Semiconductor device and manufacturing method thereof

• US 8,779,432 B2
• Filed: 01/20/2012
• Issued: 07/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Yamazaki, Shunpei, Godo, Hiromichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Maldonado, Julio J
• Assistant Examiner(s): Oh, Jaehwan
• Application Number:
  US13/354,584
• Publication Number:
  US 20120187410A1
• Time in Patent Office: 907 Days
• Field of Search: 257/66, 257/E29.262, 257/E27.084, 257/330
• US Class Current: 257/66
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 11/403 with charge regeneration common to a multiplicity of memory cells, i.e. external refresh
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/0688 Integrated circuits having a three-dimensional layout
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/1207 combined with devices in contact with the semiconductor body, i.e. bulk/SOI hybrid circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/1225 with semiconductor materials not belonging to the group IV of the periodic table, e.g. InGaZnO
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/1037 and non-planar channel resulting from the gate electrode disposition, e.g. within a trench, H01L29/42356
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/22 including, apart from doping materials or other impurities, only AIIBVI compounds
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/4236 within a trench, e.g. trench gate electrode, groove gate electrode
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/78 with field effect produced by an insulated gate H01L29/7725, H01L29/775, H01L29/778 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/7827 Vertical transistors H01L29/7802, H01L29/78642 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/7833 with lightly doped drain or source extension, e.g. LDD MOSFET's; DDD MOSFET's for thin film transistors H01L29/78618
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/7869 having a semiconductor body comprising an oxide semiconductor material, e.g. zinc oxide, copper aluminium oxide, cadmium stannate
• CPC Class Codes: H10B 12/00 Dynamic random access memory [DRAM] devices
• CPC Class Codes: H10B 41/20 characterised by three-dimensional arrangements, e.g. with cells on different height levels
• CPC Class Codes: H10B 41/70 the floating gate being an electrode shared by two or more components

Abstract

A conventional DRAM needs to be refreshed at an interval of several tens of milliseconds to hold data, which results in large power consumption. In addition, a transistor therein is frequently turned on and off; thus, deterioration of the transistor is also a problem. These problems become significant as the memory capacity increases and transistor miniaturization advances. A transistor is provided which includes an oxide semiconductor and has a trench structure including a trench for a gate electrode and a trench for element isolation. Even when the distance between a source electrode and a drain electrode is decreased, the occurrence of a short-channel effect can be suppressed by setting the depth of the trench for the gate electrode as appropriate.

Claims

1. A semiconductor device comprising:

a first insulating layer;

a trench in the first insulating layer;

an oxide semiconductor layer in contact with an inner wall surface of the trench;

a gate insulating layer adjacent to the oxide semiconductor layer;

a gate electrode in the trench and adjacent to the oxide semiconductor layer with the gate insulating layer interposed therebetween; and

a source electrode or a drain electrode over and electrically connected with the oxide semiconductor layer,

wherein a portion of the gate electrode is over the source electrode or the drain electrode.

2. The semiconductor device according to claim 1,

wherein the oxide semiconductor layer has a cross-sectional shape of a U shape, and

wherein the oxide semiconductor layer includes a crystal having a c-axis substantially perpendicular to a surface of the oxide semiconductor layer.

3. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, further comprising a second insulating layer between the gate insulating layer and the source electrode or the drain electrode.

4. The semiconductor device according to claim 1,

wherein the inner wall surface comprises at least a bottom surface of the trench.

5. A semiconductor device comprising:

a first insulating layer;

a first trench in the first insulating layer;

an oxide semiconductor layer in contact with the first insulating layer, wherein the oxide semiconductor layer comprising;

a first region adjacent to a first side wall of the first trench;

a second region adjacent to a bottom surface of the first trench; and

a third region adjacent to a second side wall of the first trench, the first side wall of the first trench being opposite to the second side wall of the first trench;

a source electrode over a first region of the first insulating layer, the source electrode being electrically connected with the oxide semiconductor layer;

a drain electrode over a second region of the first insulating layer, the drain electrode being electrically connected with the oxide semiconductor layer, wherein the first trench is located between the first region of the first insulating layer and the second region of the first insulating layer;

a gate insulating layer adjacent to the oxide semiconductor layer; and

a gate electrode in the first trench and adjacent to the oxide semiconductor layer with the gate insulating layer interposed therebetween,

wherein a portion of the gate electrode is over the source electrode or the drain electrode.

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

a second trench in the first insulating layer; and

a second insulating layer filling the second trench.

7. The semiconductor device according to claim 5,

wherein the gate insulating layer is in contact with a side surface of the oxide semiconductor layer.

8. The semiconductor device according to claim 5,

wherein the oxide semiconductor layer has a cross-sectional shape of a U shape, and

wherein the oxide semiconductor layer includes a crystal having a c-axis substantially perpendicular to a surface of the oxide semiconductor layer.

9. A semiconductor device comprising:

a first insulating layer;

a first trench in the first insulating layer;

a second trench in the first insulating layer;

an oxide semiconductor layer in contact with an inner wall surface of the first trench;

a second insulating layer adjacent to the oxide semiconductor layer, wherein the second insulating layer is adjacent to an inner wall surface of the second trench;

a gate electrode in the first trench and adjacent to the oxide semiconductor layer with the second insulating layer interposed therebetween; and

a third insulating layer filling the second trench,

wherein a top surface of the gate electrode and a top surface of the third insulating layer are aligned.

