Manufacturing method for a thin film transistor that uses a pulse oscillation laser crystallize an amorphous semiconductor film

• US 7,510,920 B2
• Filed: 11/23/2005
• Issued: 03/31/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Ohtani, Hisashi, Hiroki, Masaaki, Shiga, Aiko, Shimomura, Akihisa, Tanaka, Koichiro, Akiba, Mai, Kasahara, Kenji, Yamazaki, Shunpei
• Primary Examiner(s): Smoot; Stephen W
• Application Number:
  US11/285,012
• Publication Number:
  US 20060079041A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,224 Days
• Field of Search: 438/487
• US Class Current: 438/166
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02381 Silicon, silicon germanium, germanium
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0242 Crystalline insulating materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02422 Non-crystalline insulating materials, e.g. glass, polymers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02425 Conductive materials, e.g. metallic silicides
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02488 Insulating materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02502 consisting of two layers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02532 Silicon, silicon germanium, germanium
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02595 polycrystalline
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02672 using crystallisation enhancing elements
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0268 Shape of mask
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02686 Pulsed laser beam
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02691 Scanning of a beam
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2223/54453 for use prior to dicing
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/544 Marks applied to semiconductor devices or parts, e.g. registration marks, alignment structures, wafer maps test patterns for characterising or monitoring manufacturing processes H01L22/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/1285 using control of the annealing or irradiation parameters, e.g. using different scanning direction or intensity for different transistors
• 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 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0002 Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00

Abstract

Position control of a crystal grain in accordance with an arrangement of a TFT is achieved, and at the same time, a processing speed during a crystallization process is increased. More specifically, there is provided a manufacturing method for a semiconductor device, in which crystal having a large grain size can be continuously formed through super lateral growth that is artificially controlled and substrate processing efficiency during a laser crystallization process can be increased. In the manufacturing method for a semiconductor device, instead of performing laser irradiation on an entire semiconductor film within a substrate surface, a marker as a reference for positioning is formed so as to crystallize at least an indispensable portion at minimum. Thus, a time period required for laser crystallization can be reduced to make it possible to increase a processing speed for a substrate. The above structure is applied to a conventional SLS method, so that it is possible to solve a problem inherent to the conventional SLS method, in that the substrate processing efficiency is poor.

Claims

1. A manufacturing method for a semiconductor device including a thin film transistor, a capacitor, and a driver circuit, comprising the steps of:

forming an amorphous semiconductor film on an insulating surface; and

irradiating a laser light to perform crystallization to regions in which active layers of the thin film transistor, the capacitor, and the driver circuit are formed,

wherein the laser light is a laser light of pulse oscillation emitted from a solid laser oscillation apparatus,

wherein a direction in which the laser light is moved on the amorphous semiconductor film is parallel to a direction in which carriers move in a channel formation region in the thin film transistor,

wherein the thin film transistor, the capacitor, and the driver circuit are formed on a same substrate,

wherein a convex lens is provided in a light path of the laser light between the solid laser oscillation apparatus and the substrate,

wherein a mirror is provided in the light path of the laser light between the convex lens and the solid laser oscillation apparatus, and

wherein a concave lens is provided in the light path of the laser light between the mirror and the convex lens.

2. The manufacturing method for the semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the amorphous semiconductor film is melted over entire thickness through irradiation of the laser light.

3. The manufacturing method for the semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the laser light is a second harmonic, a third harmonic, or a fourth harmonic.

4. The manufacturing method for the semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the laser light is converged onto the amorphous semiconductor film through a cylindrical lens.

5. The manufacturing method for the semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein each time the laser light oscillates 1 pulse, a spot position of the laser light on a surface of the amorphous semiconductor film is relatively moved by a fixed distance that is 0.3 μ

m or more and 5 μ

m or less.

6. The manufacturing method for the semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein a relative movement direction of a spot on the amorphous semiconductor film is perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the spot.

7. The manufacturing method for the semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein a collimator is provided in the light path of the laser light between the concave lens and the solid laser oscillation apparatus.

8. The manufacturing method for the semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein a beam expander is provided in the light path of the laser light between the concave lens and the solid laser oscillation apparatus.

9. A manufacturing method for a semiconductor device including a thin film transistor, a capacitor, and a driver circuit, comprising the steps of:

forming an amorphous semiconductor film on an insulating surface;

forming a marker on the amorphous semiconductor film; and

selectively irradiating the laser light to perform crystallization to regions in which an active layer of the thin film transistor, the capacitor, and the driver circuit are formed, based on information on arrangement of the thin film transistor, the capacitor, and the driver circuit with the marker used as a reference,

wherein the laser light is a laser light of pulse oscillation emitted from a solid laser oscillation apparatus,

wherein a direction in which the laser light is moved on the amorphous semiconductor film is parallel to a direction in which carriers move in a channel formation region in the thin film transistor,

wherein the thin film transistor, the capacitor, and the driver circuit are formed on a same substrate,

wherein a convex lens is provided in a light path of the laser light between the solid laser oscillation apparatus and the substrate,

wherein a mirror is provided in the light path of the laser light between the convex lens and the solid laser oscillation apparatus, and

wherein a concave lens is provided in the light path of the laser light between the mirror and the convex lens.

10. The manufacturing method for the semiconductor device according to claim 9, wherein the amorphous semiconductor film is melted over entire thickness through irradiation of the laser light.

11. The manufacturing method for the semiconductor device according to claim 9, wherein the laser light is a second harmonic, a third harmonic, or a fourth harmonic.

12. The manufacturing method for the semiconductor device according to claim 9, wherein the laser light is converged onto the amorphous semiconductor film through a cylindrical lens.

13. The manufacturing method for the semiconductor device according to claim 9, wherein each time the laser light oscillates 1 pulse, a spot position of the laser light on a surface of the amorphous semiconductor film is relatively moved by a fixed distance that is 0.3 μ

m or more and 5 μ

m or less.

14. The manufacturing method for the semiconductor device according to claim 9, wherein a relative movement direction of a spot on the amorphous semiconductor film is perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the spot.

15. The manufacturing method for the semiconductor device according to claim 9, wherein a collimator is provided in the light path of the laser light between the concave lens and the solid laser oscillation apparatus.

16. The manufacturing method for the semiconductor device according to claim 9, wherein a beam expander is provided in the light path of the laser light between the concave lens and the solid laser oscillation apparatus.