Semiconductor device

• US 9,257,569 B2
• Filed: 10/22/2013
• Issued: 02/09/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Yamazaki, Shunpei, Koyama, Jun, Kato, Kiyoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, David
• Application Number:
  US14/060,447
• Publication Number:
  US 20140110704A1
• Time in Patent Office: 840 Days
• Field of Search: 257/365
• 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 29/41733 for thin film transistors with insulated gate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/42384 for thin film field effect transistors, e.g. characterised by the thickness or the shape of the insulator or the dimensions, the shape or the lay-out of the conductor
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/78645 with multiple gate
• 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 29/788 with floating gate H01L29/78391 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H10B 41/70 the floating gate being an electrode shared by two or more components

Abstract

A semiconductor device includes an oxide layer, a source electrode layer in contact with the oxide layer, a first drain electrode layer in contact with the oxide layer, a second drain electrode layer in contact with the oxide layer, a gate insulating film in contact with the oxide layer, a first gate electrode layer overlapping with the source electrode layer and the first drain electrode layer and overlapping with a top surface of the oxide layer with the gate insulating film interposed therebetween, a second gate electrode layer overlapping with the source electrode layer and the second drain electrode layer and overlapping with the top surface of the oxide layer with the gate insulating film interposed therebetween, and a third gate electrode layer overlapping with a side surface of the oxide layer with the gate insulating film interposed therebetween.

Claims

1. A semiconductor device comprising a first transistor, the first transistor comprising:

an oxide layer comprising a channel formation region;

a source electrode layer in contact with the oxide layer;

a first drain electrode layer in contact with the oxide layer;

a second drain electrode layer in contact with the oxide layer;

a gate insulating film in contact with the oxide layer;

a first gate electrode layer overlapping with a part of the source electrode layer, the first drain electrode layer, and a part of the oxide layer with the gate insulating film interposed therebetween;

a second gate electrode layer overlapping with the other part of the source electrode layer, the second drain electrode layer, and the other part of the oxide layer with the gate insulating film interposed therebetween; and

a third gate electrode layer overlapping with a side surface of the oxide layer with the gate insulating film interposed therebetween,

wherein the first drain electrode layer and the second drain electrode layer are separated from each other by a space overlapping with the oxide layer.

2. The semiconductor device according to claim 1,

wherein the source electrode layer and the first drain electrode layer are placed in substantially parallel to a channel length direction of the first transistor,

wherein the source electrode layer and the second drain electrode layer are placed in substantially parallel to the channel length direction of the first transistor, and

wherein the first and the second gate electrode layers are placed in substantially parallel to a channel width direction of the first transistor.

3. The semiconductor device according to claim 1,

wherein the oxide layer comprises crystal, and

wherein c-axes of the crystal are aligned in a direction parallel to a normal vector of a surface where the oxide layer is formed or a normal vector of a surface of the oxide layer.

4. The semiconductor device according to claim 1,

wherein the oxide layer comprises crystal, and

wherein triangular or hexagonal atomic arrangement is formed when seen from a direction perpendicular to an a-b plane of the crystal, and metal atoms are arranged in a layered manner or metal atoms and oxygen atoms are arranged in a layered manner when seen from a direction perpendicular to c-axes of the crystal.

5. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the oxide layer comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of an In-based metal oxide, a Zn-based metal oxide, an In—

Zn-based metal oxide, and an In—

Ga—

Zn-based metal oxide.

6. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a second transistor having a gate electrode layer electrically connected to the first drain electrode layer; and

a third transistor having a gate electrode layer electrically connected to the second drain electrode layer,

wherein electric charge accumulated in the gate electrode layer of the second transistor is held as first data in accordance with a potential of the first gate electrode layer, and

wherein electric charge accumulated in the gate electrode layer of the third transistor is held as second data in accordance with a potential of the second gate electrode layer.

7. The semiconductor device according to claim 6, wherein the first data and the second data are two or more bits of data.

8. A semiconductor device comprising a first transistor, the first transistor comprising:

a first oxide layer;

a second oxide layer;

an oxide semiconductor layer comprising a channel formation region between the first oxide layer and the second oxide layer;

a source electrode layer electrically connected to the oxide semiconductor layer;

a first drain electrode layer electrically connected to the oxide semiconductor layer;

a second drain electrode layer electrically connected to the oxide semiconductor layer;

a gate insulating film over the oxide semiconductor layer;

a first gate electrode layer overlapping with a part of the source electrode layer, the first drain electrode layer, and a part of the oxide semiconductor layer with the gate insulating film interposed therebetween;

a second gate electrode layer overlapping with the other part of the source electrode layer, the second drain electrode layer, and the other part of the oxide semiconductor layer with the gate insulating film interposed therebetween; and

a third gate electrode layer overlapping with a side surface of the oxide semiconductor layer with the gate insulating film interposed therebetween,

wherein the first drain electrode layer and the second drain electrode layer are separated from each other by a space overlapping with the oxide semiconductor layer.

