Oxide semiconductor, thin film transistor, and display device

• US 9,136,389 B2
• Filed: 10/19/2009
• Issued: 09/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Yamazaki, Shunpei, Sasaki, Toshinari, Hosoba, Miyuki, Ito, Shunichi, Sakata, Junichiro
• Primary Examiner(s): MCCALL SHEPARD, SONYA D
• Application Number:
  US12/581,200
• Publication Number:
  US 20100102312A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,157 Days
• Field of Search: 257/43, 257/59, 257/E29.079, 257/E29.08, 257/E29.09
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 29/45 Ohmic electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/78618 characterised by the drain or the source properties, e.g. the doping structure, the composition, the sectional shape or the contact structure silicide contacts, electrodes in general H01L29/458
• 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 control composition and a defect of an oxide semiconductor. Another object is to increase field effect mobility of a thin film transistor and to obtain a sufficient on-off ratio with off current suppressed. The oxide semiconductor is represented by InMO₃(ZnO)_n (M is one or a plurality of elements selected from Ga, Fe, Ni, Mn, Co, and Al, and n is a non-integer number of greater than or equal to 1 and less than 50) and further contains hydrogen. In this case, the concentration of Zn is made to be lower than the concentrations of In and M (M is one or a plurality of elements selected from Ga, Fe, Ni, Mn, Co, and Al). In addition, the oxide semiconductor has an amorphous structure. Here, n is preferably a non-integer number of greater than or equal to 50, more preferably less than 10.

Claims

1. A thin film transistor comprising:

a first oxide insulating layer;

an oxide semiconductor as a channel formation region, over the first oxide insulating layer;

a second oxide insulating layer over the oxide semiconductor; and

an insulating layer over the second oxide insulating layer,

wherein the insulating layer prevents water vapor of an external environment from entering into the oxide semiconductor,

wherein the oxide semiconductor contains hydrogen higher than or equal to 1×

10¹⁸/cm³ and lower than or equal to 5×

10²⁰/cm³ and the concentration of hydrogen is higher at an interface of the oxide semiconductor with the first oxide insulating layer than in the inside of the oxide semiconductor, and

wherein the oxide semiconductor comprises In, Zn, and M (M is one or a plurality of elements selected from a group consisting of Ga, Fe, Ni, Mn, Co, and Al) as components.

2. The thin film transistor according to claim 1, wherein In and M are each contained at a concentration of greater than or equal to 15.0 atomic % and less than or equal to 20.0 atomic %, and Zn is contained at a concentration of greater than or equal to 5.0 atomic % and less than or equal to 10.0 atomic %.

3. The thin film transistor according to claim 1, wherein the oxide semiconductor has an amorphous structure.

4. The thin film transistor according to claim 1, wherein the second oxide insulating layer is provided in contact with the oxide semiconductor and contains hydrogen.

5. The thin film transistor according to claim 1, wherein a nitride insulating layer is provided under the oxide semiconductor.

6. The thin film transistor according to claim 1, wherein the thin film transistor is provided in at least one pixel.

7. The thin film transistor according to claim 6, wherein the thin film transistor is provided in a driver circuit for controlling a signal to be transmitted to the thin film transistor provided in the pixel.

8. The thin film transistor according to claim 1,

wherein the oxide semiconductor comprises Ar, and

wherein the oxide semiconductor includes nanocrystals.

9. The thin film transistor according to claim 1, wherein the insulating layer comprises one of nitrogen and aluminum.

29. The thin film transistor according to claim 1, further comprising a source electrode and a drain electrode,

wherein the oxide semiconductor is entirely enclosed by the source electrode, the drain electrode, the first oxide insulating layer and the second oxide insulating layer.

