherein a quantity A_x, a quantity B_x, and a quantity C_x, are each in a range of about 0.025 to about 0.95.

8. The semiconductor device of claim 6, wherein the one or more compounds of formula A_xB_xC_xO_x further includes D_x, to form at least one compound of the formula A_xB_xC_xD_xO_xwherein each D is selected from the group of Cu, Ag, Sb, Zn, Cd, Ga, In, Ge, Sn, and Pb, each O is atomic oxygen, each x is independently a non-zero integer, and wherein each of A, B, C, and D are different.

9. The semiconductor device of claim 8, wherein the one or more compounds of the formula A_xB_xC_xD_xO_x includes a ratio of A_x:

B_x;

C_x;

D_x, wherein a quantity A_x, a quantity B_x, a quantity C_x, and a quantity D_x, are each in a range of about 0.017 to about 0.95.

10. The semiconductor device of claim 8, wherein the one or more compounds of formula A_xB_xC_xD_xO_x further includes E_x, to form at least one compound of the formula A_xB_xC_xD_xE_xO_xwherein each E is selected from the group of Cu, Ag, Sb, Zn, Cd, Ga, In, Ge, Sn, and Pb, each O is atomic oxygen, each x is independently a non-zero integer, and wherein each of A, B, C, D, and E are different.

11. The semiconductor device of claim 10, wherein the one or more compounds of the formula A_xB_xC_xD_xE_xO_x includes a ratio of A_x:

B_x;

C_x;

D_x;

E_x, wherein a quantity A_x, a quantity B_x, a quantity C_x, a quantity D_x, and a quantity E_x, are each in a range of about 0.013 to about 0.95.

12. The semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein the metal oxide comprises a copper-silver-antimony oxide.

13. The semiconductor device of claim 12, wherein the metal oxide includes an atomic composition of ratio A_x:

B_x;

C_x, wherein a quantity A_x, a quantity B_x, and a quantity are each in a range of about 0.025 to about 0.95.

14. A semiconductor device formed by the steps, comprising:

providing a drain electrode;

providing a source electrode;

providing a precursor composition including one or more precursor compounds of the formula A_xB_xO_x, wherein each A is selected from the group of Cu, Ag, Sb, each B is selected from the group of Cu, Ag, Sb, Zn, Cd, Ga, In, Ge, Sn, Pb, each O is atomic oxygen and wherein each x is independently a non-zero integer, and wherein each of A and B are different;

depositing a channel including the precursor composition to form a multi-cation oxide from the precursor composition to electrically couple the drain electrode and the source electrode;

providing a gate electrode; and

providing a gate dielectric positioned between the gate electrode and the channel.

15. The semiconductor device of claim 14, wherein the one or more precursor compounds includes one or more precursor compounds that include C_x, wherein each C is selected from the group of Cu, Ag, Sb, Zn, Cd, Ga, In, Ge, Sn, Pb, each x is independently a non-zero integer, and wherein each of A, B, and C are different.

16. The semiconductor device of claim 15, wherein the one or more precursor compounds includes one or more precursor compounds that include D_x, wherein each D is selected from the group of Cu, Ag, Sb, Zn, Cd, Ga, In, Ge, Sn, Pb, each x is independently a non-zero integer, and wherein each of A, B, C, and D are different.

17. The semiconductor device of claim 16, wherein the one or more precursor compounds includes one or more precursor compounds that include E_x, wherein each E is selected from the group of Cu, Ag, Sb, Zn, Cd, Ga, In, Ge, Sn, Pb, each x is independently a non-zero integer, and wherein each of A, B, C, D, and E are different.

18. The semiconductor device of claim 17, wherein depositing the channel includes vaporizing the precursor composition to form a vaporized precursor composition, and depositing the vaporized precursor composition using a physical vapor deposition technique including one or more of dc sputtering, dc-pulsed sputtering, rf sputtering, magnetron sputtering, ion beam sputtering, and reactive sputtering.

19. The semiconductor device of claim 14, wherein providing the source, the drain, and the gate electrodes includes providing a substantially transparent form of the source, the drain, and the gate electrodes.

20. The semiconductor device of claim 14, wherein providing the precursor composition includes providing a liquid form of the precursor composition.

