Semiconductor device having first and second oxide semiconductors with difference energy level

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9761738-B2
Application number	US-201715432142-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 14, 2017
Priority date	Aug 2, 2012
Publication date	Sep 12, 2017
Grant date	Sep 12, 2017

Abstract

To provide a semiconductor device which has transistor characteristics with little variation and includes an oxide semiconductor. The semiconductor device includes an insulating film over a conductive film and an oxide semiconductor film over the insulating film. The oxide semiconductor film includes a first oxide semiconductor layer, a second oxide semiconductor layer over the first oxide semiconductor layer, and a third oxide semiconductor layer over the second oxide semiconductor layer. The energy level of a bottom of a conduction band of the second oxide semiconductor layer is lower than those of the first and third oxide semiconductor layers. An end portion of the second oxide semiconductor layer is positioned on an inner side than an end portion of the first oxide semiconductor layer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A semiconductor device comprising:
a first conductive film over a glass substrate;
a silicon nitride film over the first conductive film;
a first silicon oxide film over the silicon nitride film;
a first oxide semiconductor layer over the silicon nitride film;
a second oxide semiconductor layer in contact with the first oxide semiconductor layer;
a second conductive film and a third conductive film each in contact with the second oxide semiconductor layer; and
a second silicon oxide film in contact with the second oxide semiconductor layer, the second conductive film, and the third conductive film,
wherein the energy level of the bottom of the conduction band of the first oxide semiconductor layer is lower than an energy level of a bottom of a conduction band of the second oxide semiconductor layer by 0.05 eV or more, and
wherein the second oxide semiconductor layer comprises at least indium and gallium in an atomic ratio where an indium content is lower than or equal to a gallium content.

2. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first oxide semiconductor layer comprises at least indium and gallium in an atomic ratio where an indium content is higher than a gallium content.

3. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 ,
wherein a material represented as In d M5 e Zn f O x (d is a real number greater than 0 and less than or equal to 5, e is a real number greater than or equal to 0 and less than or equal to 3, f is a real number greater than 0 and less than or equal to 5, and x is an arbitrary positive number) is used for the first oxide semiconductor layer, and
wherein M5 is Ga, Mg, Hf, Al, Zr, Sn, or lanthanoid.

4. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 ,
wherein a material represented as In g Ga h Zn i O x (g is a real number greater than or equal to 0 and less than or equal to 2, h is a real number greater than 0 and less than or equal to 5, i is a real number greater than or equal to 0 and less than or equal to 5, and x is an arbitrary real number) is used for the second oxide semiconductor layer.

5. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 ,
wherein an energy level of a bottom of a conduction band of the silicon nitride film is lower than an energy level of a bottom of a conduction band of the first silicon oxide film.

6. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the semiconductor device further comprises a second silicon nitride film over the second silicon oxide film, and
wherein an energy level of a bottom of a conduction band of the second silicon oxide film is higher than an energy level of a bottom of a conduction band of the second silicon nitride film.

7. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first conductive film comprises at least one of titanium, tantalum, tungsten, and copper.

8. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 ,
wherein each of the second conductive film and the third conductive film comprise at least one of titanium and copper.

9. An electronic device comprising the semiconductor device according to claim 1 .

10. A semiconductor device comprising:
a first conductive film over a glass substrate;
a silicon nitride film over the first conductive film;
a first silicon oxide film over the silicon nitride film;
a first oxide semiconductor layer over the silicon nitride film;
a second oxide semiconductor layer in contact with at least an end portion of the first oxide semiconductor layer;
a second conductive film and a third conductive film each in contact with the second oxide semiconductor layer; and
a second silicon oxide film in contact with the second oxide semiconductor layer, the second conductive film, and the third conductive film,
wherein the energy level of the bottom of the conduction band of the first oxide semiconductor layer is lower than an energy level of a bottom of a conduction band of the second oxide semiconductor layer by 0.05 eV or more, and
wherein the second oxide semiconductor layer comprises at least indium and gallium in an atomic ratio where an indium content is lower than or equal to a gallium content.

11. The semiconductor device according to claim 10 ,
wherein the first oxide semiconductor layer comprises at least indium and gallium in an atomic ratio where an indium content is higher than a gallium content.

12. The semiconductor device according to claim 10 ,
wherein a material represented as In d M5 e Zn f O x (d is a real number greater than 0 and less than or equal to 5, e is a real number greater than or equal to 0 and less than or equal to 3, f is a real number greater than 0 and less than or equal to 5, and x is an arbitrary positive number) is used for the first oxide semiconductor layer, and
wherein M5 is Ga, Mg, Hf, Al, Zr, Sn, or lanthanoid.

13. The semiconductor device according to claim 10 ,
wherein a material represented as In g Ga h Zn i O x (g is a real number greater than or equal to 0 and less than or equal to 2, h is a real number greater than 0 and less than or equal to 5, i is a real number greater than or equal to 0 and less than or equal to 5, and x is an arbitrary real number) is used for the second oxide semiconductor layer.

14. The semiconductor device according to claim 10 ,
wherein an energy level of a bottom of a conduction band of the silicon nitride film is lower than an energy level of a bottom of a conduction band of the first silicon oxide film.

15. The semiconductor device according to claim 10 ,
wherein the semiconductor device further comprises a second silicon nitride film over the second silicon oxide film, and
wherein an energy level of a bottom of a conduction band of the second silicon oxide film is higher than an energy level of a bottom of a conduction band of the second silicon nitride film.

16. The semiconductor device according to claim 10 ,
wherein the first conductive film comprises at least one of titanium, tantalum, tungsten, and copper.

17. The semiconductor device according to claim 10 ,
wherein each of the second conductive film and the third conductive film comprise at least one of titanium and copper.

18. An electronic device comprising the semiconductor device according to claim 10 .

Assignees

• Semiconductor Energy Lab

Inventors

• Tokunaga Hajime
• Handa Takuya

Classifications

• H10P14/3434

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

• H10P14/3426

  Oxides · CPC title

• H10P14/3251

  consisting of three or more layers · CPC title

• H10P14/3238

  being insulating materials · CPC title

• H10P14/3234

  being oxide semiconducting materials (Group IIB-VIA semiconductors H10P14/3224) · CPC title