IP Library Granted Patent US 7,491,575
Granted Patent B2
US 7,491,575 · App. 11/497,826 · Granted Feb 17, 2009

Fabricating zinc oxide semiconductor using hydrolysis

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 7,491,575
App. No.
11/497,826
Granted
Feb 17, 2009
Kind
B2
Abstract

A process for fabricating at least one semiconductor layer of an electronic device including: performing on a composition including a hydrolyzable zinc compound a number of activities including: (a) hydrolyzing at least a portion of the hydrolyzable zinc compound to form zinc oxide; (b) liquid depositing; and (c) optionally heating, wherein the activities (a), (b), and (c) are each accomplished a number of times in any effective arrangement, resulting in the at least one semiconductor layer comprising the zinc oxide.

Claims (34)

1. A process for fabricating at least one semiconductor layer of an electronic device comprising: performing on a composition including a hydrolyzable zinc compound a number of activities including:

(a) hydrolyzing at least a portion of the hydrolyzable zinc compound to form zinc oxide;

(b) liquid depositing; and

(c) optionally heating,

wherein the activities (a), (b), and (c) are each accomplished a number of times in any effective arrangement, resulting in the at least one semiconductor layer comprising the zinc oxide wherein the hydrolyzing accomplished a number of times converts a majority of the hydrolyzable zinc compound to the zinc oxide.

2. The process of claim 1 , wherein the composition consists essentially of water, an optional liquid, an optional other semiconductor material, and the hydrolyzable zinc compound.

3. The process of claim 1 , wherein the activity (a) accomplished a number of times converts more than about 80 mol % of the hydrolyzable zinc compound to the zinc oxide.

4. The process of claim 1 , wherein the hydrolyzable zinc compound is selected from diethylzinc, bi(cyclohexyl) zinc, zinc 2-methoxyethoxide, and a mixture thereof.

5. The process of claim 1 , wherein for the activity (b) the composition comprises a liquid selected from alcohol, ether, ester, aromatics, and a mixture thereof.

6. The process of claim 1 , wherein the activity (a) is performed during the activity (b).

7. The process of claim 1 , wherein the liquid depositing is selected from the group consisting of spin coating, inkjet printing, dip coating, stencil printing, microcontact printing, and a mixture thereof.

8. The process of claim 1 , wherein the heating is performed at a maximum temperature from about 100 degree C. to about 700 degree C.

9. The process of claim 1 , wherein the zinc oxide is predominantly crystalline.

10. The process of claim 1 , wherein the activities (a), (b), and (c) are each accomplished only once.

11. The process of claim 1 , wherein the activities (a), (b), and (c) are each accomplished more than once in any effective arrangement.

12. The process of claim 1 , wherein the hydrolysis is performed at a temperature from about room temperature to about 100 degree C. at about 10% to about 90% relative humidity level for about 1 min to about 1 week.

13. A process for fabricating at least one semiconductor layer of an electronic device comprising:

liquid depositing a composition comprising a hydrolyzable zinc compound and a liquid resulting in a liquid deposited composition;

hydrolyzing at least a portion of the hydrolyzable zinc compound in the liquid deposited composition to form zinc oxide, resulting in a hydrolyzed composition comprising the zinc oxide; and

optionally heating the hydrolyzed composition,

wherein the liquid depositing, the hydrolyzing, and the optional heating are each accomplished a number of times, resulting in the at least one semiconductor layer comprising the zinc oxide wherein the hydrolyzing accomplished a number of times converts a majority of the hydrolyzable zinc compound to the zinc oxide.

14. The process of claim 13 , wherein the hydrolyzable zinc compound is selected from the group consisting of diethylzinc, bi(cyclohexyl) zinc, zinc 2-methoxyethoxide, and a mixture thereof, and the liquid is a mixture of toluene and tetrahydrofuran.

15. The process of claim 13 , wherein the composition consists essentially of water, the liquid, an optional other semiconductor material, and the hydrolyzable zinc compound.

16. The process of claim 13 , wherein the hydrolyzing accomplished a number of times converts more than about 80 mol % of the hydrolyzable zinc compound to the zinc oxide.

17. A process comprising:

fabricating a thin film transistor comprising at least one semiconductor layer, a gate electrode; a source electrode; a drain electrode; and a gate dielectric,

wherein the at least one semiconductor layer is formed by a semiconductor fabrication process comprising: performing on a composition including a hydrolyzable zinc compound a number of activities including:

(a) hydrolyzing at least a portion of the hydrolyzable zinc compound to form zinc oxide;

(b) liquid depositing; and

(c) optionally heating,

wherein the activities (a), (b), and (c) are each accomplished a number of times in any effective arrangement, resulting in the at least one semiconductor layer comprising the zinc oxide wherein the hydrolyzing accomplished a number of times converts a majority of the hydrolyzable zinc compound to the zinc oxide.

18. The process of claim 17 , wherein the source electrode, the drain electrode, or both comprise a metal selected from the group consisting of aluminum, zinc, indium, silver, gallium, cadmium, tin, zinc-gallium oxide, indium-tin oxide, indium-antimony oxide, and the like.

19. The process of claim 17 , wherein the composition consists essentially of water, an optional liquid, an optional other semiconductor material, and the hydrolyzable zinc compound.

20. The process of claim 17 , wherein the hydrolyzing accomplished a number of times converts more than about 80 mol % of the hydrolyzable zinc compound to the zinc oxide.

Assignments (10)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 6, 2025
From: XEROX CORPORATION
To: GENESEE VALLEY INNOVATIONS, LLC
Reel/Frame 073842/0479 →
SECOND LIEN NOTES PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Jul 2, 2025
From: XEROX CORPORATION
To: U.S. BANK TRUST COMPANY, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 071785/0550 →
FIRST LIEN NOTES PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Apr 11, 2025
From: XEROX CORPORATION
To: U.S. BANK TRUST COMPANY, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 070824/0001 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Feb 13, 2024
From: XEROX CORPORATION
To: CITIBANK, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 066741/0001 →
TERMINATION AND RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS RECORDED AT RF 064760/0389 Recorded Feb 13, 2024
From: CITIBANK, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
To: XEROX CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 068261/0001 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Nov 20, 2023
From: XEROX CORPORATION
To: JEFFERIES FINANCE LLC, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 065628/0019 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jun 22, 2023
From: XEROX CORPORATION
To: CITIBANK, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 064760/0389 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS AT R/F 062740/0214 Recorded May 18, 2023
From: CITIBANK, N.A., AS AGENT
To: XEROX CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 063694/0122 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Nov 10, 2022
From: XEROX CORPORATION
To: CITIBANK, N.A., AS AGENT
Reel/Frame 062740/0214 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 2, 2006
From: WU, YILIANG; ONG, BENG S.
To: XEROX CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 018151/0661 →