Sputtering target, method for manufacturing the same, and method for manufacturing semiconductor device

• US 9,865,696 B2
• Filed: 11/03/2014
• Issued: 01/09/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Yamazaki, Shunpei
• Primary Examiner(s): BERMAN, JASON
• Application Number:
  US14/530,872
• Publication Number:
  US 20150050776A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,163 Days
• 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 2235/3852 Nitrides, e.g. oxynitrides, carbonitrides, oxycarbonitrides, lithium nitride, magnesium nitride
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/666 Applying a current during sintering, e.g. plasma sintering [SPS], electrical resistance heating or pulse electric current sintering [PECS]
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/77 Density
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/453 based on zinc, tin, or bismuth oxides or solid solutions thereof with other oxides, e.g. zincates, stannates or bismuthates
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/58 based on borides, nitrides, i.e. nitrides, oxynitrides, carbonitrides or oxycarbonitrides or silicides containing free binder metal C22C29/00
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/6455 Hot isostatic pressing
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/0676 Oxynitrides
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/3414 Metallurgical or chemical aspects of target preparation, e.g. casting, powder metallurgy
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02565 Oxide semiconducting materials not being Group 12/16 materials, e.g. ternary compounds
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/443 from a gas or vapour, e.g. condensation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/4908 for thin film semiconductor, e.g. gate of TFT
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/4966 the conductor material next to the insulator being a composite material, e.g. organic material, TiN, MoSi2 H01L29/4908, H01L29/4983 take precedence

Abstract

A deposition technique for forming an oxynitride film is provided. A highly reliable semiconductor element is manufactured with the use of the oxynitride film. The oxynitride film is formed with the use of a sputtering target including an oxynitride containing indium, gallium, and zinc, which is obtained by sintering a mixture of at least one of indium nitride, gallium nitride, and zinc nitride as a raw material and at least one of indium oxide, gallium oxide, and zinc oxide in a nitrogen atmosphere. In this manner, the oxynitride film can contain nitrogen at a necessary concentration. The oxynitride film can be used for a gate, a source electrode, a drain electrode, or the like of a transistor.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device comprising the steps of:

forming a gate electrode comprising an oxynitride film over a substrate with the use of a sputtering target; and

forming an oxide semiconductor film over the gate electrode,

wherein the semiconductor device comprises a transistor,

wherein the oxide semiconductor film comprises a channel formation region of the transistor,

wherein the oxide semiconductor film is formed in an argon atmosphere, an oxygen atmosphere, or a mixed atmosphere containing argon and oxygen,

wherein the sputtering target includes a sintered body of an oxynitride comprising at least two elements selected from indium, gallium, zinc, and tin, and

wherein a concentration of nitrogen in the sintered body of the oxynitride is 4 atomic % or more.

2. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein a total percentage of argon, krypton, and xenon in a sputtering gas used in the step of forming the oxynitride film over the substrate is 80% or more.

3. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the concentration of nitrogen in the sintered body of the oxynitride is 20 atomic % or more.

4. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein a concentration of an alkali metal in the sintered body of the oxynitride is 5×

10¹⁶ atoms/cm³ or lower.

5. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein a concentration of hydrogen in the sintered body of the oxynitride is 1×

10¹⁶ atoms/cm³ or lower.

6. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the oxynitride is an In—

Ga—

Zn—

O—

N-based compound.

7. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device comprising the steps of:

forming an oxide semiconductor film over a substrate; and

forming a gate electrode comprising an oxynitride film over the oxide semiconductor film with the use of a sputtering target,

wherein the semiconductor device comprises a transistor,

wherein the oxide semiconductor film comprises a channel formation region of the transistor,

wherein the oxide semiconductor film is formed in an argon atmosphere, an oxygen atmosphere, or a mixed atmosphere containing argon and oxygen,

wherein the sputtering target includes a sintered body of an oxynitride comprising at least two elements selected from indium, gallium, zinc, and tin, and

wherein a concentration of nitrogen in the sintered body of the oxynitride is 4 atomic % or more.

8. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 7, wherein a total percentage of argon, krypton, and xenon in a sputtering gas used in the step of forming the oxynitride film over the substrate is 80% or more.

9. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 7, wherein the concentration of nitrogen in the sintered body of the oxynitride is 20 atomic % or more.

10. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 7, wherein a concentration of an alkali metal in the sintered body of the oxynitride is 5×

10¹⁶ atoms/cm³ or lower.

11. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 7, wherein a concentration of hydrogen in the sintered body of the oxynitride is 1×

10¹⁶ atoms/cm³ or lower.

12. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 7, wherein the oxynitride is an In—

Ga—

Zn—

O—

N-based compound.