10. The semiconductor device according to claim 9, further comprising a source electrode or a drain electrode in contact with the oxide semiconductor layer.

11. The semiconductor device according to claim 9,

wherein the second insulating layer is in contact with a side surface of the oxide semiconductor layer.

12. The semiconductor device according to claim 9,

wherein the oxide semiconductor layer has a cross-sectional shape of a U shape, and

wherein the oxide semiconductor layer includes a crystal having a c-axis substantially perpendicular to a surface of the oxide semiconductor layer.

13. The semiconductor device according to claim 9, further comprising a fourth insulating layer in the second trench,

wherein the fourth insulating layer is provided between the second insulating layer and the third insulating layer.

14. The semiconductor device according to claim 10, further comprising a fourth insulating layer between the second insulating layer and the source electrode or the drain electrode.

15. The semiconductor device according to claim 9,

wherein the inner wall surface of the first trench comprises at least a bottom surface of the first trench, and

wherein the inner wall surface of the second trench comprises at least a bottom surface of the second trench.

16. The semiconductor device according to claim 9,

wherein a horizontal position of a bottom of the second trench is deeper than a horizontal position of a bottom of the first trench.

17. A semiconductor device comprising:

a semiconductor substrate;

a first trench in the semiconductor substrate;

an impurity region in the semiconductor substrate;

a first gate insulating layer in contact with an inner wall surface of the first trench;

a first gate electrode in the first trench and over the first gate insulating layer;

a first insulating layer over the first gate electrode and the semiconductor substrate;

a second insulating layer over the first insulating layer;

a second trench in the second insulating layer;

an oxide semiconductor layer in contact with an inner wall surface of the second trench;

a third insulating layer adjacent to the oxide semiconductor layer; and

a second gate electrode in the second trench and adjacent to the oxide semiconductor layer with the third insulating layer interposed therebetween.

18. The semiconductor device according to claim 17, further comprising:

a third trench in the second insulating layer, wherein the third insulating layer is adjacent to an inner wall surface of the third trench; and

a fourth insulating layer filling the third trench.

19. The semiconductor device according to claim 17, further comprising a source electrode or a drain electrode in contact with the oxide semiconductor layer,

wherein the source electrode or the drain electrode is electrically connected to the first gate electrode.

20. The semiconductor device according to claim 17,

wherein the first gate electrode comprises a semiconductor layer and a conductive layer over the semiconductor layer.

21. The semiconductor device according to claim 17, further comprising:

a protective insulating layer over the first gate electrode; and

a sidewall insulating layer in contact with side surfaces of the first gate electrode and the protective insulating layer.

22. The semiconductor device according to claim 17,

wherein the oxide semiconductor layer has a cross-sectional shape of a U shape, and

wherein the oxide semiconductor layer includes a crystal having a c-axis substantially perpendicular to a surface of the oxide semiconductor layer.

23. The semiconductor device according to claim 18,

wherein the inner wall surface of the first trench comprises at least a bottom surface of the first trench, and

wherein the inner wall surface of the second trench comprises at least a bottom surface of the second trench.

24. The semiconductor device according to claim 18,

wherein a horizontal position of a bottom of the third trench is deeper than a horizontal position of a bottom of the second trench.

25. A semiconductor device comprising:

a circuit comprising a transistor comprising a semiconductor material; and

a memory over and electrically connected to the circuit, the memory comprising;

a first insulating layer;

a first trench in the first insulating layer;

an oxide semiconductor layer in contact with an inner wall surface of the first trench;

a second insulating layer adjacent to the oxide semiconductor layer; and

a gate electrode in the first trench and adjacent to the oxide semiconductor layer with the second insulating layer interposed therebetween,

wherein the semiconductor material is different from a material of the oxide semiconductor layer.

26. The semiconductor device according to claim 25, further comprising:

a second trench in the first insulating layer, wherein the second insulating layer is adjacent to an inner wall surface of the second trench; and

a third insulating layer filling the second trench.

27. The semiconductor device according to claim 25, further comprising a source electrode or a drain electrode in contact with the oxide semiconductor layer.

28. The semiconductor device according to claim 25, wherein the second insulating layer is in contact with a side surface of the oxide semiconductor layer.

29. The semiconductor device according to claim 25,

wherein the oxide semiconductor layer has a cross-sectional shape of a U shape, and

wherein the oxide semiconductor layer includes a crystal having a c-axis substantially perpendicular to a surface of the oxide semiconductor layer.

30. The semiconductor device according to claim 25,

wherein the inner wall surface comprises at least a bottom surface of the first trench.

31. The semiconductor device according to claim 26,

wherein the inner wall surface of the first trench comprises at least a bottom surface of the first trench, and

wherein the inner wall surface of the second trench comprises at least a bottom surface of the second trench.

32. The semiconductor device according to claim 26,

wherein a horizontal position of a bottom of the second trench is deeper than a horizontal position of a bottom of the first trench.