Semiconductor device and method for manufacturing the same

US9276121B2 · US · B2

Patent metadata
FieldValue
Publication numberUS-9276121-B2
Application numberUS-201313859163-A
CountryUS
Kind codeB2
Filing dateApr 9, 2013
Priority dateApr 12, 2012
Publication dateMar 1, 2016
Grant dateMar 1, 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.

A semiconductor device including a transistor in which an oxide semiconductor is used for a channel formation region and which has a positive threshold voltage to serve as a normally-off switching element, and the like are provided. Stable electrical characteristics are given to the semiconductor device including the transistor in which an oxide semiconductor film is used for the channel formation region, and thus the semiconductor device has high reliability. In a semiconductor device including a transistor in which an oxide semiconductor film including a channel formation region, source and drain electrode layers, a gate insulating film, and a gate electrode layer are stacked in this order over an oxide insulating film, a conductive layer overlapping with the gate electrode layer with the channel formation region provided therebetween and controlling the electrical characteristics of the transistor is provided in the oxide insulating film including an oxygen excess region.

First claim

Opening claim text (preview).

What is claimed is: 1. A semiconductor device comprising: a first insulating film containing aluminum oxide; a conductive layer over the first insulating film; a first oxide insulating film over the conductive layer, wherein the first oxide insulating film, and wherein an upper surface of the first oxide insulating film is planarized; an oxide semiconductor layer comprising a channel formation region over the planarized surface of the first oxide insulating film, wherein the channel formation region overlaps with the conductive layer; a source electrode layer and a drain electrode layer electrically connected to the oxide semiconductor layer; a gate insulating film over the oxide semiconductor layer; a gate electrode layer over the channel formation region with the gate insulating film interposed therebetween; and a second insulating film containing aluminum oxide over the oxide semiconductor layer, the source electrode layer, the drain electrode layer, and the gate electrode layer, wherein the first oxide insulating film comprises a first region which overlaps with the conductive layer, and a second region which does not overlap with the conductive layer, wherein a first thickness of the first oxide insulating film in the first region is smaller than a second thickness of the first oxide insulating film in the second region, wherein the first insulating film is in direct contact with the second insulating film, and wherein the conductive layer, the first oxide insulating film, the oxide semiconductor layer, the source electrode layer, the drain electrode layer, the gate insulating film, and the gate electrode layer are between the first insulating film and the second insulating film. 2. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein the gate insulating film is a second oxide insulating film. 3. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 , further comprising a third insulating film containing aluminum oxide between the conductive layer and the first oxide insulating film. 4. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein the conductive layer comprises a first conductive film and a second conductive film over the first conductive film, and wherein the second conductive film comprises a metal oxide containing nitrogen. 5. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein the gate electrode layer comprises a first conductive film and a second conductive film over the first conductive film, and wherein the first conductive film comprises a metal oxide containing nitrogen. 6. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein the gate electrode layer overlaps with the source electrode layer and the drain electrode layer. 7. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein the oxide semiconductor layer comprises a first oxide semiconductor film and a second oxide semiconductor film over the first oxide semiconductor film. 8. A semiconductor device comprising: a first insulating film containing aluminum oxide; a conductive layer over the first insulating film; a first oxide insulating film over the conductive layer and the first insulating film, wherein the first oxide insulating film comprises an oxygen excess region, and wherein an upper surface of the first oxide insulating film is planarized; an oxide semiconductor layer comprising a channel formation region over the planarized surface of the first oxide insulating film, wherein the channel formation region overlaps with the conductive layer; a source electrode layer and a drain electrode layer electrically connected to the oxide semiconductor layer; a gate insulating film over the oxide semiconductor layer; a gate electrode layer over the channel formation region with the gate insulating film interposed therebetween; and a second insulating film containing aluminum oxide over the oxide semiconductor layer, the source electrode layer, the drain electrode layer, and the gate electrode layer, wherein the first oxide insulating film comprises a first region which overlaps with the conductive layer, and a second region which does not overlap with the conductive layer, wherein a first thickness of the first oxide insulating film in the first region is smaller than a second thickness of the first oxide insulating film in the second region, wherein a first distance between the oxygen excess region in the first region and the channel formation region is shorter than a second distance between the oxygen excess region in the second region and each of the source electrode layer and the drain electrode layer, wherein the first insulating film is in direct contact with the second insulating film, and wherein the conductive layer, the first oxide insulating film, the oxide semiconductor layer, the source electrode layer, the drain electrode layer, the gate insulating film, and the gate electrode layer are between the first insulating film and the second insulating film. 9. The semiconductor device according to claim 8 , wherein the gate insulating film is a second oxide insulating film. 10. The semiconductor device according to claim 8 , further comprising a third insulating film containing aluminum oxide between the conductive layer and the first oxide insulating film. 11. The semiconductor device according to claim 8 , wherein the conductive layer comprises a first conductive film and a second conductive film over the first conductive film, and wherein the second conductive film comprises a metal oxide containing nitrogen. 12. The semiconductor device according to claim 8 , wherein the gate electrode layer comprises a first conductive film and a second conductive film over the first conductive film, and wherein the first conductive film comprises a metal oxide containing nitrogen. 13. The semiconductor device according to claim 8 , wherein the gate electrode layer overlaps with the source electrode layer and the drain electrode layer. 14. The semiconductor device according to claim 8 , wherein the oxide semiconductor layer comprises a first oxide semiconductor film and a second oxide semiconductor film over the first oxide semiconductor film.

Assignees

Inventors

Classifications

  • of semiconductor materials · CPC title

  • Chemical etching · CPC title

  • being oxide semiconductor materials (Group IIB-VIA semiconductor materials H10P14/3424) · CPC title

  • using a gas or vapour · CPC title

  • characterised by the gate electrodes · 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 US9276121B2 cover?
A semiconductor device including a transistor in which an oxide semiconductor is used for a channel formation region and which has a positive threshold voltage to serve as a normally-off switching element, and the like are provided. Stable electrical characteristics are given to the semiconductor device including the transistor in which an oxide semiconductor film is used for the channel format…
Who is the assignee on this patent?
Semiconductor Energy Lab
What technology area does this patent fall under?
Primary CPC classification H10D30/6739. Mapped technology areas include Electricity.
When was this patent published?
Publication date Tue Mar 01 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).