Method for manufacturing semiconductor device

• US 8,728,860 B2
• Filed: 08/17/2011
• Issued: 05/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Yamazaki, Shunpei
• Primary Examiner(s): STARK, JARRETT J
• Application Number:
  US13/211,588
• Publication Number:
  US 20120058598A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,007 Days
• Field of Search: 438/104, 257/E21.459, 257/E21.476, 204/192.25, 204/298.02, 204/298.13
• US Class Current: 438/104
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02488 Insulating materials
• 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 21/283 Deposition of conductive or insulating materials for electrodes conducting electric current
• 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 29/78603 characterised by the insulating substrate or support H01L29/78657 takes 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

Electrical characteristics of transistors using an oxide semiconductor are greatly varied in a substrate, between substrates, and between lots, and the electrical characteristics are changed due to heat, bias, light, or the like in some cases. In view of the above, a semiconductor device using an oxide semiconductor with high reliability and small variation in electrical characteristics is manufactured. In a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, hydrogen in a film and at an interface between films is removed in a transistor using an oxide semiconductor. In order to remove hydrogen at the interface between the films, the substrate is transferred under a vacuum between film formations. Further, as for a substrate having a surface exposed to the air, hydrogen on the surface of the substrate may be removed by heat treatment or plasma treatment.

Claims

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

performing dehydration treatment or dehydrogenation treatment on a substrate in a substrate processing chamber;

introducing the substrate which is dehydrated or dehydrogenated into a first film formation chamber without exposure to air, and forming a first insulating film over the substrate in the first film formation chamber;

introducing the substrate into a second film formation chamber without exposure to air, and forming an oxide semiconductor film over the first insulating film in the second film formation chamber; and

introducing the substrate into a third film formation chamber without exposure to air and forming an oxide conductive film over the oxide semiconductor film in the third film formation chamber.

2. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, according to claim 1, wherein the first insulating film comprises any one of an aluminum oxide film, an aluminum nitride film, a silicon nitride film, and a silicon nitride oxide film.

3. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, according to claim 1, wherein the dehydration treatment or the dehydrogenation treatment is one of or both of heat treatment which are performed at a temperature higher than or equal to 400°

C. and lower than or equal to 650°

C. and plasma treatment.

4. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, according to claim 3, wherein the plasma treatment is reverse sputtering treatment.

5. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, according to claim 1, wherein the first insulating film is a silicon oxide film including oxygen atoms which are more than twice as many as silicon atoms per unit volume.

6. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, according to claim 1, wherein the oxide conductive film comprises indium oxide and tin oxide.

7. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

processing the oxide conductive film and the oxide semiconductor film to form an island-shaped oxide conductive film and an island-shaped oxide semiconductor film;

forming a first conductive film over the island-shaped oxide conductive film; and

processing the first conductive film and the island-shaped oxide conductive film to form a source electrode and a drain electrode and to form oxide conductive films between the source electrode and the island-shaped oxide semiconductor film and between the drain electrode and the island-shaped oxide semiconductor film.

8. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, according to claim 7, wherein any one of the first film formation chamber to the third film formation chamber is the same as one or more of the other film formation chambers.

9. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, according to claim 7, wherein a leakage rate of the first film formation chamber to the third film formation chamber is less than or equal to 1×

10<sup>−

10</sup> Pa·

m³/sec.

10. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, according to claim 1, wherein oxygen is implanted to the first insulating film before forming the oxide semiconductor film.

32. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, according to claim 1, further comprising the step of introducing the substrate into a transfer chamber evacuated to be in a vacuum state before performing the dehydration treatment or the dehydrogenation treatment in the substrate processing chamber.

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

performing dehydration treatment or dehydrogenation treatment on a substrate in a first substrate processing chamber;

introducing the substrate which is dehydrated or dehydrogenated into a first film formation chamber without exposure to air, and forming a first insulating film over the substrate in the first film formation chamber;

introducing the substrate into a second film formation chamber without exposure to air, and forming an oxide semiconductor film over the first insulating film in the second film formation chamber;

introducing the substrate into a second substrate processing chamber without exposure to air and performing heat treatment on the substrate at a temperature higher than or equal to 300°

C. and lower than or equal to 650°

C. in any one of an inert atmosphere, a reduced-pressure atmosphere, and a dry air atmosphere; and

introducing the substrate to a third film formation chamber without exposure to air and forming an oxide conductive film over the oxide semiconductor film in the third film formation chamber.

12. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, according to claim 11, wherein the first insulating film comprises any one of an aluminum oxide film, an aluminum nitride film, a silicon nitride film, and a silicon nitride oxide film.

13. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, according to claim 11, wherein the dehydration treatment or the dehydrogenation treatment is one of or both of heat treatment which are performed at a temperature higher than or equal to 400°

C. and lower than or equal to 650°

C. and plasma treatment.

14. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, according to claim 13, wherein the plasma treatment is reverse sputtering treatment.

15. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, according to claim 11, wherein the first insulating film is a silicon oxide film including oxygen atoms which are more than twice as many as silicon atoms per unit volume.

16. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, according to claim 11, wherein the oxide conductive film comprises indium oxide and tin oxide.

17. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, according to claim 11, further comprising the steps of:

processing the oxide conductive film and the oxide semiconductor film to form an island-shaped oxide conductive film and an island-shaped oxide semiconductor film;

forming a first conductive film over the island-shaped oxide conductive film; and

processing the first conductive film and the island-shaped oxide conductive film to form a source electrode and a drain electrode and to form oxide conductive films between the source electrode and the island-shaped oxide semiconductor film and between the drain electrode and the island-shaped oxide semiconductor film.

18. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, according to claim 17, wherein any one of the first film formation chamber to the third film formation chamber is the same as one or more of the other film formation chambers.

19. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, according to claim 17, wherein a leakage rate of the first film formation chamber to the third film formation chamber is less than or equal to 1×

10<sup>−

10</sup> Pa·

m³/sec.

20. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, according to claim 11, wherein oxygen is implanted to the first insulating film before forming the oxide semiconductor film.

33. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, according to claim 11, further comprising the step of introducing the substrate into a transfer chamber evacuated to be in a vacuum state before performing the dehydration treatment or the dehydrogenation treatment in the first substrate processing chamber.

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

performing dehydration treatment or dehydrogenation treatment on a substrate in a first substrate processing chamber;

introducing the substrate which is dehydrated or dehydrogenated into a first film formation chamber without exposure to air, and forming a first insulating film over the substrate in the first film formation chamber; and

introducing the substrate into a second film formation chamber without exposure to air, and forming a first conductive film over the first insulating film in the second film formation chamber.

22. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, according to claim 21 further comprising the steps of:

introducing the substrate into a second substrate processing chamber without exposure to air, and performing dehydration treatment or dehydrogenation treatment on the substrate in the second substrate processing chamber after forming the first insulating film; and

introducing the substrate which is dehydrated or dehydrogenated into a third film formation chamber without exposure to air, and forming a second insulating film over the first insulating film in the third film formation chamber,

wherein the first conductive film is formed over the second insulating film.

23. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, according to claim 21, wherein the first insulating film comprises an aluminum oxide film, an aluminum nitride film, a silicon nitride film, or a silicon nitride oxide film.

24. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, according to claim 21, wherein the dehydration treatment or the dehydrogenation treatment is one of or both of heat treatment which are performed at a temperature higher than or equal to 400°

C. and lower than or equal to 650°

C. and plasma treatment.

25. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, according to claim 24, wherein the plasma treatment is reverse sputtering treatment.

26. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, according to claim 21, wherein the first insulating film is a silicon oxide film including oxygen atoms which are more than twice as many as silicon atoms per unit volume.

27. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, according to claim 21, further comprising the steps of:

processing the first conductive film to form a gate electrode;

introducing the substrate over which the gate electrode is formed into a fourth film formation chamber and forming a gate insulating film over the gate electrode in the fourth film formation chamber;

introducing the substrate into a fifth film formation chamber without exposure to air, and forming an oxide semiconductor film over the gate insulating film in the fifth film formation chamber;

introducing the substrate into a third substrate processing chamber, without exposure to air, and performing heat treatment on the substrate at a temperature higher than or equal to 300°

C. and lower than or equal to 650°

C. in any one of an inert atmosphere, a reduced-pressure atmosphere, and a dry air atmosphere;

introducing the substrate subjected to the heat treatment into a sixth film formation chamber without exposure to air, and forming an oxide conductive film over the oxide semiconductor film in the sixth film formation chamber;

processing the oxide conductive film and the oxide semiconductor film to form an island-shaped oxide conductive film and an island-shaped oxide semiconductor film;

forming a conductive film over the island-shaped oxide conductive film; and

processing the conductive film and the island-shaped oxide conductive film to form a source electrode and a drain electrode and to form oxide conductive films between the source electrode and the island-shaped oxide semiconductor film and between the drain electrode and the island-shaped oxide semiconductor film.

28. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, according to claim 27, wherein the gate insulating film is formed to have a layered structure.

29. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, according to claim 27, wherein the oxide conductive film comprises indium oxide and tin oxide.

30. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, according to claim 27, wherein any one of the first film formation chamber to the sixth film formation chamber is the same as one or more of the other film formation chambers.

31. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, according to claim 27, wherein a leakage rate of the first film formation chamber to the sixth film formation chamber is less than or equal to 1×

10<sup>−

10</sup> Pa·

m³/sec.

34. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, according to claim 21, further comprising the step of introducing the substrate into a transfer chamber evacuated to be in a vacuum state before performing the dehydration treatment or the dehydrogenation treatment in the first substrate processing chamber.