Method for manufacturing semiconductor device

US9236456B2 · US · B2

Patent metadata
FieldValue
Publication numberUS-9236456-B2
Application numberUS-201514712254-A
CountryUS
Kind codeB2
Filing dateMay 14, 2015
Priority dateAug 8, 2008
Publication dateJan 12, 2016
Grant dateJan 12, 2016

How to read this patent

A practical reading order for non-experts. Skip the full description unless you need deep technical detail.

  1. Title

    What the patent document calls the invention.

  2. Abstract

    A short plain-language summary of the technical disclosure.

  3. Assignees and inventors

    Who owns or filed the patent and who is credited as inventor.

  4. Key dates

    Filing, priority, publication, and grant dates set the timeline.

  5. First independent claim

    The legal scope of protection — read this for what is actually claimed.

  6. CPC / IPC classifications

    Technology tags used to group this patent with similar filings.

  7. Citations and related patents

    Prior art links and similar publications in this corpus.

Abstract

Official abstract text for this publication.

To provide a method by which a semiconductor device including a thin film transistor with excellent electric characteristics and high reliability is manufactured with a small number of steps. After a channel protective layer is formed over an oxide semiconductor film containing In, Ga, and Zn, a film having n-type conductivity and a conductive film are formed, and a resist mask is formed over the conductive film. The conductive film, the film having n-type conductivity, and the oxide semiconductor film containing In, Ga, and Zn are etched using the channel protective layer and gate insulating films as etching stoppers with the resist mask, so that source and drain electrode layers, a buffer layer, and a semiconductor layer are formed.

First claim

Opening claim text (preview).

