Top gate thin film transistor with multiple oxide semiconductor layers

• US 8,901,552 B2
• Filed: 09/07/2011
• Issued: 12/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Yamazaki, Shunpei, Nonaka, Yusuke, Inoue, Takayuki, Tsubuku, Masashi, Akimoto, Kengo, Miyanaga, Akiharu
• Primary Examiner(s): Blum, David S
• Application Number:
  US13/226,713
• Publication Number:
  US 20120061663A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,182 Days
• Field of Search: 257/43, 257/59, 257/347, 257/E21.459, 257/E29.068, 438/104, 438/151, 438/158
• US Class Current: 257/43
• 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 29/04 characterised by their crystalline structure, e.g. polycrystalline, cubic or particular orientation of crystalline planes characterised by physical imperfections H01L29/30
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/24 including, apart from doping materials or other impurities, only semiconductor materials not provided for in groups H01L29/16, H01L29/18, H01L29/20, H01L29/22 including organic materials H10K99/00
• 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

An object is to provide a semiconductor device including an oxide semiconductor film, which has stable electrical characteristics and high reliability. A stack of first and second material films is formed by forming the first material film (a film having a hexagonal crystal structure) having a thickness of 1 nm to 10 nm over an insulating surface and forming the second material film having a hexagonal crystal structure (a crystalline oxide semiconductor film) using the first material film as a nucleus. As the first material film, a material film having a wurtzite crystal structure (e.g., gallium nitride or aluminum nitride) or a material film having a corundum crystal structure (α-Al₂O₃, α-Ga₂O₃, In₂O₃, Ti₂O₃, V₂O₃, Cr₂O₃, or α-Fe₂O₃) is used.

Claims

1. A semiconductor device comprising:

a first material film having a hexagonal crystal structure over an insulating surface;

a second material film having a hexagonal crystal structure on and in contact with the first material film;

a gate insulating layer over the second material film;

an insulating layer over the gate insulating layer, the insulating layer comprising an opening portion; and

a gate electrode layer over the insulating layer, the gate electrode layer being in contact with the gate insulating layer through the opening portion;

wherein the second material film is thicker than the first material film.

2. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the first material film comprises gallium oxide or aluminum oxide.

3. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the first material film comprises α

-Al₂O₃, α

-Ga₂O₃, In₂O₃, Ti₂O₃, V₂O₃, Cr₂O₃, or α

-Fe₂O₃.

4. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the second material film comprises zinc, indium, or gallium.

5. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, further comprising an n+ layer over the second material film, a source electrode and a drain electrode over the n+ layer.

6. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, further comprising an insulating layer over the gate electrode layer.

7. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the gate insulating layer comprises silicon oxide, silicon oxynitride, silicon nitride oxide, aluminum oxide, aluminum oxynitride, or aluminum nitride oxide.

9. The semiconductor device according to claim 5, wherein the n+ layer comprises indium oxide, indium zinc oxide, tin oxide, or indium tin oxide.

8. A semiconductor device comprising:

a first insulating layer over a substrate;

an oxide semiconductor layer over the first insulating layer;

a second insulating layer over the oxide semiconductor layer;

a third insulating layer over the second insulating layer, the third insulating layer comprising an opening portion; and

a gate electrode layer over the third insulating layer, the gate electrode layer being in contact with the second insulating layer through the opening portion,

wherein the first insulating layer has a corundum crystal structure.

10. The semiconductor device according to claim 8, further comprising an n+ layer over the oxide semiconductor layer, a source electrode and a drain electrode over the n+ layer.

11. The semiconductor device according to claim 8, wherein the first insulating layer comprises aluminum nitride or aluminum oxide.

12. The semiconductor device according to claim 8, wherein the oxide semiconductor layer comprises zinc, indium, or gallium.

13. The semiconductor device according to claim 8, further comprising an insulating layer over the gate electrode layer.

14. The semiconductor device according to claim 10, wherein the n+ layer comprises indium oxide, indium zinc oxide, tin oxide, or indium tin oxide.

15. The semiconductor device according to claim 8, wherein the second insulating layer comprises silicon oxide, silicon oxynitride, silicon nitride oxide, aluminum oxide, aluminum oxynitride, or aluminum nitride oxide.

16. A semiconductor device comprising:

a first oxide semiconductor layer over a substrate;

a second oxide semiconductor layer over the first oxide semiconductor layer;

a third oxide semiconductor layer over the second oxide semiconductor layer;

a first insulating layer over the third oxide semiconductor layer;

a second insulating layer over the first insulating layer, the second insulating layer comprising an opening portion; and

a gate electrode layer over the second insulating layer, the gate electrode layer being in contact with the first insulating layer through the opening portion,

wherein the first oxide semiconductor layer has a corundum crystal structure.

17. The semiconductor device according to claim 16, wherein the first oxide semiconductor layer comprises gallium oxide.

18. The semiconductor device according to claim 16, wherein the second oxide semiconductor layer comprises zinc, indium, or gallium.

19. The semiconductor device according to claim 16, further comprising a source electrode and a drain electrode over the third oxide semiconductor layer.

20. The semiconductor device according to claim 16, wherein the third oxide semiconductor layer comprises indium oxide, indium zinc oxide, tin oxide, or indium tin oxide.