Field-effect transistor and method for fabricating field-effect transistor

• US 8,492,761 B2
• Filed: 08/16/2012
• Issued: 07/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Abe, Yukiko, Ueda, Naoyuki, Nakamura, Yuki, Sone, Yuji
• Primary Examiner(s): HO, TU TU V
• Application Number:
  US13/587,744
• Publication Number:
  US 20120305915A1
• Time in Patent Office: 341 Days
• Field of Search: 257/43, 257/288, 257/347, 257/E29.296, 257/E21.461, 438/104, 438/149, 438/479
• US Class Current: 257/43
• 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 29/66969 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 29/7869 having a semiconductor body comprising an oxide semiconductor material, e.g. zinc oxide, copper aluminium oxide, cadmium stannate

Abstract

A method for fabricating a field-effect transistor having a gate electrode, a source electrode, a drain electrode, and an active layer forming a channel region, the active layer having an oxide semiconductor mainly containing magnesium and indium is disclosed. The method includes a deposition step of depositing an oxide film, a patterning step of patterning the oxide film by processes including etching to obtain the active layer, and a heat-treatment step of heat-treating the obtained active layer subsequent to the patterning step.

Claims

1. A field-effect transistor comprising:

a gate electrode configured to apply a gate voltage;

a source electrode and a drain electrode configured to acquire a current;

an active layer arranged adjacent to the source electrode and the drain electrode, the active layer forming a channel region and having an oxide semiconductor mainly containing magnesium and indium; and

a gate insulating layer arranged between the gate electrode and the active layer,

wherein a concentration of hydrogen atoms in the active layer near an interface between the active layer and the gate insulating film is equal to or lower than 10²¹/cm³,

wherein the oxide semiconductor contains In₂MgO₄.

2. The field-effect transistor as claimed in claim 1, wherein the concentration of hydrogen atoms in the active layer near the interface between the active layer and the gate insulating film is equal to or lower than 10²⁰/cm³.

3. The field-effect transistor as claimed in claim 1, wherein in the oxide semiconductor, at least one of aluminum (Al) and gallium (Ga) is substituted for part of indium (In).

4. The field-effect transistor as claimed in claim 1, wherein in the oxide semiconductor, at least one of calcium (Ca), strontium (Sr) and barium (Ba) is substituted for part of magnesium (Mg).

5. The field-effect transistor as claimed in claim 1, wherein in the oxide semiconductor, at least one of aluminum (Al) and gallium (Ga) is substituted for part of indium (In), and at least one of calcium (Ca), strontium (Sr) and barium (Ba) is substituted for part of magnesium (Mg).

6. The field-effect transistor as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least part of the oxide semiconductor includes a spinel structure or an olivine structure.

7. The field-effect transistor as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least part of the oxide semiconductor is amorphous.

8. The field-effect transistor as claimed in claim 1, wherein in the oxide semiconductor, at least one of nitrogen and fluorine is substituted for part of oxygen.