Sputtering apparatus, sputtering target, and method for forming semiconductor film with the sputtering apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11309181-B2
Application number	US-201715609148-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 31, 2017
Priority date	Jun 6, 2016
Publication date	Apr 19, 2022
Grant date	Apr 19, 2022

Abstract

To provide a sputtering apparatus capable of forming a semiconductor film in which impurities such as hydrogen or water are reduced. The sputtering apparatus is capable of forming a semiconductor film and includes a deposition chamber, a gas supply device connected to the deposition chamber, a gas refining device connected to the gas supply device, a vacuum pump for evacuating the deposition chamber, a target disposed in the deposition chamber, and a cathode disposed to face the target. The gas supply device is configured to supply at least one of an argon gas, an oxygen gas, and a nitrogen gas. The partial pressure of hydrogen molecules is lower than or equal to 0.01 Pa and the partial pressure of water molecules is lower than or equal to 0.0001 Pa in the deposition chamber.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for forming an oxide semiconductor film, comprising:
setting a sputtering target and a substrate in a deposition chamber;
introducing a deposition gas into the deposition chamber; and
applying voltage to the sputtering target so as to form the oxide semiconductor film over the substrate,
wherein the sputtering target comprises indium, gallium, and zinc,
wherein the sputtering target comprises a first region and a second region,
wherein an atomic proportion of gallium of the first region is higher than an atomic proportion of gallium of the whole sputtering target,
wherein an atomic proportion of indium of the second region is higher than an atomic proportion of indium of the whole sputtering target,
wherein the first region has a spherical shape, and
wherein a proportion of the oxygen gas in the deposition gas is higher than 30% and lower than or equal to 100%.

2. The method for forming an oxide semiconductor film according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first region is between a surface of the sputtering target and the second region.

3. The method for forming an oxide semiconductor film according to claim 1 ,
wherein one or both of the first region and the second region comprises a cluster.

4. The method for forming an oxide semiconductor film according to claim 1 ,
wherein setting the sputtering target and the substrate, introducing the deposition gas, and applying voltage to the sputtering target are performed at a temperature without intentional heating.

5. The method for forming an oxide semiconductor film according to claim 1 , further comprising introducing nitrogen molecules to the deposition chamber after introducing the deposition gas and before applying voltage to the sputtering target.

6. A method for forming an oxide semiconductor film, comprising:
setting a sputtering target and a substrate in a deposition chamber;
introducing a deposition gas into the deposition chamber; and
applying voltage to the sputtering target so as to form the oxide semiconductor film over the substrate,
wherein the sputtering target comprises indium, gallium, and zinc,
wherein the sputtering target comprises a first region and a second region,
wherein the first region is a region where gallium is segregated and is a Ga-rich region,
wherein the second region is a region where indium is segregated and is an In-rich region,
wherein the first region has a spherical shape, and
wherein a proportion of the oxygen gas in the deposition gas is higher than 30% and lower than or equal to 100%.

7. The method for forming an oxide semiconductor film according to claim 6 ,
wherein the first region is between a surface of the sputtering target and the second region.

8. The method for forming an oxide semiconductor film according to claim 6 ,
wherein one or both of the first region and the second region comprises a cluster.

9. The method for forming an oxide semiconductor film according to claim 6 ,
wherein setting the sputtering target and the substrate, introducing the deposition gas, and applying voltage to the sputtering target are performed at a temperature without intentional heating.

10. The method for forming an oxide semiconductor film according to claim 6 , further comprising introducing nitrogen molecules to the deposition chamber after introducing the deposition gas and before applying voltage to the sputtering target.

11. A method for forming an oxide semiconductor film, comprising:
setting a sputtering target and a substrate in a deposition chamber;
introducing a deposition gas into the deposition chamber; and
applying voltage to the sputtering target so as to form the oxide semiconductor film over the substrate,
wherein the sputtering target comprises indium, gallium, and zinc,
wherein the sputtering target comprises a first region and a second region,
wherein an atomic proportion of gallium of the first region is higher than an atomic proportion of gallium of the whole sputtering target,
wherein an atomic proportion of indium of the second region is higher than an atomic proportion of indium of the whole sputtering target,
wherein the first region has a spherical shape, and
wherein a proportion of the oxygen gas in the deposition gas is higher than or equal to 0% and lower than or equal to 30%.

12. The method for forming an oxide semiconductor film according to claim 11 ,
wherein the first region is between a surface of the sputtering target and the second region.

13. The method for forming an oxide semiconductor film according to claim 11 ,
wherein one or both of the first region and the second region comprises a cluster.

14. The method for forming an oxide semiconductor film according to claim 11 ,
wherein setting the sputtering target and the substrate, introducing the deposition gas, and applying voltage to the sputtering target are performed at a temperature without intentional heating.

15. The method for forming an oxide semiconductor film according to claim 11 , further comprising introducing nitrogen molecules to the deposition chamber after introducing the deposition gas and before applying voltage to the sputtering target.

16. A method for forming an oxide semiconductor film, comprising:
setting a sputtering target and a substrate in a deposition chamber;
introducing a deposition gas into the deposition chamber; and
applying voltage to the sputtering target so as to form the oxide semiconductor film over the substrate,
wherein the sputtering target comprises indium, gallium, and zinc,
wherein the sputtering target comprises a first region and a second region,
wherein the first region is a region where gallium is segregated and is a Ga-rich region,
wherein the second region is a region where indium is segregated and is an In-rich region,
wherein the first region has a spherical shape, and
wherein a proportion of the oxygen gas in the deposition gas is higher than or equal to 0% and lower than or equal to 30%.

17. The method for forming an oxide semiconductor film according to claim 16 ,
wherein the first region is between a surface of the sputtering target and the second region.

18. The method for forming an oxide semiconductor film according to claim 16 ,
wherein one or both of the first region and the second region comprises a cluster.

19. The method for forming an oxide semiconductor film according to claim 16 ,
wherein setting the sputtering target and the substrate, introducing the deposition gas, and applying voltage to the sputtering target are performed at a temperature without intentional heating.

20. The method for forming an oxide semiconductor film according to claim 16 , further comprising introducing nitrogen molecules to the deposition chamber after introducing the deposition gas and before applying voltage to the sputtering target.

Assignees

• Semiconductor Energy Lab

Inventors

• Watanabe Masahiro
• Handa Takuya
• Hosaka Yasuharu
• Okazaki Kenichi
• Yamazaki Shunpei

Classifications

• H10P72/7618

  characterised by a movable susceptor, stage or support, others than those only rotating on their own vertical axis, e.g. susceptors on a rotating carrousel · CPC title

• H10P72/0468

  comprising a chamber adapted to a particular process · CPC title

• H10P72/0466

  characterised by the construction of the load-lock chamber · CPC title

• H10P72/0464

  characterised by the construction of the transfer chamber · CPC title

• H10P72/0462

  characterised by the construction of the processing chambers, e.g. modular processing chambers · CPC title