IP Library › Granted Patent US 10,535,742
Granted Patent B2
US 10,535,742 · App. 16/152,850 · Granted Jan 14, 2020

Metal oxide film and semiconductor device

Inventors: Yasuharu Hosaka (Tochigi, JP); Toshimitsu Obonai (Tochigi, JP); Yukinori Shima (Gunma, JP); Masami Jintyou (Tochigi, JP); Daisuke Kurosaki (Tochigi, JP); Takashi Hamochi (Tochigi, JP); Junichi Koezuka (Tochigi, JP); Kenichi Okazaki (Tochigi, JP); Shunpei Yamazaki (Tochigi, JP)
Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
H01L29/24C03C17/245C04B35/01C04B35/453C04B35/62218C23C14/08C23C14/5853H01L27/1225H01L29/7782H01L29/7786H01L29/7869H01L29/78648H01L29/78696C03C2217/23C03C2218/151C04B2235/3217C04B2235/3225C04B2235/3284C04B2235/3286C04B2235/3293C04B2235/787C04B2235/96
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,535,742
App. No.
16/152,850
Granted
Jan 14, 2020
Kind
B2
Abstract

A metal oxide film includes indium, , ( is Al, Ga, Y, or Sn), and zinc and includes a region where a peak having a diffraction intensity derived from a crystal structure is observed by X-ray diffraction in the direction perpendicular to the film surface. Moreover, a plurality of crystal parts is observed in a transmission electron microscope image in the direction perpendicular to the film surface. The proportion of a region other than the crystal parts is higher than or equal to 20% and lower than or equal to 60%.

Claims (31)

1. A metal oxide film comprising:

indium;

which is Al, Ga, Y, or Sn; and

zinc,

wherein a plurality of crystal parts is observed in a transmission electron microscope image in a direction perpendicular to a surface of the metal oxide film, and

wherein a proportion of a region other than the plurality of crystal parts is higher than or equal to 20% and lower than or equal to 60%.

2. The metal oxide film according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of crystal parts has a higher proportion of crystal parts in which c-axes are aligned in a thickness direction than crystal parts aligned in other directions.

3. The metal oxide film according claim 1 ,

wherein in a second image obtained in such a manner that a first image that is an image obtained by subjecting a cross-sectional TEM image to fast Fourier transform is subjected to inverse fast Fourier transform after mask treatment by which a periodic region remains, the proportion of the remaining area subtracted from an original image is more than or equal to 20% and less than 60%.

4. The metal oxide film according to claim 1 ,

wherein when electron diffraction with a probe diameter of 50 nm or more is performed on a slice of the metal oxide film having a thickness of greater than or equal to 10 nm and less than or equal to 50 nm in the direction perpendicular to its cross section, a first electron diffraction pattern that includes a ring-like diffraction pattern and two first spots overlapping with the ring-like diffraction pattern is observed, and

wherein when electron diffraction with a probe diameter of greater than or equal to 0.3 nm and less than or equal to 5 nm is performed thereon, a second electron diffraction pattern that includes the two first spots and a plurality of second spots distributed in a circumferential direction is observed.

5. The metal oxide film according to claim 4 ,

wherein the two first spots are symmetric with respect to a center,

wherein an angle between a first straight line and the direction of a normal vector of the surface of the metal oxide film is more than or equal to 00 and less than or equal to 100, and

wherein the first straight line passes through the center and a point at which a luminance of the two first spots is the highest.

6. The metal oxide film according to claim 5 ,

wherein in the first electron diffraction pattern, the luminance of the ring-like diffraction pattern is lower than that of the two first spots at a point of intersection of the ring-like diffraction pattern and a second straight line that intersects with the first straight line.

7. The metal oxide film according to claim 6 ,

wherein the luminance of the two first spots is greater than 1 time and less than or equal to 9 times the luminance of the ring-like diffraction pattern at the point of intersection of the ring-like diffraction pattern and the second straight line.

8. A semiconductor device comprising:

a transistor comprising a semiconductor layer comprising a metal oxide film,

wherein the metal oxide film comprises indium, which is Al, Ga, Y, or Sn, and zinc,

wherein a plurality of crystal parts is observed in a transmission electron microscope image in a direction perpendicular to a surface of the metal oxide film, and

wherein a proportion of a region other than the plurality of crystal parts is higher than or equal to 20% and lower than or equal to 60%.

9. A semiconductor device comprising:

a transistor comprising a semiconductor layer comprising a metal oxide film,

wherein the metal oxide film comprises indium, which is Al, Ga, Y, or Sn, and zinc,

wherein a plurality of crystal parts is observed in a transmission electron microscope image in a direction perpendicular to a surface of the metal oxide film,

wherein a proportion of a region other than the plurality of crystal parts is higher than or equal to 20% and lower than or equal to 60%, and

wherein the plurality of crystal parts has a higher proportion of crystal parts in which c-axes are aligned in a thickness direction than crystal parts aligned in other directions.

Priority Claims (2)
JP 2015-257710 · Dec 29, 2015 · national
JP 2016-125478 · Jun 24, 2016 · national
Continuity (2)
Continuation 15391186 · Dec 27, 2016
Related Publication 20190051727A1 · Feb 14, 2019
Cited By (3)
US 12,363,955 US 12,378,656 US 12,490,470