Amorphous multi-component metallic thin films for electronic devices

• US 8,822,978 B2
• Filed: 04/23/2013
• Issued: 09/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oregon State University (Oregon University System)
• Original Assignee: State of Oregon Acting By and Through The STA
• Inventors: Cowell, E. William III, Wager, John F., Gibbons, Brady J., Keszler, Douglas A.
• Primary Examiner(s): DIALLO, MAMADOU L
• Application Number:
  US13/868,308
• Publication Number:
  US 20140191197A1
• Time in Patent Office: 497 Days
• Field of Search: 25/29, 255/06, 25E/210.02, 25E/291.73, 25E/293.27
• US Class Current: 257/29
• CPC Class Codes: C22C 16/00 Alloys based on zirconium
• CPC Class Codes: C22C 45/10 with molybdenum, tungsten, niobium, tantalum, titanium, or zirconium or Hf as the major constituent
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/66265 Thin film bipolar transistors H01L29/66242 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/66272 Silicon vertical transistors H01L29/66242, H01L29/66257 and H01L29/66265 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/7311 Tunnel transistors
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/7317 Bipolar thin film transistors
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/732 Vertical transistors
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 70/00 Solid-state devices having no potential barriers, and specially adapted for rectifying, amplifying, oscillating or switching integrated devices or assemblies of multiple devices H10N79/00

Abstract

An electronic structure comprising: (a) a first metal layer; (b) a second metal layer; (c) and at least one insulator layer located between the first metal layer and the second metal layer, wherein at least one of the metal layers comprises an amorphous multi-component metallic film. In certain embodiments, the construct is a metal-insulator-metal (MIM) diode.

Claims

1. An amorphous multi-component metallic film electronic device, comprising:

(a) a first electrode comprising a first metal layer;

(b) a second electrode comprising a second metal layer; and

(c) an intermediate layer located between the first metal layer and the second metal layer comprising at least one of an insulator and a semiconductor,

wherein at least one of the metal layers comprises an amorphous multi-component metallic film, and wherein the electrodes and intermediate layer are structured to form a diode.

2. The amorphous multi-component metallic device according to claim 1, wherein the first electrode comprises an emitter electrode, the second electrode comprises a base electrode, and the intermediate layer comprises an emitter layer, and wherein the device comprises a collector electrode and collector layer disposed between the collector electrode and base electrode, the collector layer comprising at least one of an insulator and a semiconductor, and wherein the base electrode, collector electrode, emitter electrode, collector layer, and emitter layer cooperate to provide a vertical transport thin-film transistor.

3. The amorphous multi-component metallic film electronic device of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the amorphous multi-component metallic film has a resistivity of at least 100 μ

Ω

-cm.

4. The amorphous multi-component metallic film electronic device of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the amorphous multi-component metallic film comprises at least one element selected from Groups IV, V, VI, X, XI, XIII, XIV, Mg, and Zn.

5. The amorphous multi-component metallic film electronic device of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the first metal layer has a thickness of 10 to 500 nm, the intermediate layer has a thickness of 1 to 50 nm, and the second metal layer has a thickness of at least 1 nm.

6. The amorphous multi-component metallic film electronic device of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the amorphous multi-component metallic film comprises at least about 2-4 element components comprising a Group IV element, a Group V element, a Group VI element, a Group X element, a Group XI element, a Group XIII element, a Group XIV element, Mg, Zn, or a combinations thereof.

7. The amorphous multi-component metallic film electronic device of claim 6, wherein the amorphous multi-component metallic film comprises Ti, Al, or a combination thereof.

8. The amorphous multi-component metallic film electronic device of claim 6, wherein the amorphous multi-component metallic film comprises Al, Zr, Cu, Ni, or a combination thereof.

9. The amorphous multi-component metallic film electronic device of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the first and second metal layers each comprise an amorphous multi-component metallic film.

10. The amorphous multi-component metallic film electronic device of claim 9, wherein the first metal layer comprises at least one elemental component that differs from the elemental components of the second metal layer.

11. The amorphous multi-component metallic film electronic device of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein at least one of the electrodes comprises Ru, Ir, Pt, Al, Au, Ag, Nb, Mo, W, Ti, Cu, or a combination thereof.

12. The amorphous multi-component metallic film electronic device of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein at least one of the electrodes comprises a metal nitride.

13. The amorphous multi-component metallic film electronic device of claim 12, wherein the metal nitride comprises TiN, TaN, WN, NbN, or a combination thereof.

14. The amorphous multi-component metallic film electronic device of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the intermediate layer comprises Al₂O₃, aluminum phosphate, silicon dioxide, a metal halide, zirconium oxide, hafnium dioxide, titanium dioxide, SnO₂, ZnO or a combination thereof.

15. The amorphous multi-component metallic film electronic device of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the amorphous multi-component metallic film has a resistivity of at least about 100 μ

Ω

-cm.

16. The amorphous multi-component metallic film electronic device of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the amorphous multi-component metallic film has a surface having a root mean square (RMS) roughness of less than about 3 nm.

17. The amorphous multi-component metallic film electronic device of claim 16, wherein the RMS roughness is less than about 0.5 nm.

18. The amorphous multi-component metallic film electronic device of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the amorphous multi-component metallic film has a thickness of less than about 200 nm.

19. A method for making an amorphous multi-component metallic film electronic device, comprising:

forming a first electrode comprising a first metal layer;

forming an intermediate layer comprising at least one of an insulator and a semiconductor over the first metal layer; and

forming a second electrode comprising a second metal layer over the intermediate layer, wherein at least one of the metal layers comprises an amorphous multi-component metallic film, and wherein the electrodes and intermediate layer are structured with the intermediate layer disposed between the electrodes to provide a diode.

20. The method according to claim 19, comprising forming collector layer comprising at least one of an insulator and a semiconductor over the second electrode and forming a collector electrode over the collector layer, wherein the first electrode, second electrode, collector electrode, collector layer, and intermediate layer are structured to form a vertical transport thin-film transistor.

21. The method according to claim 19 or claim 20, wherein the amorphous multi-component metallic film is formed via sputtering, and the intermediate layer is formed via one or more of sputtering, atomic layer deposition, plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition, and solution processing.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein the sputtering is DC magnetron sputtering.

23. The method according to claim 19 or claim 20, wherein the electrodes are disposed in direct contact with the intermediate layer.

24. The method according to claim 19 or claim 20, wherein the first electrode comprises an amorphous multi-component metallic film formed via sputtering, and the intermediate layer and the second electrode are each individually formed via sputtering, atomic layer deposition, plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition, or solution processing.

25. The method according to claim 19 or claim 20, wherein the amorphous multi-component metallic film comprises at least one element selected from Groups IV, V, VI, X, XI, XIII, XIV, Mg, and Zn.