Oxide semiconductor film and semiconductor device

• US 8,860,022 B2
• Filed: 04/15/2013
• Issued: 10/14/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Yokoyama, Shuhei, Hamochi, Takashi, Hosaka, Yasuharu, Sasaki, Toshinari, Nonaka, Yusuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Dang, Trung Q
• Application Number:
  US13/862,716
• Publication Number:
  US 20130285045A1
• Time in Patent Office: 547 Days
• Field of Search: 257/43
• 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
• 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

A method for evaluating an oxide semiconductor film, a method for evaluating a transistor including an oxide semiconductor film, a transistor which includes an oxide semiconductor film and has favorable switching characteristics, and an oxide semiconductor film which is applicable to a transistor and enables the transistor to have favorable switching characteristics are provided. A PL spectrum of an oxide semiconductor film obtained by low-temperature PL spectroscopy has a first curve whose local maximum value is found in a range of 1.6 eV or more and 1.8 eV or less and a second curve whose local maximum value is found in a range of 1.7 eV or more and 2.4 eV or less. A value obtained by dividing the area of the second curve by the sum of the area of the first curve and the area of the second curve is 0.1 or more and less than 1.

Claims

1. A transistor comprising:

an oxide semiconductor film comprising at least one of indium, gallium, tin, hafnium, and zinc,

wherein the oxide semiconductor film is configured to give a first photoluminescence spectrum having a first peak and a second photoluminescence spectrum having a second peak,

wherein the first peak is located in a range of greater than or equal to 1.6 eV and less than or equal to 1.8 eV,

wherein the second peak is located in a range of greater than or equal to 1.7 eV and less than or equal to 2.4 eV, and

wherein a ratio of an area of the second photoluminescence spectrum to a sum of an area of the first photoluminescence spectrum and the area of the second photoluminescence spectrum is greater than or equal to 0.1 and less than 1.

3. The transistor according to claim 1, wherein the oxide semiconductor film comprises a crystalline portion.

10. The transistor according to claim 1, further comprising a silicon oxynitride film over and in contact with the oxide semiconductor film,

wherein the silicon oxynitride film is formed by a chemical vapor deposition method in which a pressure in a chamber is set to 200 Pa or 250 Pa.

11. The transistor according to claim 1, wherein hydrogen concentration of the oxide semiconductor film is lower than or equal to 5×

10¹⁹ atoms/cm³.

12. The transistor according to claim 1, wherein off-state current of the transistor is lower than or equal to 1×

10<sup>−

21</sup> A.

2. A transistor comprising:

an oxide semiconductor film;

a gate insulating film in contact with the oxide semiconductor film; and

a gate electrode overlapping with the oxide semiconductor film with the gate insulating film therebetween,

wherein the oxide semiconductor film comprises at least one of indium, gallium, tin, hafnium, and zinc,

wherein the oxide semiconductor film is configured to give a first photoluminescence spectrum having a first peak and a second photoluminescence spectrum having a second peak,

wherein the first peak is located in a range of greater than or equal to 1.6 eV and less than or equal to 1.8 eV,

wherein the second peak is located in a range of greater than or equal to 1.7 eV and less than or equal to 2.4 eV, and

wherein a ratio of an area of the second photoluminescence spectrum to a sum of an area of the first photoluminescence spectrum and the area of the second photoluminescence spectrum is greater than or equal to 0.1 and less than 1.

4. The transistor according to claim 2, wherein the oxide semiconductor film comprises a crystalline portion.

5. A liquid crystal display device including the transistor according to claim 2.

6. A light-emitting display device including the transistor according to claim 2.

7. A lighting device including the transistor according to claim 2.

8. An electronic device including the transistor according to claim 2.

9. A portable information terminal including the transistor according to claim 2.

13. The transistor according to claim 2, further comprising a silicon oxynitride film over and in contact with the oxide semiconductor film,

wherein the silicon oxynitride film is formed by a chemical vapor deposition method in which a pressure in a chamber is set to 200 Pa or 250 Pa, and

wherein the oxide semiconductor film is over the gate electrode.

14. The transistor according to claim 2,

wherein the gate electrode is over the oxide semiconductor film,

wherein the gate insulating film is a silicon oxynitride film, and

wherein the silicon oxynitride film is formed by a chemical vapor deposition method in which a pressure in a chamber is set to 200 Pa or 250 Pa.

15. The transistor according to claim 2, wherein a hydrogen concentration of the oxide semiconductor film is lower than or equal to 5×

10¹⁹ atoms/cm³.

16. The transistor according to claim 2, wherein off-state current of the transistor is lower than or equal to 1×

10<sup>−

21</sup> A.