In-Ga-Sn oxide sinter, target, oxide semiconductor film, and semiconductor element

• US 8,999,208 B2
• Filed: 02/22/2011
• Issued: 04/07/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Idemitsu Kosan Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Idemitsu Kosan Company Limited
• Inventors: Itose, Masayuki, Kasami, Masashi, Yano, Koki, Nishimura, Mami
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Khanh Tuan
• Application Number:
  US13/580,355
• Publication Number:
  US 20120313057A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,505 Days
• Field of Search: 252/518.1, 252/520.1, 204/192.1, 204/298.01, 204/298.13, 257/59, 257/43
• US Class Current: 252/520.1
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/3284 Zinc oxides, zincates, cadmium oxides, cadmiates, mercury oxides, mercurates or oxide forming salts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/3286 Gallium oxides, gallates, indium oxides, indates, thallium oxides, thallates or oxide forming salts thereof, e.g. zinc gallate
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/3293 Tin oxides, stannates or oxide forming salts thereof, e.g. indium tin oxide [ITO]
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/5409 expressed by specific surface values
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/604 Pressing at temperatures other than sintering temperatures
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/656 characterised by specific heating conditions during heat treatment
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/6562 Heating rate
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/6565 Cooling rate
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/6567 Treatment time
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/658 Atmosphere during thermal treatment
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/6585 at an oxygen percentage above that of air
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/76 Crystal structural characteristics, e.g. symmetry
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/77 Density
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/95 Products characterised by their size, e.g. microceramics
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2237/02 Aspects relating to interlayers, e.g. used to join ceramic articles with other articles by heating
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2237/10 Glass interlayers, e.g. frit or flux
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2237/34 Oxidic
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2237/407 Copper
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/01 based on oxide ceramics
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/457 based on tin oxides or stannates
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/6261 : Milling
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/62655 : Drying, e.g. freeze-drying, spray-drying, microwave or supercritical drying
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/62675 : characterised by the treatment temperature
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/62695 : Granulation or pelletising devices for shaping artificial aggregates from ceramic mixtures B28B1/004
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 37/026 : consisting of metals or metal salts
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/086 : of zinc, germanium, cadmium, indium, tin, thallium or bismuth
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/3414 : Metallurgical or chemical aspects of target preparation, e.g. casting, powder metallurgy
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02422 : Non-crystalline insulating materials, e.g. glass, polymers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02488 : Insulating materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02565 : Oxide semiconducting materials not being Group 12/16 materials, e.g. ternary compounds
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02631 : Physical deposition at reduced pressure, e.g. MBE, sputtering, evaporation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/66969 : of devices having semiconductor bodies not comprising group 14 or group 13/15 materials comprising selenium or tellurium in uncombined form other than as impurities in semiconductor bodies of other materials, comprising cuprous oxide or cuprous iodide H01L21/02365
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/78693 : the semiconducting oxide being amorphous

Abstract

An oxide sintered body including indium element (In), gallium element (Ga) and tin element (Sn) in atomic ratios represented by the following formulas (1) to (3):
0.10≦In/(In+Ga+Sn)≦0.60  (1)
0.10≦Ga/(In+Ga+Sn)≦0.55  (2)
0.0001<Sn/(In+Ga+Sn)≦0.60  (3).

Claims

1. An oxide sintered body comprising indium element (In), gallium element (Ga) and tin element (Sn) in atomic ratios represented by the following formulas (1) to (3), wherein the content of zinc element (Zn) is 10000 ppm or less:

0.10≦

In/(In+Ga+Sn)≦

0.60 

 

(1)

0.30<

Ga/(In+Ga+Sn)≦

0.55 

 

(2)

0.0001<

Sn/(In+Ga+Sn)≦

0.30 

 

(3).

2. The oxide sintered body according to claim 1 wherein the atomic ratio of In, Ga and Sn satisfies the following formulas (4) and (5):

0.01≦

Sn/(In+Ga+Sn)≦

0.30 

 

(4)

0.30<

Ga/(In+Ga+Sn)≦

0.55 

 

(5).

3. The oxide sintered body according to claim 1, wherein the atomic ratio of In, Ga and Sn satisfies the following formula (7):

0.10≦

/(In+Ga+Sn)<

0.60 

 

(7).

4. The oxide sintered body according to claim 1, which comprises a compound having a crystal structure represented by Ga₃₋

xIn_5+xSn₂O₁₆ wherein X is 0 to 1.

5. A sputtering target using the oxide sintered body according to claim 1.

6. A method for producing the sputtering target according to claim 5 comprising the steps of:

(a) mixing raw material compound powder to prepare a mixture;

(b) shaping the mixture to prepare a shaped body having an average thickness of 5.5 mm or more;

(c) sintering the shaped body at 1280°

C. or more and 1520°

C. or less for 2 hours or longer and 96 hours or shorter;

(d) grinding the surface of the sintered body obtained in step (c) by 0.3 mm or more; and

(e) bonding the sintered body to a backing plate.

7. The oxide sintered body according to claim 1, wherein the atomic ratio of In, Ga and Sn satisfies the following formula:

Sn/(In+Ga+Sn)≦

0.20.

8. An oxide semiconductor film comprising indium element (In), gallium element (Ga) and tin element (Sn) in an atomic ratio represented by the following formulas (1) to (3) and having an electron carrier density of 10¹⁴ cm⁻

3 or more and 10¹⁹ cm<sup>−

3</sup>or less, wherein the content of zinc element (Zn) is 10000 ppm or less;

0.10≦

In/(In+Ga+Sn)0.60 

 

(1)

0.30<

Ga/(In+Ga+Sn)≦

0.55 

 

(2)

0.0001<

Sn/(ln+Ga+Sn)≦

0 0.30 

 

(3).

9. A semiconductor device using the oxide semiconductor film according to claim 8.

10. The oxide semiconductor film according to claim 8 wherein the, atomic ratio of In, Ga and Sn satisfies the following formula:

Sn/(In+Ga+Sn)≦

0.20.