Semiconductor device having a surface conducting channel and method of forming

• US 7,314,801 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2005
• Issued: 01/01/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Palo Alto Research Center, Inc. (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Palo Alto Research Center, Inc. (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Geis, Arnd Willy Walter, Kiesel, Peter, Schmidt, Oliver, Johnson, Noble Marshall
• Primary Examiner(s): Lebentritt; Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lee; Kyoung
• Application Number:
  US11/313,341
• Publication Number:
  US 20070141789A1
• Time in Patent Office: 742 Days
• Field of Search: 438/136, 438/137, 438/138, 438/146, 438/22, 438/49, 438/282, 438/290, 257/134, 257/646, 257/E21.411
• US Class Current: 438/282
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 10/00 Nanotechnology for information processing, storage or transmission, e.g. quantum computing or single electron logic
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 30/00 Nanotechnology for materials or surface science, e.g. nanocomposites
• 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

A semiconductor device including a metal oxide layer, a channel area of the metal oxide layer, a preservation layer formed on the channel area of the metal oxide layer, and at least two channel contacts coupled to the channel area of the metal oxide layer, and a method of forming the same.

Claims

1. A method of making a semiconductor device comprising:

providing a metal oxide layer having a surface;

inducing the metal oxide layer to transition to a surface conducting state;

forming a preservation layer on at least a part of the surface to define a channel area; and

forming at least two channel contacts coupled to the channel area.

2. The method of making a semiconductor device of claim 1, providing the metal oxide layer further comprises one selected from the group consisting of providing a zinc oxide layer and providing a magnesium zinc oxide layer.

3. The method of making a semiconductor device of claim 1, forming the channel contacts further comprising:

removing an area of the preservation layer for each channel contact;

forming each channel contact on the respective area removed from the preservation layer.

4. The method of making a semiconductor device of claim 1, further comprising one of the group consisting of:

doping the metal oxide layer to create a high resistivity area outside of the channel area;

forming a mesa of the metal oxide layer to provide the surface of the metal oxide layer; and

forming an insulating preservation layer on the surface substantially surrounding the semiconductor device.

5. The method of making a semiconductor device of claim 1, forming the preservation layer further comprising forming the preservation layer on all areas of the surface of the metal oxide layer between any two of the channel contacts.

6. The method of making a semiconductor device of claim 1, providing the surface of the metal oxide layer further comprising forming the metal oxide layer on a semiconductor substrate.

7. The method of making a semiconductor device of claim 1, further comprising forming a gate on the preservation layer substantially over every path over the preservation layer between the channel contacts.

8. The method of making a semiconductor device of claim 7, wherein forming a gate further comprises forming at least one selected from the group consisting of a metal gate, a transparent conducting metal oxide, a biological gate, and a chemical gate.