Thin film transistor having a crystalline semiconductor film including indium oxide which contains a hydrogen element and method for manufacturing same

• US 8,445,903 B2
• Filed: 10/19/2009
• Issued: 05/21/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Idemitsu Kosan Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Idemitsu Kosan Company Limited
• Inventors: Inoue, Kazuyoshi, Yano, Koki, Tomai, Shigekazu, Kasami, Masashi, Kawashima, Hirokazu, Utsuno, Futoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Dickey, Thomas L
• Application Number:
  US13/125,577
• Publication Number:
  US 20110198586A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,310 Days
• Field of Search: 257/3, 257/66, 257/288, 257/347, 257/368, 257/E21.212, 257/E21.334, 257/E21.347, 257/E21.413, 257/E21.462, 257/E27.116, 257/E29.068, 257/E29.079, 257/E29.105, 257/E29.109, 438/151, 438/158, 438/161
• US Class Current: 257/43
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/66742 Thin film unipolar transistors
• 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

A thin film transistor including a gate electrode, a gate-insulating film, an oxide semiconductor film in contact with the gate-insulating film, and source and drain electrodes which connect to the oxide semiconductor film and are separated with a channel part therebetween, wherein the oxide semiconductor film comprises a crystalline indium oxide which includes hydrogen element, and the content of the hydrogen element contained in the oxide semiconductor film is 0.1 at % to 5 at % relative to all elements which form the oxide semiconductor film.

Claims

1. A thin film transistor comprising a gate electrode, a gate-insulating film, an oxide semiconductor film in contact with the gate-insulating film, and source and drain electrodes which connect to the oxide semiconductor film and are separated with a channel part therebetween,

wherein the oxide semiconductor film comprises a crystalline indium oxide which comprises a hydrogen element, and

the content of the hydrogen element contained in the oxide semiconductor film is 0.1 at % to 5 at % relative to all elements which form the oxide semiconductor film.

2. The thin film transistor according to claim 1 wherein the oxide semiconductor film further comprises a positive trivalent metal oxide other than indium oxide.

3. The thin film transistor according to claim 2 wherein the content of the positive trivalent metal oxide other than indium oxide is 0.1 to 10 at % relative to all elements contained in the oxide semiconductor film.

4. The thin film transistor according to claim 2 wherein the positive trivalent metal oxide other than indium oxide is one or more oxides selected from boron oxide, aluminum oxide, gallium oxide, scandium oxide, yttrium oxide, lanthanum oxide, praseodymium oxide, neodymium oxide, samarium oxide, europium oxide, gadolinium oxide, terbium oxide, dysprosium oxide, holmium oxide, erbium oxide, ytterbium oxide, and lutetium oxide.

5. A method for producing the thin film transistor according to claim 1 comprising the steps of,

forming a semiconductor film comprising amorphous indium oxide which comprises a hydrogen element in the film-forming atmosphere in which the content in volume of hydrogen molecules and/or water molecules is 1% to 10%,

patterning the semiconductor film,

dehydrogenating and crystallizing the semiconductor film to obtain a crystalline indium oxide semiconductor film in which contains the hydrogen element of 0.1 at % to 5 at % relative to all elements which form the oxide semiconductor film, and

forming source and drain electrodes such that the electrodes connect to the semiconductor film.

6. The method for producing a thin film transistor according to claim 5 wherein in the step of

dehydrogenating and crystallizing the semiconductor film, the semiconductor film is subjected to heat treatment at 150 to 450°

C. for 0.1 to 1200 minutes.

7. The method for producing a thin film transistor according claim 5 which is a method for producing a channel etch thin film transistor.

8. The method for producing a thin film transistor according to claim 5 which is a method for producing an etch stopper thin film transistor.