Thin film metal oxynitride semiconductors

• US 8,980,066 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2008
• Issued: 03/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: Ye, Yan
• Primary Examiner(s): MCDONALD, RODNEY GLENN
• Application Number:
  US12/049,017
• Publication Number:
  US 20090233424A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,559 Days
• Field of Search: 204/192.15, 204/192.17, 204/192.25
• US Class Current: 204/192.25
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/0063 characterised by means for introducing or removing gases
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/0676 Oxynitrides
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/3408 Planar magnetron sputtering
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/3429 Plural materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02521 Materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0254 Nitrides
• 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 21/02573 Conductivity type
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02631 Physical deposition at reduced pressure, e.g. MBE, sputtering, evaporation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/26 including, apart from doping materials or other impurities, elements provided for in two or more of the groups H01L29/16, H01L29/18, H01L29/20, H01L29/22, H01L29/24 , e.g. alloys
• 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: H01L 31/18 Processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment of these devices or of parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/20 such devices or parts thereof comprising amorphous semiconductor materials
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/50 Photovoltaic [PV] energy

Abstract

The present invention generally relates to a semiconductor film and a method of depositing the semiconductor film. The semiconductor film comprises oxygen, nitrogen, and one or more elements selected from the group consisting of zinc, cadmium, gallium, indium, and tin. Additionally, the semiconductor film may be doped. The semiconductor film may be deposited by applying an electrical bias to a sputtering target comprising the one or more elements selected from the group consisting of zinc, cadmium, gallium, indium, and tin, and introducing a nitrogen containing gas and an oxygen containing gas. The sputtering target may optionally be doped. The semiconductor film has a mobility greater than amorphous silicon. After annealing, the semiconductor film has a mobility greater than polysilicon.

Claims

1. A sputtering method comprising:

flowing an oxygen containing gas, an inert gas, and a nitrogen containing gas into a processing chamber;

applying a DC electrical bias to a sputtering target comprising a dopant and one or more metals selected from the group consisting of zinc, gallium, cadmium, indium, and tin;

depositing a semiconductor layer on a substrate, the semiconductor layer comprising the one or more metals, the dopant, oxygen, and nitrogen, wherein at least a portion of the semiconductor layer comprises an oxynitride compound;

increasing the ratio of the flow rates of the nitrogen containing gas to the oxygen containing gas during deposition of the semiconductor layer to increase electron mobility of the semiconductor layer, wherein the ratio of the flow rates of the nitrogen containing gas to the oxygen containing gas is above about 10;

1, wherein the oxygen containing gas has a flow rate of greater than 10 sccm, and wherein the semiconductor layer has an electron mobility that is greater than 20 times an electron mobility of amorphous silicon; and

annealing the deposited semiconductor layer at a temperature above about 250 degrees Celsius, wherein the semiconductor layer has an electron mobility of greater than 90 cm²/V-s.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the semiconductor layer comprises two or more metals selected from the group consisting of zinc, gallium, cadmium, indium, and tin.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the dopant is selected from the group consisting of aluminum, tin, gallium, calcium, silicon, titanium, copper, germanium, indium, nickel, chromium, vanadium, magnesium, and combinations thereof.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the semiconductor layer further comprises a nitride compound.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the semiconductor layer is amorphous or has a nanocrystalline structure.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the nitrogen containing gas and the oxygen containing gas are separate gases.