Thin film transistors using multiple active channel layers

• US 8,258,511 B2
• Filed: 03/25/2009
• Issued: 09/04/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: Ye, Yan
• Primary Examiner(s): VU, HUNG K
• Application Number:
  US12/411,195
• Publication Number:
  US 20100001272A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,259 Days
• Field of Search: 257/55, 257/57, 257/60, 257/63, 257/65, 257/76, 257101-103, 257/E21.09, 257/E21.414, 257/E29.288
• US Class Current: 257/57
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02521 Materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02554 Oxides
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02565 Oxide semiconducting materials not being Group 12/16 materials, e.g. ternary compounds
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02631 Physical deposition at reduced pressure, e.g. MBE, sputtering, evaporation
• 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

Embodiments disclosed herein generally relate to TFTs and methods of fabricating the TFTs. In TFTs, the active channel carries the current between the source and drain electrodes. By tailoring the composition of the active channel, the current can be controlled. The active channel may be divided into three layers, a gate control layer, a bulk layer, and an interface control layer. The separate layers may have different compositions. Each of the gate control, bulk and interface control layers may additionally comprise multiple layers that may have different compositions. The composition of the various layers of the active channel comprise oxygen, nitrogen, and one or more elements selected from the group consisting of zinc, indium, cadmium, tin, gallium and combinations thereof. By varying the composition among the layers, the mobility, carrier concentration and conductivity of the various layers may be controlled to produce a TFT having desired properties.

Claims

1. A thin film transistor, comprising:

a gate dielectric layer disposed over a gate electrode and a substrate;

an active channel coupled to the gate dielectric layer opposite the substrate, the active channel comprising;

one or more gate control layers comprising oxygen, nitrogen, and one or more elements selected from the group consisting of zinc, indium, tin, cadmium and gallium and having a first composition, at least one of the one or more gate control layers is in contact with the gate dielectric layer;

one or more bulk layers in contact with at least one of the one or more gate control layers, the one or more bulk layers comprising oxygen, nitrogen, and one or more elements selected from the group consisting of zinc, indium, tin, cadmium and gallium and having a second composition different than the first composition; and

one or more back channel interface control layers in contact with at least one of the one or more bulk layers, the one or more back channel interface control layers comprising oxygen, nitrogen, and one or more elements selected from the group consisting of zinc, indium, tin, cadmium and gallium and having a third composition different than one or more of the first composition and the second composition; and

source and drain electrodes coupled to at least one of the one or more back channel interface control layers.

2. The thin film transistor of claim 1, wherein the one or more gate control layers collectively have a first thickness, the one or more bulk layers collectively have a second thickness, and the one or more back channel interface control layers collectively have a third thickness, and wherein the second thickness is greater than the third thickness and the third thickness greater than the first thickness.

3. The thin film transistor of claim 1, wherein the one or more gate control layers comprises a plurality of layers.

4. The thin film transistor of claim 3, wherein the one or more bulk layers comprises a plurality of layers.

5. The thin film transistor of claim 4, wherein the one or more back channel interface control layers comprises a plurality of layers.

6. The thin film transistor of claim 1, wherein the one or more gate control layers have a first mobility, the one or more bulk layers have a second mobility and the one or more back channel interface control layers have a third mobility, and wherein the first mobility, the second mobility, and the third mobility are different.

7. The thin film transistor of claim 6, wherein the one or more gate control layers have a first conductivity, the one or more bulk layers have a second conductivity and the one or more back channel interface control layers have a third conductivity, and wherein the first conductivity, the second conductivity, and the third conductivity are different.

8. The thin film transistor of claim 7, wherein the one or more gate control layers comprises a plurality of layers.

9. The thin film transistor of claim 8, wherein the one or more bulk layers comprises a plurality of layers.

10. The thin film transistor of claim 9, wherein the one or more back channel interface control layers comprises a plurality of layers.