9. The semiconductor device according to claim 8,

wherein the source electrode layer and the first drain electrode layer are placed in substantially parallel to a channel length direction of the first transistor,

wherein the source electrode layer and the second drain electrode layer are placed in substantially parallel to the channel length direction of the first transistor, and

wherein the first and the second gate electrode layers are placed in substantially parallel to a channel width direction of the first transistor.

10. The semiconductor device according to claim 8,

wherein the oxide semiconductor layer comprises crystal, and

wherein c-axes of the crystal are aligned in a direction parallel to a normal vector of a surface where the oxide semiconductor layer is formed or a normal vector of a surface of the oxide semiconductor layer.

11. The semiconductor device according to claim 8,

wherein the oxide semiconductor layer comprises crystal, and

wherein triangular or hexagonal atomic arrangement is formed when seen from a direction perpendicular to an a-b plane of the crystal, and metal atoms are arranged in a layered manner or metal atoms and oxygen atoms are arranged in a layered manner when seen from a direction perpendicular to c-axes of the crystal.

12. The semiconductor device according to claim 8, wherein the oxide semiconductor layer comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of an In-based metal oxide, a Zn-based metal oxide, an In—

Zn-based metal oxide, and an In—

Ga—

Zn-based metal oxide.

13. The semiconductor device according to claim 8, further comprising a third oxide layer in contact with the side surface of the oxide semiconductor layer,

wherein the oxide semiconductor layer is surrounded by the first oxide layer, the second oxide layer, and the third oxide layer.

14. The semiconductor device according to claim 13,

wherein the third oxide layer is in contact with the gate insulating film, and

wherein at least a part of a surface of the third oxide layer in contact with the gate insulating film is a curved surface.

15. The semiconductor device according to claim 8, further comprising:

a second transistor having a gate electrode layer electrically connected to the first drain electrode layer; and

a third transistor having a gate electrode layer electrically connected to the second drain electrode layer,

wherein electric charge accumulated in the gate electrode layer of the second transistor is held as first data in accordance with a potential of the first gate electrode layer, and

wherein electric charge accumulated in the gate electrode layer of the third transistor is held as second data in accordance with a potential of the second gate electrode layer.

16. The semiconductor device according to claim 15, wherein the first data and the second data are two or more bits of data.

17. A semiconductor device comprising a first transistor, the first transistor comprising:

an oxide semiconductor layer over a substrate;

a source electrode layer over the oxide semiconductor layer;

a first drain electrode layer over the oxide semiconductor layer;

a second drain electrode layer over the oxide semiconductor layer;

a gate insulating film over the oxide semiconductor layer;

a first gate electrode layer over the gate insulating film, the first gate electrode layer overlapping with a part of the source electrode layer, the first drain electrode layer, and a part of the oxide semiconductor layer;

a second gate electrode layer over the gate insulating film, the second gate electrode layer overlapping with the other part of the source electrode layer, the second drain electrode layer, and the other part of the oxide semiconductor layer; and

a third gate electrode layer over the gate insulating film, the third gate electrode layer overlapping with a first side surface of the oxide semiconductor layer;

wherein the first drain electrode layer and the second drain electrode layer are separated from each other by a space overlapping with the oxide semiconductor layer.

18. The semiconductor device according to claim 17,

wherein the source electrode layer and the first drain electrode layer are placed in substantially parallel to a channel length direction of the first transistor,

wherein the source electrode layer and the second drain electrode layer are placed in substantially parallel to the channel length direction of the first transistor, and

wherein the first and the second gate electrode layers are placed in substantially parallel to a channel width direction of the first transistor.

19. The semiconductor device according to claim 17,

wherein the oxide semiconductor layer comprises crystal, and

wherein c-axes of the crystal are aligned in a direction parallel to a normal vector of a surface where the oxide semiconductor layer is formed or a normal vector of a surface of the oxide semiconductor layer.

20. The semiconductor device according to claim 17,

wherein the oxide semiconductor layer comprises crystal, and

wherein triangular or hexagonal atomic arrangement is formed when seen from a direction perpendicular to an a-b plane of the crystal, and metal atoms are arranged in a layered manner or metal atoms and oxygen atoms are arranged in a layered manner when seen from a direction perpendicular to c-axes of the crystal.

21. The semiconductor device according to claim 17, wherein the oxide semiconductor layer comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of an In-based metal oxide, a Zn-based metal oxide, an In—

Zn-based metal oxide, and an In—

Ga—

Zn-based metal oxide.

22. The semiconductor device according to claim 17, further comprising:

a second transistor having a gate electrode layer electrically connected to the first drain electrode layer; and

a third transistor having a gate electrode layer electrically connected to the second drain electrode layer,

wherein electric charge accumulated in the gate electrode layer of the second transistor is held as first data in accordance with a potential of the first gate electrode layer, and

wherein electric charge accumulated in the gate electrode layer of the third transistor is held as second data in accordance with a potential of the second gate electrode layer.

23. The semiconductor device according to claim 22, wherein the first data and the second data are two or more bits of data.