What is claimed is: 1. A semiconductor device comprising: a gate electrode; a first gate insulating layer over the gate electrode, the first gate insulating layer including silicon and nitrogen; a second gate insulating layer over the first gate insulating layer, the second gate insulating layer including silicon and oxygen; an oxide semiconductor layer over and in direct contact with the second gate insulating layer, the oxide semiconductor layer comprising indium, gallium and zinc; an insulating layer over a channel formation region of the oxide semiconductor layer, the insulating layer including silicon and oxygen; a first conductive layer over the oxide semiconductor layer; a second conductive layer over the oxide semiconductor layer; a first oxide between the oxide semiconductor layer and the first conductive layer, the first oxide including titanium; and a second oxide between the oxide semiconductor layer and the second conductive layer, the second oxide including titanium, wherein the oxide semiconductor layer includes a first region and a second region, wherein the first region is in contact with the insulating layer, and wherein a thickness of the second region is smaller than a thickness of the first region. 2. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein the gate electrode includes aluminum, chromium, titanium, tantalum, molybdenum, or copper. 3. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein the oxide semiconductor layer is formed by using a target obtained by mixing indium oxide, gallium oxide, and zinc oxide and performing sintering of the mixture of indium oxide, gallium oxide, and zinc oxide. 4. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein each of the first oxide and the second oxide has n-type conductivity. 5. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein the insulating layer overlaps the gate electrode, wherein the insulating layer does not overlap a region of the oxide semiconductor layer, and wherein the region of the oxide semiconductor layer does not overlap the gate electrode. 6. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein the second gate insulating layer contains excessive oxygen. 7. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein the oxide semiconductor layer contains excessive oxygen. 8. A semiconductor device comprising: a gate electrode; a first gate insulating layer over the gate electrode, the first gate insulating layer including silicon and nitrogen; a second gate insulating layer over the first gate insulating layer, the second gate insulating layer including silicon and oxygen; an oxide semiconductor layer over and in direct contact with the second gate insulating layer, the oxide semiconductor layer comprising indium, gallium and zinc; an insulating layer over a channel formation region of the oxide semiconductor layer, the insulating layer including silicon and oxygen; a first conductive layer over the oxide semiconductor layer; a second conductive layer over the oxide semiconductor layer; a first oxide between the oxide semiconductor layer and the first conductive layer, the first oxide including titanium; and a second oxide between the oxide semiconductor layer and the second conductive layer, the second oxide including titanium, wherein the oxide semiconductor layer includes a first region and a second region, wherein the first region is in contact with the insulating layer, wherein a thickness of the second region is smaller than a thickness of the first region, and wherein the gate electrode has a light-shielding property. 9. The semiconductor device according to claim 8 , wherein the gate electrode includes aluminum, chromium, titanium, tantalum, molybdenum, or copper. 10. The semiconductor device according to claim 8 , wherein the oxide semiconductor layer is formed by using a target obtained by mixing indium oxide, gallium oxide, and zinc oxide and performing sintering of the mixture of indium oxide, gallium oxide, and zinc oxide. 11. The semiconductor device according to claim 8 , wherein each of the first oxide and the second oxide has n-type conductivity. 12. The semiconductor device according to claim 8 , wherein the insulating layer overlaps the gate electrode, wherein the insulating layer does not overlap a region of the oxide semiconductor layer, and wherein the region of the oxide semiconductor layer does not overlap the gate electrode. 13. The semiconductor device according to claim 8 , wherein the second gate insulating layer contains excessive oxygen. 14. The semiconductor device according to claim 8 , wherein the oxide semiconductor layer contains excessive oxygen. 15. A semiconductor device comprising: a gate electrode; a first gate insulating layer over the gate electrode, the first gate insulating layer including silicon and nitrogen; a second gate insulating layer over the first gate insulating layer, the second gate insulating layer including silicon and oxygen; an oxide semiconductor layer over and in direct contact with the second gate insulating layer, the oxide semiconductor layer comprising indium, gallium and zinc; an insulating layer over a channel formation region of the oxide semiconductor layer, the insulating layer including silicon and oxygen; a first conductive layer over the oxide semiconductor layer; a second conductive layer over the oxide semiconductor layer; a first oxide between the oxide semiconductor layer and the first conductive layer, the first oxide including titanium; and a second oxide between the oxide semiconductor layer and the second conductive layer, the second oxide including titanium, wherein the oxide semiconductor layer includes a first region and a second region, wherein the first region is in contact with the insulating layer, wherein a thickness of the second region is smaller than a thickness of the first region, wherein the gate electrode has a light-shielding property, and wherein each of the first gate insulating layer and the second gate insulating layer has a light-transmitting property. 16. The semiconductor device according to claim 15 , wherein the gate electrode includes aluminum, chromium, titanium, tantalum, molybdenum, or copper. 17. The semiconductor device according to claim 15 , wherein the oxide semiconductor layer is formed by using a target obtained by mixing indium oxide, gallium oxide, and zinc oxide and performing sintering of the mixture of indium oxide, gallium oxide, and zinc oxide. 18. The semiconductor device according to claim 15 , wherein each of the first oxide and the second oxide has n-type conductivity. 19. The semiconductor device according to claim 15 , wherein the insulating layer overlaps the gate electrode, wherein the insulating layer does not overlap a region of the oxide semiconductor layer, and wherein the region of the oxide semiconductor layer does not overlap the gate electrode. 20. The semiconductor device according to claim 15 , wherein the second gate insulating layer contains excessive oxygen. 21. The semiconductor device according to claim 15 , wherein the oxide semiconductor layer contains excessive oxygen.

Assignees

Inventors

Classifications

  • Chemical treatments · CPC title

  • Generic processes or apparatus for manufacture or treatments not covered by the other groups of this subclass · CPC title

  • Grinding, lapping or polishing of wafers, substrates or parts of devices · CPC title

  • using masks for conductive or resistive materials · CPC title

  • using masks for semiconductor materials · CPC title

Patent family

Related publications grouped by family.

External sources

Frequently asked questions

Answers are generated from the same data shown on this page.

What does patent US9236456B2 cover?
To provide a method by which a semiconductor device including a thin film transistor with excellent electric characteristics and high reliability is manufactured with a small number of steps. After a channel protective layer is formed over an oxide semiconductor film containing In, Ga, and Zn, a film having n-type conductivity and a conductive film are formed, and a resist mask is formed over t…
Who is the assignee on this patent?
Semiconductor Energy Lab
What technology area does this patent fall under?
Primary CPC classification H10D30/6755. Mapped technology areas include Electricity.
When was this patent published?
Publication date Tue Jan 12 2016 00:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) (B2). Legal status and post-grant events are not shown on this page.
What related patents are in patentsdb?
We list 8 related publications on this page (citations in our corpus or others sharing the same primary CPC).