Thin film transistor having a graded metal oxide layer

• US 8,063,421 B2
• Filed: 01/04/2008
• Issued: 11/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Song, I-hun, Park, Young-soo, Kang, Dong-hun, Kim, Chang-jung, Genrikh, Stefanovich
• Primary Examiner(s): Weiss; Howard
• Application Number:
  US12/007,038
• Publication Number:
  US 20080203387A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,418 Days
• Field of Search: 257/59, 257/72, 257/290
• US Class Current: 257/290
• 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 are a thin film transistor and a method of manufacturing the same. The thin film transistor may include a gate; a channel layer; a source and a drain, the source and the drain being formed of metal; and a metal oxide layer, the metal oxide layer being formed between the channel layer and the source and the drain. The metal oxide layer may have a gradually changing metal content between the channel layer and the source and the drain.

Claims

1. A thin film transistor (TFT) including:

a gate;

a channel layer;

a source and a drain, the source and the drain being formed of metal; and

a metal oxide layer, the metal oxide layer being formed between the channel layer and the source and the drain, wherein the metal oxide layer has a gradually changing metal content between the channel layer and the source and the drain.

2. The TFT of claim 1, wherein the metal content in the metal oxide layer is gradually increased or decreased in a direction toward the channel layer.

3. The TFT of claim 1, wherein the metal oxide layer includes a transition metal having an oxidation characteristic higher than or similar to that of ZnO.

4. The TFT of claim 3, wherein the transition metal is one selected from the group consisting of Ti, Mo, Cr or W.

5. The TFT of claim 1, wherein the source and the drain are double-layers formed of metal.

6. The TFT of claim 1, wherein the channel layer is an oxide semiconductor layer.

7. The TFT of claim 6, wherein the oxide semiconductor layer is an a(In₂O₃).b(Ga₂O₃).c(ZnO) or a(In203).b(ZnO).c(SnO) (where a, b, and c are integers satisfying a≧

0, b≧

0, and c >

0, respectively).

8. The TFT of claim 1, wherein the metal contained in the metal oxide layer is the same as the metal of the source and the drain.

9. The TFT of claim 1, wherein the gate is formed above or under the channel layer or buried in the channel layer.

10. The TFT of claim 1, wherein the source and the drain are formed of at least one selected from the group consisting of Ti, Mo, Cr, W, Zr, Hf, Nb, Ta, Ag, Au, Al, Cu, Co, Sb, V, Ru, Pt, Pd, Zn, and Mg.

11. The TPT of claim 1, wherein the metal oxide layer includes a metal oxide which has a single metal, and the content of the single metal in the metal oxide gradually increases or decreases between the channel layer and the source and the drain.

12. The TFT of claim 11, wherein the metal oxide layer is made of a different material from the channel layer.