THIN FILM METAL OXYNITRIDE SEMICONDUCTORS

• US 20090233424A1
• Filed: 03/14/2008
• Published: 09/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: YE, YAN
• Granted Patent: US 8,980,066 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 438/482
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/0063 characterised by means for introducing or removing gases
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/0676 Oxynitrides
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/3408 Planar magnetron sputtering
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/3429 Plural materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02521 Materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0254 Nitrides
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02554 Oxides
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02565 Oxide semiconducting materials not being Group 12/16 materials, e.g. ternary compounds
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02573 Conductivity type
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02631 Physical deposition at reduced pressure, e.g. MBE, sputtering, evaporation
• 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 31/18 Processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment of these devices or of parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/20 such devices or parts thereof comprising amorphous semiconductor materials
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/50 Photovoltaic [PV] energy

Abstract

The present invention generally relates to a semiconductor film and a method of depositing the semiconductor film. The semiconductor film comprises oxygen, nitrogen, and one or more elements selected from the group consisting of zinc, cadmium, gallium, indium, and tin. Additionally, the semiconductor film may be doped. The semiconductor film may be deposited by applying an electrical bias to a sputtering target comprising the one or more elements selected from the group consisting of zinc, cadmium, gallium, indium, and tin, and introducing a nitrogen containing gas and an oxygen containing gas. The sputtering target may optionally be doped. The semiconductor film has a mobility greater than amorphous silicon. After annealing, the semiconductor film has a mobility greater than polysilicon.

Claims

1. A sputtering method, comprising:

flowing an oxygen containing gas, and inert gas, and a nitrogen containing gas into a processing chamber;

applying an electrical bias to a sputtering target comprising one or more metals selected from the group consisting of gallium, cadmium, indium, and tin; and

depositing a semiconductor layer on the substrate, the semiconductor layer comprising the one or more metals, oxygen, and nitrogen.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the semiconductor layer comprises two or more metals selected from the group consisting of zinc, gallium, cadmium, indium, and tin.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising a dopant.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the dopant is selected from the group consisting of aluminum, tin, gallium, calcium, silicon, titanium, copper, germanium, indium, nickel, chromium, vanadium, magnesium, and combinations thereof.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the semiconductor layer comprises an oxynitride compound and a nitride compound.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the semiconductor layer is amorphous or has a nanocrystalline structure.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the nitrogen containing gas and the oxygen containing gas are separate gases.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising annealing the deposited semiconductor layer in an inert atmosphere at a temperature above about 250 degrees Celsius.

9. A semiconductor material, comprising nitrogen, oxygen, and one or more elements selected from the group consisting of gallium, cadmium, indium, and tin.

10. The semiconductor material of claim 9, wherein the semiconductor material comprises two or more metals selected from the group consisting of zinc, gallium, cadmium, indium, and tin.

11. The semiconductor material of claim 9, further comprising a dopant.

12. The semiconductor material of claim 11, wherein the dopant is selected from the group consisting of aluminum, tin, gallium, calcium, silicon, titanium, copper, germanium, indium, nickel, chromium, vanadium, magnesium, and combinations thereof.

13. The semiconductor material of claim 9, wherein at least a portion of the semiconductor layer comprises an oxynitride compound and a nitride compound.

14. The semiconductor material of claim 9, wherein the semiconductor material is amorphous or has a nanocrystalline structure.

15. A semiconductor layer deposition method, comprising:

introducing an oxygen containing precursor, a nitrogen containing precursor, and at least one precursor selected from the group consisting of a gallium precursor, a cadmium precursor, a tin precursor, and an indium precursor to a processing chamber; and

depositing a semiconductor layer on a substrate disposed in the processing chamber, the semiconductor layer comprising oxygen, nitrogen, and at least one element selected from the group consisting of gallium, cadmium, tin, and indium.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the semiconductor layer comprises two or more metals selected from the group consisting of zinc, gallium, cadmium, indium, and tin.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising a dopant.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the dopant is selected from the group consisting of aluminum, tin, gallium, calcium, silicon, titanium, copper, germanium, indium, nickel, chromium, vanadium, magnesium, and combinations thereof.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein at least a portion of the semiconductor layer comprises an oxynitride compound and a nitride compound.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the semiconductor layer is amorphous or has a nanocrystalline structure.

21. A semiconductor material, comprising oxygen, nitrogen, and one or more elements having a filled s orbital and a filled d orbital.

22. The semiconductor material of claim 21, further comprising a dopant.

23. The semiconductor material of claim 21, wherein the semiconductor material is amorphous or has a nanocrystalline structure.

24. A semiconductor layer deposition method, comprising:

flowing an oxygen containing gas and a nitrogen containing gas into a processing chamber;

applying an electrical bias to a sputtering target comprising one or more elements having a filled s orbital and a filled d orbital; and

depositing a semiconductor layer on the substrate, the semiconductor layer comprising the one or more elements, oxygen, and nitrogen.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the semiconductor layer is amorphous or has a nanocrystalline structure.