Semiconductor device

• US 7,629,191 B2
• Filed: 09/26/2006
• Issued: 12/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Hong, David, Dehuff, Nicole L., Chiang, Hai Q., Hoffman, Randy L., Wager, John F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Parker; Kenneth A
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, JOSEPH H
• Application Number:
  US11/527,372
• Publication Number:
  US 20070018163A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,169 Days
• Field of Search: 257/72, 257/59, 257/E21.387, 257/E29.145, 257/E29.273, 438/48, 438/128, 438/149, 438/151, 438/157, 438/283
• US Class Current: 438/48
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/4908 for thin film semiconductor, e.g. gate of TFT
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/78648 arranged on opposing sides of the channel
• 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 can include a channel including a zinc-indium oxide film.

Claims

1. A method of forming a semiconductor device, comprising:

providing a drain electrode;

providing a source electrode;

depositing a channel contacting the drain electrode and the source electrode and including zinc-indium oxide having a single-phase crystalline state of Zn_xIn_2yO_x+3y, wherein x and y are each independently in the range of about 1 to about 15;

providing a gate electrode; and

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

2. The method of claim 1, wherein depositing a channel includes:

vaporizing a precursor composition; and

depositing the vaporized precursor composition using a physical vapor deposition technique.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the physical vapor deposition technique includes one or more of dc reactive sputtering, rf sputtering, magnetron sputtering, and ion beam sputtering.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein depositing the channel includes depositing a precursor composition on the surface with an ink-jet deposition technique.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein depositing a channel includes:

providing a precursor composition including one or more zinc precursor compounds and indium precursor compounds and;

depositing the channel from the precursor composition.

6. The method of claim 1, including providing a substrate or substrate assembly;

and

forming the semiconductor device on the substrate or substrate assembly.

7. A method of forming a semiconductor device, comprising:

providing a drain electrode;

providing a source electrode;

depositing a channel contacting the drain electrode and the source electrode and including zinc-indium oxide having a mixed-phase crystalline state formed from compounds selected from the group consisting of ZnO, Zn_xIn_2yO_x+3y, In₂O₃, and mixtures thereof;

providing a gate electrode; and

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

8. A method of forming a semiconductor device, comprising:

providing a drain electrode;

providing a source electrode;

depositing a channel contacting the drain electrode and the source electrode and including zinc-indium oxide having an amorphous form from compounds selected from the group consisting of ZnO, Zn_xIn_2yO_x+3y, In₂O₃, and mixtures thereof;

providing a gate electrode; and

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

9. A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, comprising:

providing a drain electrode;

providing a source electrode;

providing a precursor composition wherein the precursor composition comprises zinc and indium;

depositing a channel including zinc-indium oxide from the precursor composition contacting the drain electrode and the source electrode;

providing a gate electrode; and

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

wherein depositing a channel comprises;

vaporizing the precursor composition to form a vaporized precursor composition; and

depositing the vaporized precursor composition using a physical vapor deposition technique,

in which the channel including zinc-indium oxide includes an amorphous form, a single-phase crystalline state, or a mixed-phase crystalline state of zinc-indium oxide.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the physical vapor deposition technique includes one or more of dc reactive sputtering, rf sputtering, magnetron sputtering, and ion beam sputtering.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the step for depositing the channel includes step for depositing the precursor composition with an ink-jet deposition technique.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the precursor composition comprises:

a first precursor compound comprising zinc; and

a second precursor compound comprising indium.

13. A method of forming a channel, comprising:

providing a precursor composition wherein the precursor composition has a stoichiometry of (ZnO)₂(In₂O₃)₁; and

depositing the channel including zinc-indium oxide from the precursor composition to electrically couple a drain electrode and a source electrode,

wherein depositing the channel includes

vaporizing the precursor composition to form vaporized precursor composition; and

depositing the vaporized precursor composition between the drain electrode and the source electrode using a physical vapor deposition technique,

in which the channel including zinc-indium oxide includes a single-phase crystalline state of zinc-indium oxide.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the physical vapor deposition technique includes one or more of dc reactive sputtering, rf sputtering, magnetron sputtering, and ion beam sputtering.

15. A semiconductor device formed by steps, comprising:

providing a drain electrode;

providing a source electrode;

providing a first precursor composition including one or more zinc precursor compounds;

providing a second precursor composition including a combination of one or more zinc precursor compounds and one or more indium precursor compounds;

depositing a first portion of a channel including zinc from the first precursor composition to contact the drain electrode and the source electrode;

depositing a second portion of the channel including zinc-indium oxide from the second precursor composition to contact the drain electrode and the source electrode;

providing a gate electrode; and

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

in which the channel including zinc-indium oxide includes a single-phase crystalline state or a mixed-phase crystalline state of zinc-indium oxide.

16. The semiconductor device of claim 15, wherein depositing the channel includes:

vaporizing the precursor composition to form vaporized precursor composition; and

depositing the vaporized precursor composition using a physical vapor deposition technique.

17. The semiconductor device of claim 16, wherein the physical vapor deposition technique includes one or more of dc reactive sputtering, rf sputtering, magnetron sputtering, and ion beam sputtering.

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

providing a semiconductor device that includes a drain electrode, a source electrode, a channel to electrically couple the drain electrode and the source electrode, wherein the channel includes zinc-indium oxide formed from the precursor compound comprising Zn₂In₂O₅, a gate electrode, and a gate dielectric positioned between the gate electrode and the channel; and

applying a voltage to the gate electrode to effect a flow of electrons through zinc-indium oxide of the channel.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein applying a voltage includes using the semiconductor device as a switch in a display device.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein applying a voltage includes conducting electrons through a channel of zinc-indium oxide in a linear region of operation.