Composition for oxide semiconductor thin film and field effect transistor using the composition

• US 8,017,045 B2
• Filed: 12/10/2008
• Issued: 09/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Inventors: Cho, Doo Hee, Yang, Shin Hyuk, Chu, Hye Yong, Hwang, Chi Sun, Byun, Chun Won, Cho, Kyoung Ik
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Minh-Loan T
• Assistant Examiner(s): YEUNG LOPEZ, FEIFEI
• Application Number:
  US12/331,688
• Publication Number:
  US 20090261389A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,007 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 252/519.51
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/66969 of devices having semiconductor bodies not comprising group 14 or group 13/15 materials comprising selenium or tellurium in uncombined form other than as impurities in semiconductor bodies of other materials, comprising cuprous oxide or cuprous iodide H01L21/02365
• 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

Provided is a composition for an oxide semiconductor thin film and a field effect transistor (FET) using the composition. The composition includes from about 50 to about 99 mol % of a zinc oxide (ZnO); from about 0.5 to 49.5 mol % of a tin oxide (SnO_x); and remaining molar percentage of an aluminum oxide (AlO_x). The thin film formed of the composition remains in amorphous phase at a temperature of 400° C. or less. The FET includes an active layer formed of the composition and has improved electrical characteristics. The FET can be fabricated using a low-temperature process without expensive raw materials, such as In and Ga.

Claims

1. A composition for an oxide semiconductor thin film, comprising:

from about 50 to about 99 mol % of a zinc oxide (ZnO);

from about 0.5 to 49.5 mol % of a tin oxide (SnO_x); and

remaining molar percentage of an aluminum oxide (AlO_x);

wherein said oxide semiconductor thin film formed of the composition is in amorphous phase at a temperature of 400°

C. or less.

2. The composition according to claim 1, wherein the aluminum oxide is Al₂O₃, the zinc oxide is ZnO, and the tin oxide is SnO₂.

3. A field effect transistor (FET), comprising:

source and drain electrodes;

a gate insulator;

an active layer; and

a gate electrode disposed on a substrate,

wherein the active layer is formed of an oxide containing;

from about 50 to about 99 mol % of a zinc oxide (ZnO);

from about 0.5 to 49.5 mol % of a tin oxide (SnO_x); and

remaining molar percentage of an aluminum oxide (AlO_x), and is in amorphous phase at a temperature of 400°

C. or less, and

wherein at least one of the source and drain electrodes and the gate electrode is formed with a transparent material that transmits visible light.

4. The FET according to claim 3, wherein the aluminum oxide is Al₂O₃, the zinc oxide is ZnO, and the tin oxide is SnO₂.

5. The FET according to claim 3, wherein the active layer has electrical properties that are controlled by Al or Sn content of the active layer.

6. The FET according to claim 3, which has a bottom-gate coplanar structure in which the gate electrode, the gate insulator, the source and drain electrodes, and the active layer are sequentially disposed on the substrate.

7. The FET according to claim 3, which has a bottom-gate staggered structure in which the gate electrode, the gate insulator, the active layer, and the source and drain electrodes are sequentially disposed on the substrate.

8. The FET according to claim 3, which has a top-gate coplanar structure in which the source and drain electrodes, the active layer, the gate insulator, and the gate electrode are sequentially disposed on the substrate.

9. The FET according to claim 3, which has a top-gate staggered structure in which the active layer, the source and drain electrodes, the gate insulator, and the gate electrode are sequentially disposed on the substrate.