IP Library Granted Patent US 8,344,373
Granted Patent B2
US 8,344,373 · App. 12/891,704 · Granted Jan 1, 2013

Thin film transistor

Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,344,373
App. No.
12/891,704
Granted
Jan 1, 2013
Kind
B2
Abstract

To achieve, in an oxide semiconductor thin layer transistor, both the stability of threshold voltage against electric stress and suppression of variation in the threshold voltage in a transfer characteristic. A thin film transistor includes an oxide semiconductor layer and a gate insulating layer disposed so as to be in contact with the oxide semiconductor layer, wherein the oxide semiconductor layer contains hydrogen atoms and includes at least two regions that function as active layers of the oxide semiconductor and have different average hydrogen concentrations in the layer thickness direction; and when the regions functioning as the active layers of the oxide semiconductor are sequentially defined as, from the side of the gate insulating layer, a first region and a second region, the average hydrogen concentration of the first region is lower than the average hydrogen concentration of the second region.

Claims (18)

1. A thin film transistor comprising:

an oxide semiconductor layer comprising hydrogen atoms; and

a gate insulating layer in contact with the oxide semiconductor layer,

wherein the oxide semiconductor layer comprises at least a first region and a second region,

wherein the first region is provided between the second region and the gate insulating layer, and

wherein an average hydrogen concentration of the first region is lower than an average hydrogen concentration of the second region.

2. The thin film transistor according to claim 1 , wherein the first region and the second region have a thickness of 5 nm or more and 100 nm or less; and the oxide semiconductor layer has an entire thickness of 10 nm or more and 200 nm or less.

3. The thin film transistor according to claim 1 , wherein the average hydrogen concentration of the first region is 1.0×10 18 atoms cm −3 or more and 1.0×10 21 atoms cm −3 or less.

4. The thin film transistor according to claim 1 , wherein the average hydrogen concentration of the second region is 1.0×10 19 atoms cm −3 or more and 1.0×10 22 atoms cm −3 or less.

5. The thin film transistor according to claim 1 , wherein an average resistivity of the first region is 1.0×10 0 Ωcm or more and 1.0×10 6 Ωcm or less.

6. The thin film transistor according to claim 1 , wherein an average resistivity of the second region is 1.0×10 2 Ωcm or more and 1.0×10 9 Ωcm or less.

7. The thin film transistor according to claim 1 , wherein hydrogen contained in the oxide semiconductor layer is present in a form of hydroxy groups or water molecules.

8. The thin film transistor according to claim 1 , wherein the oxide semiconductor layer is an amorphous oxide semiconductor layer containing at least one or more elements selected from In, Ga, Zn, and Sn.

9. The thin film transistor according to claim 1 , wherein the oxide semiconductor layer functions as a channel layer.

10. The thin film transistor according to claim 1 , further comprising an insulating layer in contact with the second region.

11. The thin film transistor according to claim 10 , wherein the insulating layer comprises oxygen.

12. The thin film transistor according to claim 1 , wherein the thin film transistor is a bottom gate transistor.

13. The thin film transistor according to claim 1 , wherein the average hydrogen concentration of the second region is two or more times the average hydrogen concentration of the first region.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 26, 2011
From: SATO, AYUMU; KUMOMI, HIDEYA; HAYASHI, RYO; WATANABE, TOMOHIRO
To: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Reel/Frame 026340/0241 →
Continuity (2)
Continuation PCTJP2009067021 · Sep 30, 2009
Related Publication 20110073856A1 · Mar 31, 2011