Semiconductor device

• US 8,643,008 B2
• Filed: 07/12/2012
• Issued: 02/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Yamazaki, Shunpei, Koezuka, Junichi, Yamade, Naoto
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Long K
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tran, Dzung
• Application Number:
  US13/547,119
• Publication Number:
  US 20130020569A1
• Time in Patent Office: 572 Days
• Field of Search: 257/43, 257/223, 257/225, 257/88
• US Class Current: 257/43
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/1225 with semiconductor materials not belonging to the group IV of the periodic table, e.g. InGaZnO

Abstract

A semiconductor device which can operate at high speed and consumes a smaller amount of power is provided. In a semiconductor device including transistors each including an oxide semiconductor, the oxygen concentration of the oxide semiconductor film of the transistor having small current at negative gate voltage is different from that of the oxide semiconductor film of the transistor having high field-effect mobility and large on-state current. Typically, the oxygen concentration of the oxide semiconductor film of the transistor having high field-effect mobility and large on-state current is lower than that of the oxide semiconductor film of the transistor having small current at negative gate voltage.

Claims

1. A semiconductor device comprising:

a first transistor comprising;

a first oxide semiconductor layer;

a first insulating layer over the first oxide semiconductor layer; and

a first gate electrode over the first oxide semiconductor layer with the first insulating layer interposed therebetween; and

a second transistor comprising;

a second oxide semiconductor layer;

the first insulating layer over the second oxide semiconductor layer; and

a second gate electrode over the second oxide semiconductor layer with the first insulating layer interposed therebetween,

wherein the first oxide semiconductor layer and the second oxide semiconductor layer each comprise a plurality of crystals of an oxide semiconductor in channel regions,

wherein c-axes of the plurality of crystals of the oxide semiconductor are aligned to each other in the channel regions, and

wherein an oxygen concentration in the first oxide semiconductor layer is higher than that in the second oxide semiconductor layer.

2. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein a threshold voltage of the first transistor is lower than that of the second transistor.

3. The semiconductor device according to claim 1,

wherein the first oxide semiconductor layer comprises:

a first region overlapping with the first gate electrode; and

a pair of second regions, wherein the first region is sandwiched between the pair of second regions,

wherein the second oxide semiconductor layer comprises;

a third region overlapping with the second gate electrode; and

a pair of fourth regions, wherein the third region is sandwiched between the pair of fourth regions,

wherein the pair of second regions and the pair of fourth regions each comprise dopant, and

wherein the dopant is at least one selected from the group consisting of boron, nitrogen, phosphorus, arsenic, helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon, and fluorine.

4. The semiconductor device according to claim 3, wherein a concentration of the dopant is higher than or equal to 5×

10¹⁸ atoms/cm³ and lower than or equal to 1×

10²² atoms/cm³.

5. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a first source electrode and a first drain electrode between the first oxide semiconductor layer and the first insulating layer; and

a second source electrode and a second drain electrode between the second oxide semiconductor layer and the first insulating layer.

6. The semiconductor device according to claim 5,

wherein the first oxide semiconductor layer comprises:

a first region overlapping with the first gate electrode;

a pair of second regions overlapping with neither the first source electrode nor the first drain electrode, wherein the first region is sandwiched between the pair of second regions; and

a pair of third regions overlapping with the first source electrode or the first drain electrode, wherein the first region and the pair of second regions are sandwiched between the pair of third regions,

wherein the second oxide semiconductor layer comprises;

a fourth region overlapping with the second gate electrode;

a pair of fifth regions overlapping with neither the second source electrode nor the second drain electrode, wherein the fourth region is sandwiched between the pair of fifth regions; and

a pair of sixth regions overlapping with the second source electrode or the second drain electrode, wherein the fourth region and the pair of fifth regions are sandwiched between the pair of sixth regions,

wherein the pair of second regions, the pair of third regions, the pair of fifth regions, and the pair of sixth regions each comprise dopant, and

wherein the dopant is at least one selected from the group consisting of boron, nitrogen, phosphorus, arsenic, helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon, and fluorine.

7. The semiconductor device according to claim 6, wherein a concentration of the dopant is higher than or equal to 5×

10¹⁸ atoms/cm³ and lower than or equal to 1×

10²² atoms/cm³.

8. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the first oxide semiconductor layer and the second oxide semiconductor layer each comprise indium and zinc.

9. The semiconductor device according to claim 3,

wherein the first gate electrode covers the first region of the first oxide semiconductor layer, and

wherein the second gate electrode covers the third region of the second oxide semiconductor layer.

10. A semiconductor device comprising:

a first transistor comprising;

a first gate electrode;

a first oxide semiconductor layer overlapping with the first gate electrode with a first insulating layer interposed therebetween; and

a second transistor comprising;

a second gate electrode; and

a second oxide semiconductor layer overlapping with the second gate electrode with the first insulating layer interposed therebetween,

wherein the first oxide semiconductor layer and the second oxide semiconductor layer each comprise a plurality of crystals of an oxide semiconductor in channel regions,

wherein c-axes of the plurality of crystals of the oxide semiconductor are aligned to each other in the channel regions, and

wherein an oxygen concentration in the first oxide semiconductor layer is higher than that in the second oxide semiconductor layer.

11. The semiconductor device according to claim 10, further comprising:

a first source electrode and a first drain electrode between the first oxide semiconductor layer and the first insulating layer; and

a second source electrode and a second drain electrode between the second oxide semiconductor layer and the first insulating layer.

12. The semiconductor device according to claim 10, wherein the first oxide semiconductor layer and the second oxide semiconductor layer each comprise indium and zinc.

13. The semiconductor device according to claim 10,

wherein the second transistor comprises a plurity of gate electrodes.

14. The semiconductor device according to claim 10,

wherein the first oxide seminconductor layer is over the first gate electrode, and

wherein the second oxide semiconductor layer is over the second gate electrode.