10. A thin film transistor comprising:

a gate electrode;

a first oxide insulating layer as a gate insulator, over the gate electrode;

an oxide semiconductor as a channel formation region, over the first oxide insulating layer;

a second oxide insulating layer over the oxide semiconductor; and

an insulating layer over the second oxide insulating layer,

wherein the insulating layer prevents water vapor of an external environment from entering into the oxide semiconductor,

wherein the oxide semiconductor contains hydrogen higher than or equal to 1×

10¹⁸/cm³ and lower than or equal to 5×

10²⁰/cm³ and the concentration of hydrogen is higher at an interface of the oxide semiconductor with the first oxide insulating layer than in the inside of the oxide semiconductor, and

wherein the oxide semiconductor comprises In, Zn, and M (M is one or a plurality of elements selected from a group consisting of Ga, Fe, Ni, Mn, Co, and Al) as components.

11. The thin film transistor according to claim 10, wherein In and M are each contained at a concentration of greater than or equal to 15.0 atomic % and less than or equal to 20.0 atomic %, and Zn is contained at a concentration of greater than or equal to 5.0 atomic % and less than or equal to 10.0 atomic %.

12. The thin film transistor according to claim 10, wherein the oxide semiconductor has an amorphous structure.

13. The thin film transistor according to claim 10, wherein the second oxide insulating layer containing hydrogen is provided in contact with the oxide semiconductor.

14. The thin film transistor according to claim 10, wherein a nitride insulating layer is provided under the oxide semiconductor.

15. The thin film transistor according to claim 10, wherein the thin film transistor is provided in at least one pixel.

16. The thin film transistor according to claim 15, wherein the thin film transistor is provided in a driver circuit for controlling a signal to be transmitted to the thin film transistor provided in the pixel.

17. The thin film transistor according to claim 10,

wherein the oxide semiconductor comprises Ar, and

wherein the oxide semiconductor includes nanocrystals.

18. The thin film transistor according to claim 10, wherein the insulating layer comprises one of nitrogen and aluminum.

19. A thin film transistor comprising:

a source electrode;

a drain electrode;

a gate electrode;

a first oxide insulating layer as a gate insulator, over the gate electrode;

an oxide semiconductor as a channel formation region, over the first oxide insulating layer;

a second oxide insulating layer over the oxide semiconductor; and

an insulating layer over the second oxide insulating layer,

wherein the insulating layer prevents water vapor of an external environment from entering into the oxide semiconductor,

wherein the oxide semiconductor contains hydrogen higher than or equal to 1×

10¹⁸/cm³ and lower than or equal to 5×

10²⁰/cm³ and the concentration of hydrogen is higher at an interface of the oxide semiconductor with the first oxide insulating layer than in the inside of the oxide semiconductor, and

wherein the oxide semiconductor comprises In, Zn, and M (M is one or a plurality of elements selected from a group consisting of Ga, Fe, Ni, Mn, Co, and Al) as components.

20. The thin film transistor according to claim 19, wherein In and M are each contained at a concentration of greater than or equal to 15.0 atomic % and less than or equal to 20.0 atomic %, and Zn is contained at a concentration of greater than or equal to 5.0 atomic % and less than or equal to 10.0 atomic %.

21. The thin film transistor according to claim 19, wherein the oxide semiconductor has an amorphous structure.

22. The thin film transistor according to claim 19, wherein the second oxide insulating layer is provided in contact with the oxide semiconductor and contains hydrogen.

23. The thin film transistor according to claim 19, wherein a nitride insulating layer is provided under the oxide semiconductor.

24. The thin film transistor according to claim 19, wherein the thin film transistor is provided in at least one pixel.

25. The thin film transistor according to claim 24, wherein the thin film transistor is provided in a driver circuit for controlling a signal to be transmitted to the thin film transistor provided in the pixel.

26. The thin film transistor according to claim 19,

wherein the oxide semiconductor comprises Ar, and

wherein the oxide semiconductor includes nanocrystals.

27. The thin film transistor according to claim 19, wherein the insulating layer comprises one of nitrogen and aluminum.

28. The thin film transistor according to claim 19, wherein the source electrode and the drain electrode are in contact with a bottom surface of the oxide semiconductor.

30. The thin film transistor according to claim 19, wherein the oxide semiconductor is entirely enclosed by the source electrode, the drain electrode, the first oxide insulating layer and the second oxide insulating layer.