Method of treating semiconductor element

• US 8,084,331 B2
• Filed: 03/02/2009
• Issued: 12/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Ofuji, Masato, Abe, Katsumi, Shimizu, Hisae, Hayashi, Ryo, Sano, Masafumi, Kumomi, Hideya, Takai, Yasuyoshi, Kawasaki, Takehiko, Kaneko, Norio
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Dung A.
• Application Number:
  US12/865,032
• Publication Number:
  US 20110092016A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,030 Days
• Field of Search: 438/308, 438/378, 438/473, 438/535
• US Class Current: 438/378
• 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 29/78633 with a light shield
• 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

In a method of treating a semiconductor element which at least includes a semiconductor, a threshold voltage of the semiconductor element is changed by irradiating the semiconductor with light with a wavelength longer than an absorption edge wavelength of the semiconductor. The areal density of in-gap states in the semiconductor is 10¹³ cm⁻²eV⁻¹ or less. The band gap may be 2 eV or greater. The semiconductor may include at least one selected from the group consisting of In, Ga, Zn and Sn. The semiconductor may be one selected from the group consisting of amorphous In—Ga—Zn—O (IGZO), amorphous In—Zn—O (IZO) and amorphous Zn—Sn—O (ZTO). The light irradiation may induce the threshold voltage shift in the semiconductor element, the shift being of the opposite sign to the threshold voltage shift caused by manufacturing process history, time-dependent change, electrical stress or thermal stress.

Claims

1. A method of treating a semiconductor element that includes at least a semiconductor, comprising:

irradiating the semiconductor to shift a threshold voltage of the semiconductor element, the irradiating being performed with light with a wavelength longer than an absorption edge wavelength of the semiconductor.

2. The method of treating a semiconductor element according to claim 1, wherein the semiconductor is shielded from light with a wavelength shorter than the absorption edge wavelength of the semiconductor.

3. The method of treating a semiconductor element according to claim 1, wherein the semiconductor element includes at least a gate electrode, a source electrode, a drain electrode, a channel layer, and a gate insulating layer, and wherein the semiconductor is included in the channel layer.

4. The method of treating a semiconductor element according to claim 1, wherein an areal density of in-gap states in the semiconductor is 10¹³ cm⁻

2eV<sup>−

1</sup> or less.

5. The method of treating a semiconductor element according to claim 1, wherein a band gap in the semiconductor is 1.55 eV or greater.

6. The method of treating a semiconductor element according to claim 5, wherein the band gap is 2 eV or greater.

7. The method of treating a semiconductor element according to claim 1, wherein the semiconductor includes at least one element selected from a group consisting of In, Ga, Zn, and Sn.

8. The method of treating a semiconductor element according to claim 1, wherein at least a part of the semiconductor is amorphous.

9. The method of treating a semiconductor element according to claim 8, wherein the semiconductor is selected from a group consisting of amorphous In—

Ga—

Zn—

O (IGZO), amorphous In—

Zn—

O (IZO), and amorphous Zn—

Sn—

O (ZTO).

10. The method of treating a semiconductor element according to claim 2, wherein the semiconductor is shielded by a filter placed between a light source and the semiconductor.

11. The method of treating a semiconductor element according to claim 1, wherein the irradiation by the light induces the shift in the threshold voltage of the semiconductor element, the shift being of an opposite sign to a threshold voltage shift caused by a manufacturing process history, a time-dependent change, an electrical stress, or a thermal stress.

12. The method of treating a semiconductor element according to claim 11, wherein an amount of the shift of the threshold voltage by the light irradiation is equal to an amount of the threshold voltage shift caused by the manufacturing process history, the time-dependent change, the electrical stress, or the thermal stress.

13. The method of treating a semiconductor element according to claim 1, wherein an amount of the shift of the threshold voltage of the semiconductor element is 50 or more times an amount of a threshold voltage shift caused by a manufacturing process history, a time-dependent change, an electrical stress, or a thermal stress.

14. The method of treating a semiconductor element according to claim 11, wherein the irradiation is performed while a threshold voltage shift due to a manufacturing process history, a time-dependent change, an electrical stress, or a thermal stress is occurring.

15. The method of treating a semiconductor element according to claim 11, wherein the irradiation is performed before or after an occurrence of a threshold voltage shift due to a manufacturing process history, a time-dependent change, an electrical stress, or a thermal stress.