Method for manufacturing semiconductor device

• US 8,541,266 B2
• Filed: 03/26/2012
• Issued: 09/24/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Yamazaki, Shunpei
• Primary Examiner(s): Mandala, Michelle
• Assistant Examiner(s): WHITE, SHAKA SHAKAR
• Application Number:
  US13/429,977
• Publication Number:
  US 20120252160A1
• Time in Patent Office: 547 Days
• Field of Search: 438/104, 257/E51.005, 257/E51.006, 118/719
• US Class Current: 438/149
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/4908 for thin film semiconductor, e.g. gate of TFT
• 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 29/78606 with supplementary region or layer in the thin film or in the insulated bulk substrate supporting it for controlling or increasing the safety of the device H01L29/78642, H01L29/78645 take precedence
• 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 for manufacturing a transistor including an oxide semiconductor layer, a gate electrode is formed and then an aluminum oxide film, a silicon oxide film, and the oxide semiconductor film are successively formed in an in-line apparatus without being exposed to the air and are subjected to heating and oxygen adding treatment in the in-line apparatus. Then, the transistor is covered with another aluminum oxide film and is subjected to heat treatment, so that the oxide semiconductor film from which impurities including hydrogen atoms are removed and including a region containing oxygen at an amount exceeding that in the stoichiometric composition ratio. The transistor including the oxide semiconductor film is a transistor having high reliability in which the amount of change in threshold voltage of the transistor by the bias-temperature stress (BT test) can be reduced.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, comprising the steps of:

forming a gate electrode layer over a substrate;

forming a first aluminum oxide layer over the gate electrode layer in a first chamber of an apparatus;

forming a first silicon oxide layer over the first aluminum oxide layer in a second chamber of the apparatus;

forming an oxide semiconductor layer over the first silicon oxide layer in a third chamber of the apparatus;

performing a heat treatment on the oxide semiconductor layer in a fourth chamber of the apparatus; and

performing an oxygen supplying treatment on the oxide semiconductor layer in a fifth chamber of the apparatus;

wherein the steps of forming the first aluminum oxide layer, forming the first silicon oxide layer, forming the oxide semiconductor layer, performing the heat treatment, and performing the oxygen supplying treatment are successively performed without exposing the substrate to air, and

wherein the first chamber, the second chamber, the third chamber, the fourth chamber, and the fifth chamber are connected in series.

2. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the oxide semiconductor layer comprises indium, gallium, and zinc.

3. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the first aluminum oxide layer comprises oxygen at an amount exceeding that in an stoichiometric composition ratio of aluminum oxide.

4. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the first silicon oxide layer comprises oxygen at an amount exceeding that in an stoichiometric composition ratio of silicon oxide.

5. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the oxygen supplying treatment is performed to form an oxygen-excess region in the oxide semiconductor layer.

6. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, comprising the steps of:

forming a gate electrode layer over a substrate;

forming a first aluminum oxide layer over the gate electrode layer in a first chamber of a first apparatus;

forming a first silicon oxide layer over the first aluminum oxide layer in a second chamber of the first apparatus;

forming an oxide semiconductor layer over the first silicon oxide layer in a third chamber of the first apparatus;

performing a first heat treatment on the oxide semiconductor layer in a fourth chamber of the first apparatus;

performing an oxygen supplying treatment on the oxide semiconductor layer in a fifth chamber of the first apparatus;

forming a source electrode layer and a drain electrode layer over the oxide semiconductor layer;

forming a second silicon oxide layer over the source electrode layer and the drain electrode layer in a sixth chamber of a second apparatus;

forming a second aluminum oxide layer over the second silicon oxide layer in a seventh chamber of the second apparatus; and

performing a second heat treatment on the oxide semiconductor layer in a eighth chamber of the second apparatus,

wherein the steps of forming the first aluminum oxide layer, forming the first silicon oxide layer, forming the oxide semiconductor layer, performing the first heat treatment, and performing the oxygen supplying treatment are successively performed without exposing the substrate to air,

wherein the first chamber, the second chamber, the third chamber, the fourth chamber, and the fifth chamber are connected in series,

wherein the steps of forming the second silicon oxide layer, forming the second aluminum oxide layer, and performing the second heat treatment are successively performed without exposing the substrate to air, and

wherein the sixth chamber, the seventh chamber, and the eighth chamber are connected in series.

7. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 6, wherein the oxide semiconductor layer comprises indium, gallium, and zinc.

8. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 6, wherein the first aluminum oxide layer comprises oxygen at an amount exceeding that in an stoichiometric composition ratio of aluminum oxide.

9. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 6, wherein the first silicon oxide layer comprises oxygen at an amount exceeding that in an stoichiometric composition ratio of silicon oxide.

10. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 6, wherein the oxygen supplying treatment is performed to form an oxygen-excess region in the oxide semiconductor layer.

11. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 6, wherein the second silicon oxide layer comprises oxygen at an amount exceeding that in an stoichiometric composition ratio of silicon oxide.

12. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 6, wherein the second aluminum oxide layer comprises oxygen at an amount exceeding that in an stoichiometric composition ratio of aluminum oxide.

13. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, comprising the steps of:

forming a gate electrode layer over a substrate;

forming a first aluminum oxide layer over the gate electrode layer in a first chamber of a first apparatus;

forming a first silicon oxide layer over the first aluminum oxide layer in a second chamber of the first apparatus;

forming an oxide semiconductor layer over the first silicon oxide layer in a third chamber of the first apparatus;

performing a first heat treatment on the oxide semiconductor layer in a fourth chamber of the first apparatus;

performing an oxygen supplying treatment on the oxide semiconductor layer in a fifth chamber of the first apparatus;

forming a source electrode layer and a drain electrode layer over the oxide semiconductor layer;

forming a second silicon oxide layer over the source electrode layer and the drain electrode layer in a sixth chamber of a second apparatus;

forming a layer over the second silicon oxide layer in a seventh chamber of the second apparatus;

forming a second aluminum oxide layer over the layer in a eighth chamber of the second apparatus; and

performing a second heat treatment on the oxide semiconductor layer in a ninth chamber of the second apparatus,

wherein the layer formed in the seventh chamber comprises one selected from the group consisting of a combination of an organic compound and a metal oxide, a transparent conductive oxide, and an oxide semiconductor comprising nitrogen,

wherein the steps of forming the first aluminum oxide layer, forming the first silicon oxide layer, forming the oxide semiconductor layer, performing the first heat treatment, and performing the oxygen supplying treatment are successively performed without exposing the substrate to air,

wherein the first chamber, the second chamber, the third chamber, the fourth chamber, and the fifth chamber are connected in series,

wherein the steps of forming the second silicon oxide layer, forming the layer, forming the second aluminum oxide layer, and performing the second heat treatment are successively performed without exposing the substrate to air, and

wherein the sixth chamber, the seventh chamber, the eighth chamber, and the ninth chamber are connected in series.

14. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 13, wherein the oxide semiconductor layer comprises indium, gallium, and zinc.

15. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 13, wherein the first aluminum oxide layer comprises oxygen at an amount exceeding that in an stoichiometric composition ratio of aluminum oxide.

16. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 13, wherein the first silicon oxide layer comprises oxygen at an amount exceeding that in an stoichiometric composition ratio of silicon oxide.

17. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 13, wherein the oxygen supplying treatment is performed to form an oxygen-excess region in the oxide semiconductor layer.

18. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 13, wherein the second silicon oxide layer comprises oxygen at an amount exceeding that in an stoichiometric composition ratio of silicon oxide.

19. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 13, wherein the second aluminum oxide layer comprises oxygen at an amount exceeding that in an stoichiometric composition ratio of aluminum oxide.

20. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 13,

wherein the metal oxide is a transition metal oxide, and

wherein the organic compound has a hole-transport property.