Thin film transistor and display device

• US 8,461,594 B2
• Filed: 10/07/2009
• Issued: 06/11/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: JDI Design and Development GK
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Morosawa, Narihiro, Terai, Yasuhiro, Arai, Toshiaki
• Primary Examiner(s): HO, TU TU V
• Application Number:
  US13/122,307
• Publication Number:
  US 20110180802A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,343 Days
• Field of Search: 257/59, 257/72, 257/43, 257/410, 257/637, 257/646, 257/E29.299
• US Class Current: 257/59
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/1225 with semiconductor materials not belonging to the group IV of the periodic table, e.g. InGaZnO
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/7869 having a semiconductor body comprising an oxide semiconductor material, e.g. zinc oxide, copper aluminium oxide, cadmium stannate
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/12 Active-matrix OLED [AMOLED] displays
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/1213 the pixel elements being TFTs
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/35 comprising red-green-blue [RGB] subpixels

Abstract

Provided are a thin film transistor that is capable of suppressing desorption of oxygen and others from an oxide semiconductor layer, and reducing the time to be taken for film formation, and a display device provided therewith. A gate insulation film 22, a channel protection layer 24, and a passivation film 26 are each in the laminate configuration including a first layer 31 made of aluminum oxide, and a second layer 32 made of an insulation material including silicon (Si). The first and second layers 31 and 32 are disposed one on the other so that the first layer 31 comes on the side of an oxide semiconductor layer 23. The oxide semiconductor layer 23 is sandwiched on both sides by the first layers 31 made of aluminum oxide, thereby suppressing desorption of oxygen and others, and stabilizing the electrical characteristics of a TFT 20. Moreover, since the second layer 32 is made of an insulation material including silicon (Si), the time to be taken for film formation can be reduced compared with a single layer made of aluminum oxide.

Claims

1. A thin film transistor comprising:

a gate electrode on a substrate;

a gate insulation film on the gate electrode;

an oxide semiconductor layer on the gate insulation film;

a channel protection film on the oxide semiconductor layer;

source and drain electrodes on the channel protection film; and

a passivation film on the source and drain electrodes,

wherein,

each of the gate insulation film, channel protection film, and passivation film is laminated and includes a first layer made of aluminum oxide and a second layer made of an insulation material including silicon (Si).

2. The thin film transistor according to claim 1, wherein, in the gate insulation film, the first layer and the second layer are disposed one on the other with the first layer positioned on a side of the oxide semiconductor layer.

3. The thin film transistor according to claim 1, wherein the second layer includes one or more of a silicon oxide film, a silicon nitride film, and a silicon oxynitride film.

4. A thin film transistor, comprising:

a gate electrode on a substrate;

a gate insulation film on the gate electrode;

an oxide semiconductor layer on the gate insulation film;

a channel protection film on the oxide semiconductor layer;

source and drain electrodes on the channel protection film; and

a passivation film on the source and drain electrodes,

wherein,

the passivation film is made of an oxide, nitride, or oxynitride containing one or more of aluminum (Al), titanium (Ti), and tantalum (Ta), and

the density of the passivation film is from 3.0 g/cm³ to 4.0 g/cm³.

5. The thin film transistor according to claim 4, wherein the passivation film is made of aluminum oxynitride or aluminum nitride.

6. The thin film transistor according to claim 4, wherein the passivation film is a single-layer film.

7. The thin film transistor according to claim 5, wherein the passivation film is a laminated film.

8. The thin film transistor according to claim 7, wherein the laminated film includes a lower layer made of oxide including aluminum (Al), and an upper layer made of oxynitride or nitride including aluminum (Al).

9. The thin film transistor according to claim 4, wherein the passivation film is formed by sputtering.

10. A display device comprising:

a display element; and

a thin film transistor comprising;

a gate electrode on a substrate,

a gate insulation film on the gate electrode,

an oxide semiconductor layer on the gate insulation film,

a channel protection film on the oxide semiconductor layer,

source and drain electrodes on the channel protection film, and

a passivation film on the source and drain electrodes,

wherein,

each of the gate insulation film, channel protection film, and passivation film is laminated and includes a first layer made of aluminum oxide and a second layer made of an insulation material including silicon (Si).

11. The display device according to claim 10, wherein the display element is an organic light-emitting element including, in order from a side of the thin film transistor, an anode, an organic layer including a light-emitting layer, and a cathode.

12. A display device, comprising:

a display element; and

a thin film transistor comprising

a gate electrode on a substrate,

a gate insulation film on the gate electrode,

an oxide semiconductor layer on the gate insulation film,

a channel protection film on the oxide semiconductor layer,

source and drain electrodes on the channel protection film, and

a passivation film on the source and drain electrodes,

wherein,

the passivation film is made of an oxide, nitride, or oxynitride containing one or more of aluminum (Al), titanium (Ti), and tantalum (Ta), and

the density of the passivation film is from 3.0 g/cm³ to 4.0 g/cm³.

13. The display device according to claim 12, wherein the display element is an organic light-emitting element including, in order from a side of the thin film transistor, an anode, an organic layer including a light-emitting layer, and a cathode.