21. The semiconductor device of claim 20, wherein depositing the channel includes an ink-jet deposition technique when the precursor composition includes the liquid form.

22. A method for operating a semiconductor device, comprising:

providing a semiconductor device that includes a source electrode, a drain electrode, a channel to electrically couple the source electrode and the drain electrode, and a gate electrode separated from the channel by a gate dielectric, wherein the channel includes a multi-cation oxide with at least one metal cation selected from the group Cu, Ag, Sb, and at least a second metal cation from the group Cu, Ag, Sb, Zn, Cd, Ga, In, Ge, Sn, and Pb, wherein each cation in the multi-cation oxide is different; and

applying a voltage to the gate electrode to effect a flow of charge carriers through the channel.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein operating the semiconductor device includes using the semiconductor device as a switch in a display device.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein operating the semiconductor device includes conducting carriers through the channel in a linear region of operation.

25. A display device, comprising:

a plurality of pixel devices configured to operate collectively to display images, where each of the pixel devices includes a semiconductor device configured to control light emitted by the pixel device, the semiconductor device including;

a drain electrode;

a source electrode;

a channel contacting the drain electrode and the source electrode, wherein the channel includes one or more compounds of the formula A_xB_xO_x, wherein each A is selected from the group of Cu, Ag, Sb, each B is selected from the group of Cu, Ag, Sb, Zn, Cd, Ga, In, Ge, Sn, Pb, each O is atomic oxygen, each x is independently a non-zero integer, and wherein each of A and B are different;

a gate electrode; and

a gate dielectric positioned between the gate electrode and the channel and configured to permit application of an electric field to the channel.

26. The display of claim 25, wherein the source, the drain, and the gate electrodes include a substantially transparent material.

27. The display of claim 25, wherein the one or more compounds of the formula A_xB_xO_x includes an atomic composition of ratio A_x:

B_x, wherein a quantity A_x, and a quantity B_x, are each in a range of about 0.05 to about 0.95.

28. The display of claim 25, wherein the one or more compounds of the formula A_xB_xO_x includes C_x, to form a compound of the formula A_xB_xC_xO_x, wherein each C is selected from the group of Cu, Ag, Sb, Zn, Cd, Ga, In, Ge, Sn, Pb, each O is atomic oxygen, each x is independently a non-zero integer, and wherein each of A, B, and C are different.

29. The display of claim 28, wherein the one or more compounds of the formula A_xB_xC_xO_x includes an atomic composition of ratio A_x:

B_x;

C_x, wherein a quantity A_x, a quantity B_x, and a quantity C_x, are each in a range of about 0.025 to about 0.95.

30. The display of claim 28, wherein the one or more compounds of formula A_xB_xC_xO_x, includes D_x, to form a compound of the formula A_xB_xC_xD_Ox, wherein each D is selected from the group of Cu, Ag, Sb, Zn, Cd, Ga, In, Ge, Sn, Pb, each O is atomic oxygen, each x is independently a non-zero integer, and wherein each of A, B, C, and D are different.

31. The display of claim 30, wherein the one or more compounds of the formula A_xB_xC_xD_xO_x includes an atomic composition of ratio A_x:

B_x;

C_x;

D_x, wherein a quantity A_x, a quantity B_x, a quantity C_x, and a quantity D_x, are each in a range of about 0.017 to about 0.95.

32. The display of claim 30, wherein the one or more compounds of formula A_xB_xC_xD_xO_x includes E_x, to form a compound of the formula A_xB_xC_xD_xE_xO_x, wherein each E is selected from the group of Cu, Ag, Sb, Zn, Cd, Ga, In, Ge, Sn, and Pb, each O is atomic oxygen, each x is independently a non-zero integer, and wherein each of A, B, C, D, and E are different.

33. The display of claim 32, wherein the one or more compounds of the formula A_xB_xC_xD_xE_xC_xO_x includes an atomic composition of ratio of A_x:

B_x;

C_x;

D_x;

E_x, wherein a quantity A_x, a quantity B_x, a quantity C_x, a quantity D_x, and a quantity E_x, are each in a range of about 0.013 to about 0.95.

34. The display of claim 25, wherein the channel includes one of an amorphous form, a single-phase crystalline form, and a mixed-phase crystalline form.