Oxide material and semiconductor device

• US 9,368,633 B2
• Filed: 12/14/2011
• Issued: 06/14/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Yamazaki, Shunpei, Nakashima, Motoki, Honda, Tatsuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Khanh Tuan
• Application Number:
  US13/325,700
• Publication Number:
  US 20120153364A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,644 Days
• Field of Search: 252/500, 257/59, 257/72, 257/328, 257/43, 257/52
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: C01G 19/006 Compounds containing, besides tin, two or more other elements, with the exception of oxygen or hydrogen
• CPC Class Codes: C01P 2002/72 by d-values or two theta-values, e.g. as X-ray diagram
• 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 29/045 by their particular orientation of crystalline planes
• 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 29/78696 characterised by the structure of the channel, e.g. multichannel, transverse or longitudinal shape, length or width, doping structure, or the overlap or alignment between the channel and the gate, the source or the drain, or the contacting structure of the channel H01L29/78612 takes precedence; transistors having a drain offset region or a lightly doped drain [LDD] H01L29/78621

Abstract

An object is to provide a material suitably used for a semiconductor included in a transistor, a diode, or the like. Another object is to provide a semiconductor device including a transistor in which the condition of an electron state at an interface between an oxide semiconductor film and a gate insulating film in contact with the oxide semiconductor film is favorable. Further, another object is to manufacture a highly reliable semiconductor device by giving stable electric characteristics to a transistor in which an oxide semiconductor film is used for a channel. A semiconductor device is formed using an oxide material which includes crystal with c-axis alignment, which has a triangular or hexagonal atomic arrangement when seen from the direction of a surface or an interface and rotates around the c-axis.

Claims

1. A semiconductor device comprising:

a gate electrode;

a gate insulating film adjacent to the gate electrode; and

a semiconductor layer comprising an oxide material, and being adjacent to the gate insulating film, wherein the semiconductor layer is formed by sputtering while a surface on which the semiconductor layer is to be formed is heated at a temperature of 150°

C. or higher;

wherein the oxide material comprises a plurality of crystals with c-axis alignment,

wherein each of the plurality of crystals comprises the atoms arranged to have a triangular or hexagonal shape in an a-b plane, and

wherein one of a direction of an a-axis and a direction of a b-axis of a first crystal of the plurality of crystals is different from that of a second crystal of the plurality of crystals, in the a-b plane.

2. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the oxide material is in contact with a pair of conductive films.

3. The semiconductor device according to claim 2, wherein the pair of conductive films functions as a source electrode and a drain electrode of a transistor.

4. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of crystals comprises metal atoms, or metal atoms and oxygen atoms arranged in a layered manner when seen from a direction perpendicular to the c-axis.

5. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of crystals comprises a plurality of metal oxide layers, and

wherein the plurality of metal oxide layers are bonded to each other through a tetracoordinate oxygen atom.

6. The semiconductor device according to claim 5, wherein each of the plurality of metal oxide layers comprises any one of a tetracoordinate central metal atom, a pentacoordinate central metal atom, and a central metal material having either five ligands or six ligands.

7. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein at least the gate insulating film is capable of releasing oxygen by heating at an amount greater than or equal to 1×

10¹⁸ atoms/cm³.

8. A semiconductor device comprising:

a first oxide insulating film;

a semiconductor layer comprising an oxide material formed over the first oxide insulating film, wherein the semiconductor layer is formed by sputtering while the first oxide insulating film is heated at a temperature of 150°

C. or higher; and

a second oxide insulating film formed over the semiconductor layer,

wherein the oxide material comprises a plurality of crystals with c-axis alignment,

wherein each of the plurality of crystals comprises the atoms arranged to have a triangular or hexagonal shape in an a-b plane,

wherein one of a direction of an a-axis and a direction of a b-axis of a first crystal of the plurality of crystals is different from that of a second crystal of the plurality of crystals, in the a-b plane.

9. The semiconductor device according to claim 8, wherein each of the plurality of crystals comprises metal atoms, or metal atoms and oxygen atoms arranged in a layered manner when seen from a direction perpendicular to the c-axis.

10. The semiconductor device according to claim 8, wherein each of the plurality of crystals comprises a plurality of metal oxide layers, and

wherein the plurality of metal oxide layers are bonded to each other through a tetracoordinate oxygen atom.

11. The semiconductor device according to claim 10, wherein each of the plurality of metal oxide layers comprises any one of a tetracoordinate central metal atom, a pentacoordinate central metal atom, and a central metal material having either five ligands or six ligands.

12. The semiconductor device according to claim 8, wherein at least one of the first oxide insulating film and the second oxide insulating film is capable of releasing oxygen by heating at an amount greater than or equal to 1×

10¹⁸ atoms/cm³.