Semiconductor device

• US 7,642,573 B2
• Filed: 03/12/2004
• Issued: 01/05/2010
• 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: Hoffman, Randy L., Herman, Gregory S., Mardilovich, Peter P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Monbleau; Davienne
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen; Dilinh P
• Application Number:
  US10/799,839
• Publication Number:
  US 20050199881A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,125 Days
• Field of Search: 257/72, 257/69, 257/192, 257/262, 257/368, 257/392, 257/213, 257/27, 257/40, 257/43, 257/57, 257/59, 257/613, 257/E29.117, 257/E29.08, 257/E29.1, 257/E29.101
• US Class Current: 257/213
• 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

One exemplary embodiment includes a semiconductor device. The semiconductor device can include a channel including one or more of a metal oxide including zinc-germanium, zinc-lead, cadmium-germanium, cadmium-tin, cadmium-lead.

Claims

1. A semiconductor device, comprising:

a drain electrode;

a source electrode;

a channel contacting the drain electrode and the source electrode, wherein the channel includes one or more of a metal oxide including zinc-germanium, zinc-lead, cadmium-germanium, cadmium-tin, or cadmium-lead; and

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

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

3. The semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein the metal oxide includes an atomic composition of metal(A)-to-metal(B) ratio (A:

B), wherein A and B are each in a range of about 0.05 to about 0.95.

4. The semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein the metal oxide includes one or more of zinc-germanium oxide, zinc-lead oxide, cadmium-germanium oxide, cadmium-tin oxide, cadmium-lead oxide.

5. The semiconductor device of claim 4, wherein the metal oxide includes an atomic composition of metal(A)-to-metal(B) ratio (A:

B), wherein A and B are each in a range of about 0.05 to about 0.95.

6. The semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein the channel includes one or more compounds of the formula A_xB_xC_xO_x, wherein each A is selected from the group of Zn, Cd, each B is selected from the group of Ge, Sn, Pb, each C is selected from the group of Zn, Cd, 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 an atomic composition of ratio A:

B;

C, wherein A, B, and C, 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, includes D_x, to form a compound of the formula A_xB_xC_xD_xO_x, wherein D is selected from the group of Zn, Cd, 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.

9. The semiconductor device of claim 8, wherein the one or more compounds of the formula A_xB_xC_xD_xO_x includes an atomic composition of ratio A:

B;

C;

D, wherein A, B, C, and D, 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 includes E_x, to form a compound of the formula A_xB_xC_xD_xE_xO_x, wherein E is selected from the group of Ge, Sn, Pb, each O is atomic oxygen, each x is independently a non-zero integer, and wherein each of A, B, C, D, and L 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 an atomic composition of ratio A:

B;

C;

D;

E, wherein A, B, C, D, and E, are each in a range of about 0.013 to about 0.95.

12. The semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein the metal oxide includes one or more of zinc-germanium-tin oxide, zinc-tin-lead oxide, zinc-germanium-lead oxide, zinc-cadmium-germanium oxide, zinc-cadmium-tin oxide, zinc-cadmium-lead oxide, cadmium-germanium-tin oxide, cadmium-tin-lead oxide, cadmium-germanium-lead oxide.

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

B;

C, wherein A, B, and C, wherein A, B, and C, are each in a range of about 0.025 to about 0.95.

14. The semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein the metal oxide includes one or more of zinc-germanium-tin-lead oxide, zinc-cadmium-germanium-tin oxide, zinc-cadmium-germanium-lead oxide, zinc-cadmium-tin-lead oxide, and cadmium-germanium-tin-lead oxide.

15. The semiconductor device of claim 14, wherein the metal oxide includes an atomic composition or ratio A:

B;

C;

D, wherein A, B, C, and D, are each in a range of about 0.017 to about 0.95.

16. The semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein the metal oxide includes one or more of zinc-cadmium-germanium-tin-lead oxide.

17. The semiconductor device of claim 16, wherein the metal oxide includes an atomic composition or ratio A:

B;

C;

D;

E, wherein A, B, C, D, and E, are each in a range of about 0.013 to about 0.95.

18. A semiconductor device, comprising:

a drain electrode;

a source electrode;

means for carrying electron flow to electrically couple the drain electrode and the source electrode, wherein the means for carrying electron flow includes one or more of a metal oxide including zinc-germanium, zinc-lead, cadmium-germanium, cadmium-tin, or cadmium-lead; and

a gate electrode separated from the channel by a gate dielectric.

19. The semiconductor device of claim 18, wherein the means for a channel includes a means for forming one of an amorphous form, a single-phase crystalline form, and a mixed-phase crystalline form.

20. The semiconductor device of claim 18, wherein the source, drain, and gate electrodes include a substantially transparent material.

21. 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 of a metal oxide including;

zinc-germanium oxide, zinc-lead oxide, cadmium-germanium oxide, cadmium-tin oxide, cadmium-lead oxide;

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.

22. The display of claim 21, wherein the source, the drain, and the gate electrodes include a substantially transparent material.

23. The display of claim 21, wherein the metal oxide includes an atomic composition of metal(A)-to-metal(B) ratio (A:

B), wherein A and B are each in a range of about 0.05 to about 0.95.

24. The display of claim 21, wherein the channel includes one or more compounds of the formula A_xB_xC_xO_x, wherein each A is selected from the group of Zn, Cd, each B is selected from the group of Ge, Sn, Pb, each C is selected from the group of Zn, Cd, 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.

25. The display of claim 24, wherein the one or more compounds of the formula A_xB_xC_xO_x includes an atomic composition of ratio A:

B;

C, wherein A, B, and C, are each in a range of about 0.025 to about 0.95.

26. The display of claim 24, 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_xO_x, wherein D is selected from the group of Zn, Cd, 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.

27. The display of claim 26, wherein the one or more compounds of the formula A_xB_xC_xD_xO_x includes an atomic composition of ratio A:

B;

C;

D, wherein A, B, C, and D, are each in a range of about 0.017 to about 0.95.

28. The display of claim 26, 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 E is selected from the group of Zn, Cd, Ge, Sn, Pb, each O is atomic oxygen, each x is independently a non-zero integer, and wherein each of A, B, C, D, and L are different.

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

B;

C;

D;

E, wherein A, B, C, D, and E, are each in a range of about 0.013 to about 0.95.

30. The display of claim 29, wherein the channel includes one of an amorphous form, a single-phase crystalline form, and a mixed-phase crystalline form.