11. The thin film transistor of claim 1, wherein the one or more gate control layers have a first conductivity, the one or more bulk layers have a second conductivity and the one or more back channel interface control layers have a third conductivity, and wherein the first conductivity, the second conductivity, and the third conductivity are different.

12. The thin film transistor of claim 11, wherein the one or more gate control layers comprises a plurality of layers.

13. The thin film transistor of claim 12, wherein the one or more bulk layers comprises a plurality of layers.

14. The thin film transistor of claim 13, wherein the one or more back channel interface control layers comprises a plurality of layers.

15. A thin film transistor, comprising:

a gate dielectric layer disposed over a gate electrode and a substrate;

an active channel coupled to the gate dielectric layer opposite the substrate, the active channel comprising;

one or more gate control layers comprising oxygen, nitrogen, and one or more elements selected from the group consisting of zinc, indium, tin, cadmium and gallium and having a first composition, at least one of the one or more gate control layers is in contact with the gate dielectric layer;

one or more bulk layers in contact with at least one of the one or more gate control layers, the one or more bulk layers comprising oxygen, nitrogen, and one or more elements selected from the group consisting of zinc, indium, tin, cadmium and gallium and having a second composition different than the first composition; and

one or more back channel interface control layers in contact with at least one of the one or more bulk layers, the one or more back channel interface control layers comprising oxygen, nitrogen, and one or more elements selected from the group consisting of zinc, indium, tin, cadmium and gallium and having a third composition different than one or more of the first composition and the second composition; and

source and drain electrodes coupled to at least one of the one or more back channel interface control layers, wherein the one or more gate control layers collectively have a first thickness, the one or more bulk layers collectively have a second thickness, and the one or more back channel interface control layers collectively have a third thickness, and wherein the second thickness is greater than the third thickness and the third thickness greater than the first thickness, wherein the one or more gate control layers have a first mobility, the one or more bulk layers have a second mobility and the one or more back channel interface control layers have a third mobility, and wherein the first mobility, the second mobility, and the third mobility are different.

16. The thin film transistor of claim 15, wherein the one or more gate control layers have a first conductivity, the one or more bulk layers have a second conductivity and the one or more back channel interface control layers have a third conductivity, and wherein the first conductivity, the second conductivity, and the third conductivity are different.

17. A thin film transistor, comprising:

a gate dielectric layer disposed over a gate electrode and a substrate;

an active channel coupled to the gate dielectric layer opposite the substrate, the active channel comprising;

one or more gate control layers comprising oxygen, nitrogen, and one or more elements selected from the group consisting of zinc, indium, tin, cadmium and gallium, at least one of the one or more gate control layers is in contact with the gate dielectric layer;

one or more bulk layers in contact with at least one of the one or more gate control layers, the one or more bulk layers comprising oxygen, nitrogen, and one or more elements selected from the group consisting of zinc, indium, tin, cadmium and gallium; and

one or more back channel interface control layers in contact with at least one of the one or more bulk layers, the one or more back channel interface control layers comprising oxygen, nitrogen, and one or more elements selected from the group consisting of zinc, indium, tin, cadmium and gallium, wherein the one or more gate control layers, the one or more bulk layers and the one or more back channel interface control layers have different semiconductor properties; and

source and drain electrodes coupled to at least one of the one or more back channel interface control layers.

18. The thin film transistor of claim 17, wherein the different semiconductor properties are selected from the group consisting of carrier concentration, mobility, band gap, crystal orientation, crystal fraction, chemical composition, or combinations thereof.

19. The thin film transistor of claim 18, wherein the one or more gate control layers comprises a plurality of layers.

20. The thin film transistor of claim 19, wherein the one or more bulk layers comprises a plurality of layers.

21. The thin film transistor of claim 20, wherein the one or more back channel interface control layers comprises a plurality of layers.

22. The thin film transistor of claim 21, wherein the plurality of bulk layers, the plurality of gate control layers and the plurality of back channel interface control layers have different elements.