Method for manufacturing semiconductor element and semiconductor device, and deposition apparatus

• US 8,709,864 B2
• Filed: 11/03/2010
• Issued: 04/29/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Yamazaki, Shunpei, Sakata, Junichiro, Takayama, Toru
• Primary Examiner(s): Maldonado, Julio J
• Assistant Examiner(s): BACHNER, ROBERT G
• Application Number:
  US12/938,538
• Publication Number:
  US 20110111558A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,273 Days
• Field of Search: 257/43, 257/E21.411, 483/104, 20429809-29813
• US Class Current: 438/104
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02422 Non-crystalline insulating materials, e.g. glass, polymers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02554 Oxides
• 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 21/6719 characterized by the construction of the processing chambers, e.g. modular processing chambers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67207 comprising a chamber adapted to a particular process
• 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

An object is to provide a deposition apparatus for forming a thin film which contains few impurities such as a hydrogen atom or a carbon atom. Further, an object is to provide a method for forming a thin film containing few impurities. Furthermore, an object is to provide a method for manufacturing a highly reliable semiconductor element including an oxide semiconductor film containing few impurities. A deposition apparatus can be provided for forming a thin film which contains few impurities such as a compound containing a hydrogen atom such as H₂O, a compound containing a carbon atom, a hydrogen atom, or a carbon atom can be provided. Further, a method for forming a thin film containing few impurities can be provided. Furthermore, a method for forming a highly reliable semiconductor element including an oxide semiconductor film containing few impurities can be provided.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing an oxide semiconductor element, comprising the step of:

forming an oxide semiconductor layer over a substrate by using a sputtering target in a chamber,

wherein a filling rate of the sputtering target is greater than or equal to 90%, and

wherein the sputtering target is heated by a heater in the chamber before the step of forming the oxide semiconductor layer so that hydrogen and carbon contained in the sputtering target are removed.

2. The method for manufacturing the oxide semiconductor element according to claim 1, wherein a temperature of the sputtering target is higher than or equal to 100°

C. and lower than or equal to 600°

C.

3. The method for manufacturing the oxide semiconductor element according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

forming a gate insulating film adjacent to the oxide semiconductor layer;

forming a gate electrode adjacent to the oxide semiconductor layer with the gate insulating film interposed therebetween; and

forming a source electrode and a drain electrode in contact with the oxide semiconductor layer.

4. The method for manufacturing the oxide semiconductor element according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

removing moisture remaining in the chamber; and

introducing a sputtering gas for forming the oxide semiconductor layer after removing the moisture remaining in the chamber,

wherein hydrogen and moisture are removed from the sputtering gas.

5. The method for manufacturing the oxide semiconductor element according to claim 4, wherein the moisture remaining in the chamber is removed by evacuation with the use of a cryopump.

6. The method for manufacturing the oxide semiconductor element according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

heating the substrate in forming the oxide semiconductor layer;

transporting the substrate to a treatment chamber after forming the oxide semiconductor layer; and

cooling the substrate by a nitrogen gas or a rare gas in the treatment chamber.

7. The method for manufacturing the oxide semiconductor element according to claim 6, wherein a temperature of the substrate in the oxide semiconductor layer formation is higher than or equal to 100°

C. and lower than or equal to 400°

C.

8. The method for manufacturing the oxide semiconductor element according to claim 1, wherein the sputtering target comprises a metal oxide with an energy gap of larger than or equal to 2 eV and smaller than or equal to 4.5 eV as its main component.

9. The method for manufacturing the oxide semiconductor element according to claim 1, wherein the sputtering target is a metal oxide comprising indium, gallium, and zinc.

10. A method for manufacturing an oxide semiconductor element, comprising the steps of:

forming a gate electrode over a substrate;

forming a gate insulating film over the gate electrode;

forming an oxide semiconductor layer over the gate electrode with the gate insulating film therebetween;

forming a source electrode and a drain electrode in contact with the oxide semiconductor layer so that end portions of the source electrode and the drain electrode overlap with the gate electrode; and

forming an oxide insulating film covering the oxide semiconductor layer between the source electrode and the drain electrode,

wherein the substrate is held in a chamber kept in a reduced pressure state,

wherein moisture remaining in the chamber is removed and a sputtering gas from which hydrogen and moisture are removed is introduced, and

wherein the oxide semiconductor layer is formed by using a sputtering target in the chamber,

wherein a filling rate of the sputtering target is greater than or equal to 90%, and

wherein the sputtering target is heated by a heater in the chamber before the step of forming the oxide semiconductor layer so that hydrogen and carbon contained in the sputtering target are removed.

11. The method for manufacturing the oxide semiconductor element according to claim 10, wherein the remaining moisture is removed by evacuation with the use of a cryopump.

12. The method for manufacturing the oxide semiconductor element according to claim 10, wherein the sputtering target comprises a metal oxide with an energy gap of larger than or equal to 2 eV and smaller than or equal to 4.5 eV as its main component.

13. The method for manufacturing the oxide semiconductor element according to claim 10, wherein the sputtering target is a metal oxide comprising indium, gallium, and zinc.

14. The method for manufacturing the oxide semiconductor element according to claim 10, wherein the sputtering target is heated to higher than or equal to room temperature and lower than or equal to 600°

C. during the step of forming the oxide semiconductor layer.