Method for evaluating oxide semiconductor thin film, and method for quality control of oxide semiconductor thin film

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9316589-B2
Application number	US-201314760023-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 4, 2013
Priority date	Jan 15, 2013
Publication date	Apr 19, 2016
Grant date	Apr 19, 2016

Abstract

This method for evaluating an oxide semiconductor thin film includes evaluating the stress stability of an oxide semiconductor thin film on the basis of the light emission intensity of luminescent light excited when radiating an electron beam or excitation light at a sample at which the oxide semiconductor thin film is formed. The stress stability of the oxide semiconductor thin film is evaluated on the basis of the light emission intensity (L 1 ) observed in the range of 1.6-1.9 eV of the luminescent light excited from the oxide semiconductor thin film.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for evaluating an oxide semiconductor thin film comprising evaluating the stress stability of an oxide semiconductor thin film on the basis of a light emission intensity of luminescent light excited when radiating an electron beam or excitation light at a sample at which the oxide semiconductor thin film is formed;
wherein the stress stability of the oxide semiconductor thin film is evaluated on the basis of the light emission intensity (L 1 ) observed in the range of 1.6-1.9 eV of the luminescent light excited from the oxide semiconductor thin film.

2. The method for evaluating an oxide semiconductor thin film according to claim 1 ;
wherein the stress stability of the oxide semiconductor thin film is evaluated on the basis of peak intensity (P 1 ) observed in the range of 1.6-1.9 eV.

3. The method for evaluating an oxide semiconductor thin film according to claim 1 ;
wherein the stress stability of the oxide semiconductor thin film is evaluated on the basis of an intensity ratio of energies corresponding to each of the luminescent light generated across a plurality of energy levels of the oxide semiconductor thin film from which the luminescent light is excited.

4. The method for evaluating an oxide semiconductor thin film according to claim 3 ;
wherein a ratio (L 1 /L 2 ) of a light emission intensity (L 1 ) observed in a range from 1.6 eV to 1.9 eV to a light emission intensity (L 2 ) observed in a range from 3.0 eV to 3.2 eV corresponding to the band-to-band transition is used for the intensity ratio.

5. The method for evaluating an oxide semiconductor thin film according to claim 4 ;
wherein a ratio (P 1 /P 2 ) of a peak intensity (P 1 ) observed in a range from 1.6 eV to 1.9 eV to a peak intensity (P 2 ) observed in a range from 3.0 eV to 3.2 eV corresponding to the band-to-band transition is used for the intensity ratio.

6. The method for evaluating an oxide semiconductor thin film according to claim 1 ;
wherein the oxide semiconductor thin film comprises one or more kinds of element selected from a group consisting of In, Ga, Zn, and Sn.

7. A quality control method for an oxide semiconductor thin film;
wherein the evaluation method according to claim 1 is applied to any of manufacturing processes of the semiconductor after forming the oxide semiconductor thin film on a substrate.

8. The method for evaluating an oxide semiconductor thin film according to claim 2 ;
wherein the stress stability of the oxide semiconductor thin film is evaluated on the basis of an intensity ratio of energies corresponding to each of the luminescent light generated across a plurality of energy levels of the oxide semiconductor thin film from which the luminescent light is excited.

9. The method for evaluating an oxide semiconductor thin film according to claim 8 ;
wherein a ratio (L 1 /L 2 ) of a light emission intensity (L 1 ) observed in a range from 1.6 eV to 1.9 eV to a light emission intensity (L 2 ) observed in a range from 3.0 eV to 3.2 eV corresponding to the band-to-band transition is used for the intensity ratio.

10. The method for evaluating an oxide semiconductor thin film according to claim 9 ;
wherein a ratio (P 1 /P 2 ) of a peak intensity (P 1 ) observed in a range from 1.6 eV to 1.9 eV to a peak intensity (P 2 ) observed in a range from 3.0 eV to 3.2 eV corresponding to the band-to-band transition is used for the intensity ratio.

11. The method for evaluating an oxide semiconductor thin film according to claim 2 ;
wherein the oxide semiconductor thin film comprises one or more kinds of element selected from a group consisting of In, Ga, Zn, and Sn.

12. A quality control method for an oxide semiconductor thin film;
wherein the evaluation method according to claim 2 is applied to any of manufacturing processes of the semiconductor after forming the oxide semiconductor thin film on a substrate.

Assignees

• Kobe Steel Ltd

Inventors

• Hayashi Kazushi
• Kugimiya Toshihiro
• Kishi Tomoya
• Miki Aya

Classifications

• H10P74/203

  Structural properties, e.g. testing or measuring thicknesses, line widths, warpage, bond strengths or physical defects · CPC title

• H10D99/00

  Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass · CPC title

• H10D62/80

  characterised by the materials · CPC title

• H10D30/6756

  Amorphous oxide semiconductors · CPC title

• H01L29/66969

  Electricity · mapped topic